In His Likeness w/ AntTBri

Some years ago my mother decided we would no longer say goodbye to each other when we leave the house or hang- up the phone…because goodbye was to final and it meant the relationship/connection was over. My siblings adhered to the change easily, I on the other hand often times fell back into the traditional salutation. It wasn’t that see/talk to you later or the customary ta ta was unappealing…I was just use to saying goodbye.
Which is so anti my personality because I’m the mushy/sentimental relational, touchy feely, give you a hug, show you that I love you, and let you know that you matter…team/family advocate. It is my life’s goal to keep us connected, communal, and cohesive. If nothing else I am loyally committed, consistent, and cautious in my and our handling of each other (to a fault). So my goodbye never means finality. If no one else believes or will stand with them through the (good/bad, up/down)…they can depend on the connection we share.
So after all these years later I’m asking myself has saying goodbye hurt or hindered my progression? Have I changed my verbiage and maintained the definition I understood but could not accept or articulate to manipulate the particular request? Is this why we fail to abandon those things that appease our fleshy mannerisms, mindsets, and movements? Maybe, the problem isn’t limited to what we say but it is magnified by what we believe in our heart about the subject matter [God, ourselves, others]. If so, it would be more advantageous to address the posture of one’s heart before reorienting them to the utterances from their mouth.
What we say in our hearts about God, Ourselves, and Others determines our response to living and loving in His [God’s] likeness. According to Psalm 51, verse 6 in particular we see it is not just what comes out of our mouths but it is what we believe, ponder, and feel in our hearts that causes us to error, sin, and miss the mark or succeed. May the Holy Spirit infuse us with wisdom that enlightens the places of ignorance within our hearts and our continual prayer encompass verses 10 and 12…”create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me”.
The posture of our heart towards God is the trajectory of successful living and loving. It has become my conviction that Goodbye is a necessary assertion one must make in their heart if they are ever going to ascertain change. Goodbye to what I think and feel, believe when it directly opposes the perspective God desires. 2 Corinthians 10:5 admonishes that we do the work of maintaining/keeping a right heart posture toward God, ourselves, and others. How do we do this? We cast down, pull down, demolish, destroy, and dismantle our reasoning, reckoning, and realities that serve as an obstacle/obstruction to OBEDIENCE. In short, we shut down our reasoning, rationale, and rebuttals to why or why not the particular request [command] practice is required especially when it seems it does not directly apply to our particular practice, profession, or placement. Let’s Live and Love in His Likeness through our Obedience~AntTBri