Post Paradise

“Paradise is our native country, and we in this world be as exiles and strangers” -Richard Greenham

Up until now, the only background we've seen has been a wall. A solid stone wall. We've seen different characters expressing pain, wisdom, indifference, commitment, confusion, pride, and joy! What we had not yet seen was, "What's behind the wall?"

In 1987, I was 14 years old and something happened that forever changed the world as we knew it : My transitioning from Junior High to High school.

My family used to have a convenience store right off the service road : GROJFERR Mercantile (made up of the family members' initials). We also had another family-owned business : Galindo Construction & Contract Harvesting. Based on the season : we tore down, built up, harvested, and loaded. My five brothers and I made up half the construction crew. Our father was the owner and our oldest brother - the foreman! While other kids returned to school with a nice tan from their vacation to DisneyWorld. We returned sunburned and relieved that summer was over!

Well, as dramatic and life changing as that was, something else was happening : President Ronald Reagan spoke these words to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev,"Tear down this wall!" He said these words not from his home office in Washington. Not from the Capital or his vacation spot. These words were boldly proclaimed at the site of the wall itself!

It was the challenge from the United States to destroy the Berlin Wall because of what it represented. Reagan challenged Gorbachev to tear it down as a symbol of his desire for increasing freedom in the Eastern Bloc.

Am I suggesting the Western Wall be torn down? By no means, absolutely not! It represents something completely different. What I've depicted here is not the tearing down of a wall, but the emphasis on what's on the other side! You see, it wasn't Reagan's goal to just tear down a wall, but to allow freedom to flow in the lives of all the people that were bound.

Perhaps you feel like you've been 'bound' for some time; unable to move forward to your calling, dream, or purpose. You've been bound for years in a state of complacency, but never truly fulfilled. There's been a 'wall' that's been keeping you from entering into your destiny. Your paradise - a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness.

Two things must happen : 1. You must decide to declare your own freedom. This cannot be done alone. You'll need the right tools and the right crew. You'll need the help of a loving God who desires your freedom, and the help of others who believe in you and your dream.

The next thing that must happen is you must build another wall- a wall like the Western Wall. A safe place to pray and make your requests known. A wall that is setup to shield you from your past pain - failures, mistakes, and sin. This wall must be constructed in order to truly be free. Again, you cannot do this alone. Call out to them, they're waiting on you!

I'm still working on my walls, but I'm confident with the Master Craftsman inside me, and the right people beside me, complete liberation and freedom is certain!

My desire, is to help others do the same. I'll help YOU if you want, let me grab my tool belt. Let's get started now! ('Click')

:::Guess what my family initials now spell : GLADR... and I am!

[Exodus 19:4, 2 Sam. 22:2-4, Psalm 126:4-6]