Unfiltered

God,

You are beautiful.  Not only are you beautiful, but you are beauty itself.  I set all of my cares and worries, hopes and fears, dreams and admiration on you and you alone.  All that I am and all that I have is because you gave it all to me.  I praise you and love you always and forever.

Your servant, Kenneth Dean Melendez

Amen

Filtered -- according to dictionary.com is:  to slow or partially obstruct the passage of something.

Unfiltered -- according to dictionary.com is:  not having been toned down, censored, or edited. ex: unfiltered news sources

I suppose that this notion has been in my thoughts and in my heart for quite some time now.  Yet yesterday (9/10/11) a word popped into my head to wrap the idea up in three syllables...unfiltered.  I believe this is what God has in store not only for myself, but for other believers as well.  

We live in a world that is surrounded by influences.  From newspaper to television to internet to culture to peer groups to family members to work places and even to churches.  We have a certain way of acting and going about our daily lives according to the influences surrounding our environment.  Of course our own personality traits do indeed come into play here as well but that is not my main focus at this time.

Here are my questions though.  What if all of this was put behind us?  What if we could possibly break through these 'barriers' that may keep us from being our true selves?  Sometimes I worry about what someone else is going to think about a particular action that I perform.  What if that was gone?  What if we could say what was truly on our minds instead of not saying anything or making up some sort of lie?  

My most prominent question would be...what if we could live unfiltered for Jesus Christ, obeying Him with all of who we are?  I do not want to reach the end of my life and know that I could have done more for God if I just would have lived an unfiltered life of complete surrender to His will. God calls each and every one of us to follow Him and that means that we lay down our pride down at the door and walk with Him.  Unfiltered even means stepping out of our comfort zone (which I know is uncomfortable) and making a difference by shining the light of Christ in people's lives through our example.

The same day this word came to me I also jotted down characteristics that I feel are extremely important and that run along the same lines.  The words are:  honesty, integrity, humbleness, truthfulness, love, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, wisdom, other-centeredness, beauty, and leadership.  I'm sure there are others but I feel that these traits can be found in a person who is truly unfiltered and is always seeking after God. 

I realize that today marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on our country.  I remember and honor the fallen and their families.  Lets live our days for Christ and in remembrance of those who suffered on that tragic day in history.  May we be a people who rise up and take a stand for all truth and justice on this earth.

Remove the filter, break down the barriers, and devote yourself completely to Him.  This is how we live life to the fullest.  The way God intended it from the very beginning of creation.