Becoming a Vessel of Honor.

1: Perception

What we see or think when we are presented witha reality, how we see or percieve that reality boils down to our memory of experiences.

If you have no experience with an object or a person or even a reality then you will not have deep perception of it.

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Experience gives you a better context for understanding meaning.

The Bible makes this very clear:

Job 12:12 BSB

12 Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.

Why? Not because they have necessarily studied more but they have experienced more and if they were diligent in their growth, they should use their experience to help others understand.

In the same way we grow emotionally, mentally and physically from infant to adult, so to must we grow spiritually.

And much like the health of our natural growth depends on us achieving certain developmental milestones so too does our spiritual and perceptive growth.

While all children are different and mature at vastly different rates there are milestones which if not attained, do indicate possible developmental difficulties within that child.

Now here is where things get intresting: While each developmental stage of growth is important - What is more important is the mechacnism that moves individuals out of one developmental stage to the next.

So a big question is: What is the mechanism God has ordained to move us from one stage of maturing to the next?

The answer will surprise you:

Remember this mechanism has to be avalible not just for Christians, but for unbelivers as well.

And indeed we can see how unbelivers grow, develop and mature: All without God by apperances.

Not only that but this has to work for all creatures that grow and develop.

Its the ultimate question:

What makes a bird, safe in the nest, mouth fed decide one day to jump to its possible death?

What causes this change in the bird?

The answer: Frustration.

And its this frustration that is found in each developmental stage that aught to “push us out the nest” that is: The safe worldview that did indeed help us at one level, it now frustrates us.

This frustration is from God!

But its not an evil frustration, its us outgrowing our previous understandings and worldview.

Romans 8:19–21 NIV84

19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Notice what the texts says:

God subjected all of creation to frustration so that the person can be liberated from their childish aka underdeveloped worldview.

Like Paul said:

1 Corinthians 13:11 BSB

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.

In this passage we see that God has indeed ordained us to go from one level of thinking to a more mature level of thinking.

But here is the catch:

For the bird to actually come to the point of growth it MUST SACRIFICE the once saftey of the nest.

In the same way, our FRUSTRATION with a worldview must become great enough that we are willing to sacrifice that way of thinking, a way of thinking that once brought us much comfort.

What is the difference between a child’s mind and a grownups mind?

Why does Paul no longer think like a child?

The simple answer: Experience and wisdom.

Developmental Stages NOT SANCTIFYING stages.

It is vital that we do not make the mistake of “ranking” these stages of growth.

Yes maturity is better than immaturity: But an immature infant is NOT less valuable that a mature adult.

Immaturity is only sinful when its artificially extended past its time due to irreconcilability and neglect.

It does not help the kingdom when a mature person gets frustrated with an immature person who is still growing.

You do not have the same expectations!

Ephesians 6:4 NASB95

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

How do we provoke our children to anger?

By expecting them to be disciplined when they have not learned discipline.

Buy expecting them to know instruction which they have never been taught or learned.

So these developmental levels are not ranked 1, 2, 3...

They are colour codes.

What is better: Blue or Red?

Niether, it depends.

Well in the same way each stage is not “better” than the previous stage.

As the bible reminds us:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 BSB

1 To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

Each stage in our growth has an important purpose: One we will learn about soon enough.

So what are these stages and what causes the frustrations that push us to grow and what are the dangers of “skipping” a level and remaining on a level to long?

First Code: Beige

When we are born we have a very limited view of the world.

Our sphere of existence is totally dominated by our survival needs.

The total complexity of the outside world is beyond our comprehension as we have no experiences, reference points or guidelines.

We literally cannot perceive the outside world as our filters are unformed and empty of data.

Our total experience is of our own body and its immediate surroundings.

The world is dominated with simple states.

Am I hungry?

Am I in pain?

Do I feel safe?

This is our common starting point.

At times of great illness we may re-visit it or if we become totally overwhelmed by the outside world we may retreat into it.

