Who Were We Before We Were Born?

What were we before we were born?

In Proverbs 8, it talks about how wisdom was born before the earth began. It was there before all of creation, “as a skilled craftsman beside him. I was his delight everyday” (v. 30). Even though this is wisdom’s chapter, I think this applies to humans as well.

Psalm 139: 13-18 says,

“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”

I believe we were, long before we were born. The questions I have are Were we “clean slate” beings who were in existence from the beginning, created simply to worship him? Or did we already have a "'motherboard” in place, with attributes, strengths, and skills pre-loaded before we took on a human form?

We know we were born for such a time and place for this. Our appearance in the world is specific and intentional - location, companions, and circumstances. Regardless of all that, our purpose is, and always has been, to glorify God. We are to bring glory to Him in what we think, say, and do.

So when I think about my strengths (writing, resilience, encouragement) and skills (communication, maybe leadership, organization, and empathy), are these products only of being human, influenced by environment and circumstances? I am a highly empathetic person, who, as a by-product, is extremely emotional and sensitive. Is that because of my childhood and experiences?

I think these are pre-loaded qualities, which God deemed necessary and helpful for me during my time on earth. Other than being useful, I think He just wanted me to have them. Why? The easy answer is because I believe these qualities are of God and reflect His nature and character. How else could we explain grace and mercy, specifically the grace and mercy shown to us?

However, I also think that sin takes the basic package that we arrive with and skews it into something self-serving (which is sin).

For example, I will admit that it is easy for me to get lost in the dark forest of overwhelming emotion. Allowing my feelings to drive the bus of my life instead of God means that I miss the turn-offs and beautiful vistas that He desires for me. This happens chiefly because I choose to filter difficulties and challenges through the lens of self - how it affects me and makes me feel.

During my sojourn on earth, challenges are, and will be, inevitable, since I/we live in a fallen, imperfect world. It is a world where sin struggles to take control of the wheel, veering me into dark corners and alleys, which were never intended for me. Therefore, it is easy to be tempted to push myself - my interests, my hurts, my desires, and my feelings - to the forefront of it all. This is how sin works.

To avoid the dark forest of overwhelming emotion, I need to keep my life’s mission at the forefront - to bring glory to Him in all I think, say and do. How do I do that? There is no other way than making it a priority to keep connected to Him through reading and studying Scripture, and most importantly, spending consistent and regular time with Him. Spending time with Christian friends and influences can be helpful and supportive, as can listening to the messages and words of edifying Christian leaders. But they are every bit as human as I, and humans are imperfect. If these are the only sources of edification, it’s easy to take a wrong turn on the road of good intentions. There is no substitute for plugging into the source, which is Scripture and relationship with the Father.

Don’t be mislead: Emotion is a lovely tool, a necessary tool, to extend and teach grace, kindness, and compassion, all in God’s name and for His glory.

However, while I/we can’t avoid occasional wrong turns, road blocks, and backed-up traffic on the road of life, I/we don’t have to get lost or stuck. He always provides a way out, and it’s always 100% better than where we were.

Bury the Seed

 Matthew 17: 20 “For I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Like most seeds, a mustard seed has everything - all the plant DNA and potential - encased in the hard shell of a tiny capsule. From that minuscule seed is the potential for new plants and gazillions of seeds. It’s a hyper-multiplication of growth - growth beyond comprehension - and all from one seed.

In the natural world, to break the shell, the seed must be buried in soil, watered, exposed to sunshine, and given time. It may or may not sprout. There is a long list of reasons as to why that process might fail. The bottom line is there is a good probability for growth, but no guarantee.

In the spiritual world, growth is assured, and the possibilities are incredible and endless.

This all reminds me of Abraham. Generations and generations of faithful Christ followers came from one split-second decision, which planted a seed of faith. It was one decision - a blink of eye moment in time. It was the moment when Abraham’s knife was poised overhead. He had to decide: do I trust and obey God, or do I choose to go my own way in this?

This instant but weighty moment was when the seed of faith was buried. The choice to bury it was faith. It was a beyond-difficult decision with no expectation of the results, but an expectation, firmly and inextricably, tied to hope - that God’s Will is better, and the ensuing results of the decision will have a far better outcome than imagined. And boy, did it.

Although we are not the O.G., Abraham, we are Abraham on a daily basis.

Think of all the times we must choose - in a split-second - to be faithful. On a daily basis, there are innumerable times when we must decide to trust when it makes no sense, and to believe when all seems hopeless.

Think of the mustard seed potential in that - the hyper-multiplication that could result if we “just” choose faith, to trust and obey.

Think of the mustard seed potential - of the great things God will, and does, do - every time we choose to bury the seed.

Yes, the beginning is the end - the burying the seed is both. It is the end of our doubt. It is the end of our false ideas of human control, and it the end of our expectation and visions of the conclusion; it is the release of the outcome.

It is the beginning of something new and completely supernatural. It is an act of faith. It is a decision that tips the scales toward hope instead of hopelessness. It is a belief that God’s Ways are, and always will be, better than anything that I (or we) in my limited human thought and imagination, can dream or muster.

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14

The answer is no, so do it.

Bury the seed.

God has said,“Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Believe it.

This Old House

 PBS is a good stress reliever. Shows like The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood decreases blood pressure points. Another show that does that is This Old House. First, Bob Vila used to lead the charge, and now, Kevin O’Connor hosts the show. There is something satisfying about watching the transformation process, particularly when a house is raised when it seemed sure that it would be razed. Mold, or water damage, is often a troublesome issue to address.

When a house has mold, one needs to rip out the moldy materials - carpet, sheetrock, trim, etc. If it isn’t ripped out, the mold will keep coming back.

Often, the question is asked: Why not just burn the house down? The best answer to that is that it will do more harm than good. The toxic smoke will contains the mold spores, and these spores will aimlessly spiral through the air and land where they please. This means that people can inhale the spores into their lungs, and the spores can and will infiltrate other structures, if the conditions are right. Plus, there is no guarantee that the mold is gone, even after a blaze. It can still lurk in the soil, in cracks, and on surfaces.

Similarly, when a family is full of “mold” - a pernicious pestilence, such as resentment, an unforgiving heart, or a grudge, that continues to grow and destroy the structure, there are two options. The first is to just ignore it and let the “mold” continue to grow to the point that either the inhabitants die or move out. The second is to strip the structure down to the “bones” to discover the source of the problem and rebuild.

Either way, a collective decision needs to be made by the property owners, which is everyone involved, about which option to pursue. Of course, abandonment or a non-decision is a decision. . .for the first option.

Some might say, “it’s just a house, and there are many of them, so just build a new one.” On a metaphorical level, that’s true also. Property owners can break away and curate a new family structure of carefully-vetted friends, other family members or respected/chosen adults and kids.

However, as every website attested, burning or abandoning the house may solve a temporary problem, but it creates even more problems in the long run. In other words, you can build a new structure, or you can curate that new family, but the mold is still present, because you took it with you when you left. If you didn’t treat it, it’s still there.

So is this old house worth saving?

On PBS, I’ve watched Norm, Tom, and Kevin (sort of) do it over and over again. The question is whether or not the property owners are willing to invest and do what it takes - not to rebuild the old one - but to revive and restore it to the home that it was meant to be.