I am not even certain how long it’s been since I last penned my thoughts and was actually able to freely write down what was happening on the inside of me, however over the past Month, and even months I have been going through a metamorphosis of sorts. I find that certain ideas are evolving, the sense of who John actually is, apart from all of the mundane things of life are beginning to be uncovered and I am starting to like what I am seeing.
I have thought about this one word “threshold” for quite some time because it is apparent to me that there is something significant with this term threshold. I had to look up the word just to see if my sense of understanding was correct and what I found out totally stretched me. 1.The door; stone, or plank under a door, 2. the boundary of an end or a beginning, 3. Endurance, what a person can physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually tolerate.
As I began to reflect on that one word and put into introspection all of the events of my life I began to see a natural recurring pattern and believe that it is true for every human person that today lives. Wow what an eye opener every day of my life I step across a threshold to get from one place to another without ever fully understanding it’s significance. So much of life happens on the fly and we truly miss it, we can drive the same direction and on the same road for years and miss houses, building and even nature that has been there the whole time or was it not there because we failed to notice it? We walk through this life and I often wonder at the end of the day what did i miss? Chance encounters? Awesome people that I could add to my beautiful assorment of accessories, or even just the adventure of seeing things through different eyes and with a different perspective.
It’s awesome how two people can see, feel and experience something and come away with a totally differing perspective from the other. I look at this threshold and for my own life see a great significance and authoritative statement. A Boundary is a form of containment, it can either keep you in or out and without the proper opening that threshold will limit your access and or exit. So many people walk through this life and never cross the threshold into their future because of fear, pain hurt and anxiety. People from everywhere today are calling for authenticity and trust and because of a lack of trust the threshold is never breached.
Also the threshold of our endurance and understanding is often never pushed. Today is a new day, there are new ideas and thoughts with unlimited potential and opportunities but we must be willing to allow our thresholds to be breached and even realigned so that we may feel, and experience things that we would never have felt or experienced before. The Australian climber George Finch, decided after disastrous failures that he would go literally where no one had ever gone before placing his feet where no feet had been expanding the boundaries and threshold of endurance for his own life and would be the first to climb all the way to the top of the treacherous Mt. Everest.
What an exhilarating thought, to go where no one has ever been before, to feel what no one has ever felt and from the top to see what no one had ever seen. This could only take place at the crossing of a threshold and moving forward and the expanding of a threshold that said even though it’s never been done before it’s still possible.
For me I am tired of the threshold being a barrier keeping me from what I have only dreamed of and am determined to make strides towards those things that are impossible and to internally increase my tolerance and quest for trust. It is worth the effort, the toil and the struggle, just cross the threshold and don’t look back! What about you, are you being contained? Are you on the verge of something wonderful but to afraid to experience what you have never experienced before? Or are you so single minded that you cannot broaden your horizons.
I am ready for the adventure to truly begin in my life for the first time! Love you all!
John T Swineys Blog 
Pastor John this is amazing! I loved it! It made me go back and think at one time in my life I was that person that was never afraid of taking risk even if I took it alone. My life was full of joy and happiness and of these things of the world but only that I was me and I allowed others to be them. I seen the good in everyone and never thought about “bad”. I feel that the doors of this house has become a Threshold that is holding me back. I am not afraid to step out of it and go. So the times that I talked to you about how I felt like satan was using this situation to hinder me, I truly believe this is true. I won’t step through that Threshold for fear of what others will think of me leaving in a situation that I am STUCK in. God gave me an outgoing personality, He gave me compassion for everyone and every living thing. He gave me a heart that cares for others more than I care for myself. He gave my courage to speak to strangers to ask if I can help, to tell them about Jesus and His love for us. I love to give more than receive. Here I feel smothered, I feel like I am wasting gifts and a plan that God designed for only me and only I can do it…it’s “my” purpose. I think back to the very first sermon I heard you preach on how we can not ride the fence…you are either in or you are out. At that time I was riding the fence I was trying to live for God and still have my fun in the world, boy have I grown in HIM. I no longer desire the things of this world but to have the opportunity to tell others how he took this wretched life of mine and made me whole. I am so confused because I honestly feel the only reason I hold myself here is out of guilt. When my son died I had so much guilt, I had left him with my parents, there were times I told him that I was coming to see him and I never went, many other things…I don’t ever want to feel that again, therefore I stay and I do out of guilt, which causes me resentment and isn’t that what the devil does?