The complexity of thinking is very elemental and we are largely driven by the survival skills embedded in our reptilian brain.

Emotions may well be very basic, principally fear-based and close to biological impulses, and there may be little sense of time beyond now.

We are simply driven to satisfy the most basic of psychological needs.

This first code is coloured as Beige.

This is elemental survival at its most basic.

We are born into it and may regress into it at times of extreme trauma or illness.

No one would call a baby evil because it selfishly cries when its hungry.

The baby is acting out of pure selfish preservation.

The baby does not care if mom and dad are tired. The baby does not care if mom and dad are sick.

In fact: The baby does not care about mom and dad at all, because the baby has no concept of mom and dad.

Why did God make babies so selfish?

Because they are helpless, they are totally dependent on others.

If they don't get their point across they die.

But of course its not just infants who manifest a beish worldview:

Adults will often fall into this mode if survival becomes a delicate matter again.

Illness, drug use, alchoholism, very old age - all of these can cause us to go into “survival mode” again.

We see this is exacally what happened to David himself!

1 Samuel 21:12–13 BSB

12 Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.

So there is no doubt that Beish is a very important stage for us.

But what happens if we remain and what frustration causes us to leave?

A person who is in Beish is a person who makes zero contribution.

No duties, no responcabilities, no community, no family: Nothing.

What frustration?

The frustration that drives a person out of beish survival mode is the isolation and lack of communication.

Children have a natural look about them that causes adults to “overlook” their selfish worldview, adults however have no such grace.

The results is that a person in beish will not be very popular with other more mature people.

They will be avoided, left out, sometimes even cut off.

Its obvious why: They are not contributing to anyone, so peoples patience with them runs dry quickly.

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As the child grows and experiences more of life they learn and come to comprehend the magic that is mom and dad.

The child learns that they dont need to remain in a survival mode because mom and dad magically provide for their needs.

This then gives birth to developmental milestone 2

2 Second Code: Purple

Purple represents a significant step up.

However there is still very little actual experience of the larger world so the “explanations” of life and its manifestations, not being able to make sense of it all, are believed to be magical or mystical.

Notice: There is nothing magical or mystical about mom and dads 9-5 jobs, but not having the experience to understand this part of life, it is interpreted as mystical.

There is little sense of personal responsibility so life is in the hands of the Gods.

In children we see the wonder of fairytales or Disney.

When children watch these programs they do not conceptulise a team of talented artests drawing the scenes and painting them - they see the story as real.

Children cry in Bambi because the little deers mother died, not because the artest stopped drawing the deer.

Adults who are in Purple are very easy to spot as they still base life on magic and “the gods”.

Classic examples of this include: Horoscopes, fortune telling, and superstition.

Within the Christian faith this childish view manifests in prayer beads, guardian angel charms, New Ageism.

A healthy developmental experience of Purple is important in putting down a firm foundation for the rest of life.

This is the recognition of family bonding and the experience of unconditional love.

We have somewhere to share and be nurtured if the going gets tough and people to celebrate with when everything is wonderful.

This new sense of “safty in numbers” means that more energy can be spent on exploration and growth.

Frustration:

We may have more energy to explore but we find than frustration quickly comes in the form of feeling stifeled by the “elders”.

The child who can now walk does not want to sit down like its told.

The numbers that once brought safty now bring frustration which leads to:

Third Code: Red

The Ego has Landed

The emergence of Ego drives us to gratify personal impulses without the regard for others.

There is no sense of guilt or constraint in the search for more.

NB: Do not read “sin” into this behavior.

The “desires” are not necessarily sinful, and their “disregard” is not cold and calloused, its more “keep up or move” attitude as they break free.

The ideas of respect and reputation become more important than anything else.

Whatever needs to be done to avoid shame or being disrespected will be done without any sense of guilt or even awareness of others.

The myths and rituals of Purple fall away to the fearless warrior prepared to become formidable.

Boundaries will be pushed and expanded.

