Slow, Sluggish and Retarded.

  As a young teenager my first "real" job was pruning/shaping pines on a Christmas tree farm.  It seemed tedious, hot and the days were long (keeping in mind I was a young teen and was a tad bored).  The lady in charge showed the four of us what was required and continued to work with us for a couple hours, three of us got the concept pretty quick.  The idea was to give the pine the general Christmas tree cone shape by lightly nipping the new growth, cutting back any of the old growth that had happened to grow a little too much from the previous year and  make sure there was only one main shoot at the top that would be forming the trunk.  The fourth worker, and I think the youngest, of us was not quite so fast at catching on.  On the second day we saw a tree that he had trimmed.  It was great amusement to us all, the other three of us, the land owner was not amused (and I don't blame her). In defense of the "fourth", he had left the main leader out the top and it was 4-6" longer than any other and right up the center, as directed.  He had a calling in landscaping, it would however not involve cone shapes, but he could handle the perfect round dome look.  Charlie Brown would of taken it above that needless tree he was stuck with, but I don't know if that 2-3' pine ever made it into a home, if it did it would of taken years.  Rolling on the ground in laughter was not conducive to getting the work done,  I think that was his last day, I also remember him being lazy and winy.
  Many of us, I fear, are choosing to be learning impaired in spiritual matters. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, "... seeing ye are dull of hearing" (dull meaning: sluggish, lazy, slothful). Which reminds me of a radio interview I heard a few months ago.  The lady was talking about a fund raiser or an organization to help people that were "developmentally delayed".  I began to think of a product, that I previously used, that when added to concrete it would slow down the setting time.  It allowed you to put more concrete down without the first part hardening, before you got back to finish it, it was called a "retardant" (a substance that reduces the rate of a chemical reaction, causing to delay).  When I got home I looked up the word retarded.  The second definition was: Occurring or developing later than desired or expected, delayed. In other words someone who is "developmentally delayed" (is developing later than desired or expected, delayed) you could say is retarded.  I know the word "retard" has been used as derogatory, as in "you retard" (the equivalent of calling somebody an idiot or fool, something Jesus said  that if you said to someone... "'Thou fool', shall be in danger of the hell of fire")...a sobering thought.  Why the harshness?   I think it boils down those words becoming the fruit of your prevailing attitude, you have not really experienced the love of God.  Instead of love, you are passing out judgement.  I know what it is like to feel the rage that caused me to say, "You fool!" or "Idiot!" to people.  I would be out riding my bike and people in cars would pass me in a way to put my life in danger.  If they had just waited their precious couple seconds every thing would have been fine.  I remember during one such ride God called me on it.  Basically telling me to knock it off.  Point taken and corrected... most of the time.) Calling somebody "retarded" instead of "developmentally delayed" is the exact same thing. Sheesh!  What would they do if people started calling people "developmentally delayed!" or "You DD" for short. Then what would they say?
Rant over.... so is this post.  To be continued later

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