When was the last time you noticed that some of your behaviors are just like your dad’s or your mom’s? Especially when its the one that you swore would never come from you to someone you love. Never in a million years. No way. And then, “Oh my gosh, I’m just like him.” How did that happen? The long-timers at the meeting today will tell you how. Generation. One of the newbie Dumbo sheep looks distressed about what I said. “I know Honey, we all love our parents and are grateful for what they’ve done for us. They’ve done their best.”
Just this morning I searched for information regarding the origin of the phrase, ‘The Spitting Image’ on a web site called the The Phrase Finder. Some believe it comes from the process of splitting wood down the middle to get exact mirror images for building furniture and musical instruments like the back of a violin. This is called, ‘Splitting Images’. . .and when spoken in the original dialect, the letter L is left out, resulting in ‘Spitting Images’.
Other theories suggest it comes from a line of dialogue in a 17th century play. “Poor child! He’s as like his own dadda as if he were spit out of his mouth.” Another speculation is a phrase from a 19th century book called the New Gate Calendar. “A daughter. . .the very spit of the old captain.” At the end of that century, there was another reference in a novel. “She’s like the poor lady that’s dead and gone, the spit and image she is.”
It’s all about generation. Webster defines the word to mean: “the act or process of producing offspring; to originate something; to form with accuracy; to be the cause of a state of mind or action; the formation of likeness.” Most simply put, the next successive generation is the product of generation. . .mirror images of others. . .spitting images.
I’ve spent the last 35 years listening to people share with me the contributions that their family members have made in forming the character traits of their personality. I’m shaking my head back and forth right now, regretting every destructive, unkind, unloving moment perpetrated on my kids by my own insanity. Who knows what they’re doing? Everyone is trying to do the best that they can. Yet, there is a secret phenomena, like another dimension, creating the future. . .generating unwanted, unacceptable behaviors with those we love. . .and they are the last people in the world we would do that to. “I’ll never be that way with my kids, with my friends, with my family,” we say with firm resolve.
We are generated from the loins of Adam, so to speak. We are the fruit of his tree. . .and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. A chip off the old block. Just like your old man. When Adam lost his innocence, he lost his immunity from sickness. His mind, his soul, his spirit, his body were now susceptible to disease and decay. In one moment, he brought upon himself and all future generations, total disability. This disability is generated through the daily interactions and transactions that transpire within the family dynamics. Seeds of trouble are sewn every day. In many cases, the trouble remains underground until the first shoot appears and begins to grow into something unmanageable. . .and hurtful to someone else.
When the Lilies of the Valley heard this for the first time, they thought it smelled a little fishy. It wasn’t just them who were suspicious. In fact, the Dumbo sheep couldn’t believe they’re ears when they heard it. And, if the eagles hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought they were listening to a madman.
As I am the recipient of any unloving behavior, that behavior will enter into my soul and the emotional impact it has on me will be addressed as best as possible by the psychological assets that I am equipped with. But there’s much, much more to it than what meets the eye. It’s the violence of the behavior and the subsequent contribution it makes to the generation of it in the soul. It becomes a potential time bomb, scheduled to go off when a person’s natural gifts are depleted. . .small p, patience. . .small t, tolerance. . .small f, forgiveness. . .small l, love. The best resolutions to be different, the strongest resolve of the heart, only become the best laid plans of mice and men. Anger becomes the spring from which all destructive behavior originates and does violence to someone’s soul.
We are convinced that “we get over things. . .that we’ve dealt with that issue and have moved on.” I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard myself and others say, “I thought I was over it.” We all think that, to one degree or another. Then the reality shows up. . .”She’s like the poor lady that’s dead and gone, the spit and image she is.” Dead and gone? Only sleeping in the graveyard in the soul. . .waking up at any given moment to replicate destructive behavior.
What is unloving behavior? Seriously. List a couple of behaviors in your mind. It’s pretty clear. All of us can answer that question. My Lily just leaned over and said, “I only trust His answers. My confidence lies only in what comes straight from the His mouth.” He speaks in the book of Proverbs. “The mouth of God is a well of Life; but violence covers the mouth of man. . .the souls of the generations of men since Adam shall eat violence.” They feed each other violence. . .unloving behavior.
What is Loving behavior. The newbie Dumbo Sheep all have their hands up and can’t wait to give the answer. Can you see it? Capital L, LOVE. God alone. The Father alone. The Son alone. The Spirit alone. Together, alone. The Father’s behavior is in choosing His children and authoring their lives perfectly, in every way, shape and form. The Son’s behavior is best seen in the Light of His biography. “He made His grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death; because He had not done any violence, neither was there any deceit in His mouth, only Love. Yet it pleased His Father to bruise Him. . .and open the door to heaven through Him, Who is the Door.” He had not done any violence. The Spirit of God’s behavior is in making all of this a present reality in the soul by bringing the very presence of God through Christ to it and dwelling in it.
The word violence in the original Hebrew text means, “to be violent; to mistreat; to take from someone wrongfully; to imagine wrongfully against someone; to damage in any way; to do an injustice to; to deal wrongfully; to use for one’s own self-interest; to oppress in any way; to take something.” Whatever is not Loving behavior, is violence. God generates His own behavior. . .He reproduces what He alone possesses. Man generates his own behavior. . .he reproduces what he alone possesses. Both create spitting images. Sometimes they appear to be similar. . .the Upper and lower case letters of the alphabet have a way of doing that. The eagles are flapping their wings, ready to fly over the Rainbow of His Love. . .because of what they see.
“But we all, with wide-open eyes, see as in a mirror the glory and Love of God. . .and are changed into this same image as His Presence is made known to the soul. . .as His Words of Love feeds the heart and conforms the character into the very image of His Son.” Like Father, Like Son, like sons and daughters.
“Rich child. He’s like his own Dadda as if he was the spit of His own mouth.” A Golden apple from the Golden Apple Tree. Freely given. Freely received. Free, love.
A Good Moment 