Limits, whether set by man or nature are there to be challenged and defeated.

A healthy embodiment is evident in sport and competition.

It is a demonstration of fearless strength over perceived weakness.

Playground games of strength, guile and personal skill, extreme sports, become the healthy outlet for Red.

When those outlets are unavailable and the natural emergence becomes blocked by lack of resources or opportunity it will manifest itself as personal violence and anti-social behaviour.

Red is in all of us and we need to have a healthy experience of personal challenge, overcoming obstacles and expressing the pure exhilaration of living an abundant life!

To show you that Red is not bad or sinful, we have strong Evidence that Jesus Himself, as a full human being, grew through these stages (naturally) and we even see a bit of Red manifest in his early years:

Luke 2:48–49 BSB

48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His mother asked. “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” 49 “Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house ?”

Notice that He is pushing towards indipendance and find their “protection” limiting.

If we deny and repress Red then we will create a powder keg of resentment, latent violence and even depression; for we are depressing an essential element of life itself.

As we explore the Red energy and overcome the challenges, we get less personal pay back and the law of diminishing return sets in.

Weakening of personal power with age and desire for a stable base to raise a family bring individual and collective hunger for peace and order.

Slowly a sense of needing something else and the idea of personal guilt emerge and Red no longer satisfies.

The Spiral has taken a further turn.

Fourth Code: Blue

The egocentric days of Red ultimately produce an emptiness of purpose and an escalating sense of guilt as an awareness of others starts to build.

The fourth code, Blue, is about aligning with purpose and finding order and stability.

If we align with a group and play by the group rules then personal guilt is assuaged.

We can start to find some true meaning by aligning behind a greater cause and recognising that joint effort will build stability and remove the impulsivity of earlier codes. Children start to seek out clubs ands teams.

They want to be part of a football team or Brownies.

They like working for a form project; they want to belong and have their efforts recognised within the framework of a team.

Boundaries and rules provide security.

Martial arts clubs provide an ideal transition for many youngsters as they use the energy, aggression and personal sense of respect within a framework of strict rules whilst honouring the traditions and role models of the healthy Purple.

Earlier codes are honoured and included within a discipline which removes any sense of personal guilt.

In a spiritual context attending church and being part of a congregation gives a sense of belonging and a sense of living within a structure whilst honouring the Divine and our ancestry.

The rituals and rites of passage again support the earlier code of Purple but now with a sense of purpose and a route to forgiveness to replace emergent guilt.

Building order out of chaos gives a sense of communal security and makes individual suffering appear more remote as a threat.

If we play by the rules and are _ethical` or operate within the ethos of the community, we will be looked after.

Blue has a link to Purple but within a framework and rules with greater security and a sense of purpose.

The complexity of thinking has increased.

We have learnt to recognise guilt and the moral rights of others.

We have learnt that rules and purpose will endure longer than chaos and brute force.

Authority within the Blue framework starts to walk the boundary line of the rules and explore the edges.

This is authority and leadership with purpose.

At the same time, the order can become restrictive, inhibit innovation and discourage personal achievement.

In its less healthy forms, Blue can become over-regulated, even turning into a police state.

The conditions are created where independence is starting to become attractive, individual creativity asserts itself and tensions are produced.

