This perfection is the restoration of man to the state of holiness

This perfection is the restoration of man to the state of holiness from which he fell, by creating him anew in Christ Jesus, and restoring to him that image and likeness of God which he has lost.
-- Adam Clarke

The number 10 is phenomenal.It represents the perfection of Divine order; ordinal perfection, where numeration becomes anew; rebirth; fulfillment; completion of a cycle; closure. Ten is the number for wisdom and unity, because it contains the essence of all the numbers - one to nine - within it and, therefore, all things and possibilities.
Ten represents the Trinity (3) and creation (7 days), or God and all His work. God gave His people Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3 – 17). The Lord's Prayer is completed in ten clauses (Luke 11:2-4). Ten plagues beset Egypt (Exodus, Chapters 7-10). To God, we give back a tenth of our first fruits (Leviticus 27:30), and the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles ten days after the Ascension of Jesus which we know as Pentecost (Acts 2:1-6).

The Romans represent 10 as X, the perfect figure. There are 10 days of atonement between the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. For the Chinese, 10 denotes the uncountable, the manifestation of "whole," and in the ancient Maya civilization, 10 symbolizes the end of a cycle and the beginning of another. Scoring perfectly is a "prefect 10." We slowly and deliberately count to 10 to cool our anger before we speak. Interstate 10 runs coast to coast, all the way from Florida to California, and we generally have 10 fingers in which to do God's work and 10 toes to stand before Him.

In 2010, I turned 42 which was always a number I referenced in 2006 – 4 years ago – regarding my money ("Terry, I want to make $42,000 now!). If I add the numbers in my birthdate, employing the concepts of numerology – 3+2+8+1+9+6+8 = 37 then add 3+7 – I get a 10. The positive traits of 10 – inspiring leader/creative/efficient/determined/pioneer. Sounds like me! Negative tendencies of 10 – stubborn/disconsolate/jealous. (((Sigh)))… that's me, too.I explain all this to say – I anticipate/celebrate/claim! that there are things that will be completed/brought to fullness and fruition/made whole in my life in 2010 so that I may begin again/be born again/be restored in the new year. And, wherever you have found yourself in this year of completion, you, too, can anticipate, celebrate and claim! conclusion/fulfillment/realization/renewal/and, best of all, fresh starts.

Today, right now, I believe that everything we've negatively experienced/suffered/belabored through/toiled with is getting ready to come to a close. I believe all the taking apart and the tearing down we've done to ourselves/our lives is coming to an end so that we can begin to repair/heal/restore. All the horrific and vile stuff is coming out and off in droves, heaps, and in bulk so that we can be free for reconciliation with the will of God, fulfill our life's purpose liberated from/uninhibited by what has weighed/depressed us down to the dumps, and be rightfully/righteously reinstated to the title of God's chosen ones.It's taken us some years and experiences to get to this place, and, OMG!, are we ready to leave behind that which does not bless, exalt, and honor. I am READY with full artillery to dismantle/bulldoze/crush (back) to the bowels of hell – that's where this stuff came from anyway – everything that has been immoral/dishonest/self-indulgent/childish/insincere/deceitful/a sham/excessive/foolish/reckless/risky/offensive/disgraceful/distasteful/base/forbidden/subject to the wrath of God/slated for death. Oh for a new day!

No wonder there's been no order! What a tangled web!But wait, there've also been some genuine experiences/gifts that have been great/awesome/fantastic and there is absolutely no way we desire for those things to cease. They won't; they'll get better! Like in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), those whose experiences and gifts were especially used for the good of/to further the Kingdom of God, more will be added unto you! The great things will become fabulous and the fantastic, magnanimous!

Now, while the examination of the number 10 and its significance may be a little too new age and incredulous to you, you can believe this – nothing in this world/in our lives occurs by coincidence; there is Divine providence in/to everything. God's omniscience brings it ALL to pass/order. And while God's timing is His own and nothing can change that, He has given us mystical breadcrumbs in the forms of numbers and stars to do more than light the night and help us count our money. Everything under the sun "…get[s] properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies..." (Colossians 1:20; MSG). Everything in the universe works together to restore us to purge us of our failures and return us to our original "state of holiness." Jeremiah 31:25 (MSG) says, "I'll refresh tired bodies; I'll restore tired souls." Titus 3:3-8 (MSG) says, "It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this."

I believe we have arrived with our stuff at the place of completion. The period of demise/ruin/death is over, Halleluiah! 2010 is almost over and 2011 awaits our clarity, wholeness, and sparkle. Shed what afflicts/convicts, leave it at this place. Usher in the revival/rekindled spirit and get ready for a new start!I'm ready!