5.5 Fifth Code: Orange The comfort of the structure from Blue no longer holds the same attraction as we start to feel autonomy and independence. We recognise that the hard effort and strong work ethic learnt as part of the earlier codes has the capacity to provide material rewards and aspirations to toys and joys can be realised. The logic learnt through understanding rules now stands in good stead. It shows the pathway in a scientific world of multiple solutions and open competition. The sense of personal freedom forged in Red and tempered with the rules and structure of Blue ignite a hunger for self expression and the chance to excel. There is a purpose around winning and personal success. Orange brings a relish to being measured and found to be a winner as designated by society. In a materialistic world this is expressed by the toys of consumerism. In a society where the material world is either not available or without regard, then personal success will be expressed in other forms. In a fundamentalist environment this may even include intentional martyrdom in the knowledge that a martyr^s family will be rewarded within the culture. Orange brings the perceived power to manipulate the environment and resourced to bring about the _good life`. There is an inherent optimism and 23 sense of calculated risk on the journey to success that fuels the sense of control and achievement. Society is seen as progressing through the use of strategy, technology and competitiveness. There is little regard for the longer term effect on others, merely a strategic attempt to avoid creating their hostility now. Success now in the short term with the belief that science and technology will look after the future is the credo. Orange can become excessive, resulting in excessive greed and self-centred behaviour. After a time it can lead to alienation and feelings of emptiness where we notice the loss of human caring and reduced valuing of people. Once again we see increasing awareness of _We` and the ability to see the impact on local community and a larger world picture. The complexity of thinking increases as eyes are lifted to a wider horizon. _What are we doing?` starts the process of dissonance and further change.

5.6 Sixth Code: Green Recognising the need for human connection and the care for other people propels the change out of the materialistic dash of Orange into a more feeling and considerate phase of Green. There is a prevailing sense of equality and a desire to share the resources of the plane equitably and in a sustainable way. Decisions are no longer driven through by authority and power but sought through reconciliation and consensus. Sensitivity and sense of caring replace the cold logic of materialism and with them a new sense of the human spirit, which enriches the life experience. A strong rejection of the earlier materialism and clinical pragmatism of Orange emerges and a desire to remove greed and create harmony replaces personal objectives. A sense of community and common purpose becomes paramount. Diversity is welcomed with the proviso that it enhances and enriches the experience for all. There is a sense of a growing family, respecting feelings and working for the common good. 24 This is the birth place of Political Correctness and policies of inclusion and acceptance, at any cost. Doubts about the effectiveness of collective decision making and a sense of wider connection within the universe, start to engender a resurgence of personal empowerment. The focus on caring for all comes at a price and doubts around the sustainability and wisdom of supporting all regardless of cost starts the process of movement and change. The attachment to group think dissolves and a rediscovered self, equally at home in company or in solitude, with a greater confidence and a greater sense of spiritual connection starts to emerge.

5.7 Seventh Code: Yellow Clare Graves described the change from the sixth to the seventh code as a _momentous leap`. It is a change into another order of thinking, a great shift where a glimpse of the whole becomes visible. We will see that at earlier codes it is difficult to relate to others at different codes to our own; but at the seventh code we can hold multiple perspectives simultaneously and recognise them as both valid and different. We can view the whole spectrum of the Spiral with its complexity and elegance. Chaos is the playground of Yellow. Ebb and flow, catastrophic change and subtle adaptation are all valid models and can be embraced, understood and meshed into effective processes which are far greater than the sum of the pieces. Flex and flow become the natural rhythms. Companies, organisations and even nations grow, collapse, morph and evolve. Scenario planning is replaced by true flexibility capable of responding to whatever is as and when it arises. Whatever is right today may not be right tomorrow. The seventh code embraces a far greater understanding of complexity and sees solutions appropriate to the prevailing life conditions and relevant to those experiencing them. Leadership becomes the implementation of what the planet, people, organisation, needs rather than what it wants. 25 It is not clear yet what the constraints of a Yellow system will be that propel the next set of codes on a more widespread basis. In the second tier, the _ I / We` oscillation begins to take on new character, being not just the individual I/We, but swings between anthropocentric and holistic collective of our planet and universe. In Yellow, we may still put human survival first. Competition may still echo up from first tier. We still retain elements of the belief that _I`, or a more local _We` can thrive when others are not thriving. But slowly a sense of the Great Picture starts to draw us away to the eighth code. We see not only the chaos and complexity of this world but the interconnectedness of all life-forms and of all sciences. We recognise the mirroring of the micro in the macro. We get drawn towards the world of quantum reality, spirituality and the sheer wholeness of all.