By the way, both the words "completion" and "perfection" have 10 letters…

On this same day every year

On this same day every year, I compile the “Forever List.” This annual list is a sort of to-do list or agenda for the upcoming year that consists of things I’d like to accomplish in the year, and things, once accomplished, that would deem the year a successful one. I have no idea why I titled it the “Forever List” except that perhaps when I started it 16 years ago, maybe a year felt like forever. Maybe I named it the “Forever List” because completing the items on the list would mean peace, joy, and fulfillment forever. Or, maybe it was the “Forever List” because in actuality the things on the list would take forever and writing them down was just a start. Very honestly, I don’t have much memory about why I did most of the things I did 16 years ago; some stuff is just a blur. Nonetheless, the name of my annual program of activities has stuck.

Sixteen years ago, my first “Forever List” was, for me, ambitious. It included things like

∙ keep in touch with friends and family ∙ exercise 3x/week for 1 hour ∙ take the
dogs to the vet ∙ read Shakespeare, study Socrates, Kant, and Thurman ∙ find a
handbell choir ∙ organize books and music ∙ learn to embroider ∙ sew buttons on
clothes ∙ make some kimonos and kaftans ∙ drink herbal teas ∙ learn how to use a
reciprocal saw ∙

And, while that year, I did learn to use a reciprocal saw and drank one glass of herbal tea, Shakespeare, Socrates, Kant and I have still yet to be fully acquainted; buttons, kaftans, and kimonos never saw any needle of mine; and, let’s just say the dogs may have lived to the next year had we gone to the vet that year.

Over the past 16 years, I’ve completed most things on each year’s “Forever List.” I’ve attended to those big ones – you know, things like ∙ seek Him daily ∙ create a comfortable home ∙ find a job that I love ∙ have a healthy baby ∙ meet the man with whom I can have a loving, lasting, and mature relationship with ∙ – those things have received my attention and I’ve marked them off the lists because they’re now givens or everyday, expected, and natural occurrences. There’s no more planning for them, I just have to continue to provide devoted and deliberate maintenance along the way. There are other big things I’ve lined through so, structurally, I’m solid, painted up real neat, and, for the most part, my landscape is lush.

But as I reflect on the past 15 lists, I realize that many of the items not scratched through have been left completely unaddressed – okay, ignored – year after year and they’ve sort of snowballed into what are now HUGE items! I’m talking about things that have received a consistent, abundant, and abrasive amount of neglect, so much so that without real, immediate, almost emergency attention, this well erected edifice of mine, with its fine trappings, prettifications, and side dishes, will turn into a mere shell. In other words, if in 2010, I don’t look and work within, I’m going to fall apart limb by beautiful limb. So, I surmise that the things that have been intentionally left unattended are the real candidates for the 2010 list.

Eek, argh, ugh, and sheesh – because cutting cussing is on that List!

Those consciously disregarded items have always given me a chill because, geez, they’re heavy. They require a lot of work, a lot of upheaval. Paying attention to those things in some cases means revisiting some ancient and hurtful places, and even demolishing some of what seems to be currently working. What a frightening task! How harrowing and wearisome! Who in their right mind would willingly go to the places that are ugly and rotten? I mean, seriously, who wants to dig up, dig deeper, and dig through the moistness of sadness, shame, and unrequited fear? Who has the cast-iron makeup to examine all that stuff with a fine-toothed comb and persistent alertness and attentiveness? Who wants to be striped to the core, raw and chaffed, with the even harder task of putting yourself back together the right way?

Not I, saith I. But I have to because I haven’t. I have to because it’s necessary.

Iyanla Vanzant said,

“What are you waiting for? With all you say you want, there is a dream for you
to follow; a goal for you to set; a plan for you to make; a project for you to
begin; an idea for you to act on; a possibility for you to explore; an
opportunity for you to grab; a choice for you to make. If not, you shouldn't
have anything to talk about.”

In order that life be more interesting and satisfying, more purposeful, and certainly more accommodating for my plethora of embellishments, it is imperative that I dig up and dig through. Because real living requires more than a cursory dance across life’s surface, it is compulsory that I explore and dismember the messes I made. Because I’ve got so much more to give to the people I love, I ain’t got no choice but to get myself together. And, because I seek Him daily, there is no miserable or heartbreaking place that I’ll go that God’s not with me, carrying me, comforting me, and making it all right. I resolve that there is no other thing I can do unless I do what I have not done.

Thus, the things on the “2010 Forever List” include only these -

∙ heal from some dreadful situations ∙ look into the next era of me ∙ cut the
cussing ∙ pare down, out ∙ bring 2010 and beyond into life ∙

It’s a very broad list, but it’ll all reveal itself. I don’t know what it’ll all look like. I don’t know all I’ll have to sweat, cry, and breathe through. I do know, though, what it’ll all do for me and that alone, this time, is enough to get me on the road. In 2010, I’m requiring more of myself because I have to. I’m putting up or shutting up, pissing or getting off the pot. I’m not waiting, I can’t wait any longer. Selah and amen!

Wait, pissing is not a cuss word is it?