Leather People and Bears

Sir, Lord, God Almighty! I submit myself to be your faithful and obedient servant undergoing your loving discipline for thereby comes eternal life.

A Leather Bear Daddy (hereafter Daddy), who is a Christ-centered physical scientist and theologian of the origins of religious systems, saw in his chemistry and physics studies the intricacies of the physical universe. These intricacies defy statistical probabilities, such that there must be a living Creator whether you believe in the big bang and evolution theory or not. Both of these assume already existing materials, totally in line with them being created by a living Creator. Almost every religious system that Daddy has studied has a Creator, not necessarily the living Creator, and is based on stories or parables.

Let’s start with a story as was given by the living Creator (hereafter Creator) to Daddy in prayer.

A gardener went to the garden store and bought all kinds of containers for soil and seeds. The gardener first went to the area where the containers were and bought very many containers, from very large to very small ones and many sizes in between. Some of these containers would retain water, and others would let is run out freely. Every one was exactly what was going to be needed for the types of soil and seeds the gardener was going to buy.

Next the gardener went to the area of the soils and fertilizers. Here again a wide assortment of soils was bought. Some were very sandy, some were water laden, and others were in between these. Some were very acidic, while others were very basic. Each soil was just right for the type of seed that was going to be planted in that soil.

Then the gardener went to the seed area and bought all kinds of seeds. The seeds ranged in size from very small to very large and all sizes in between. The germination time varied from very short to very long including all times in between.

The gardener took all the purchases home and began the planting each individual seed in its appropriate soil and container. Those that needed sunlight were placed in sunlight to warm the soil, whereas those that needed shade were placed in shade. Every seed was given just the right temperature and moisture for germination and growth so that each plant would bear its own kind of luscious fruit.

Some of the seeds sprung up very quickly, bore fruit in abundance and died. Others laid in the soil for a very long time. For some the gardener kept out the weeds to prevent them from choking out the desired plant, so that in due time the seed would sprout, grow and bear fruit. Others the gardener let the weeds and undesirable plants grow, then one day set those plants afire which then broke open the seed casing enabling the seed to sprout, grow and produce a plant bearing fruit in due time much later. Others in order to bear luscious fruit were pruned to be more vigorous and healthy plants.

Now what does this have to do with leather people and bears? This story is about one’s relationship with the Creator of the universe and all that is in it. The gardener is the Creator; every person is one of the seed variations planted in its appropriate soil.

What is this seed that the Creator has planted? It is a unique seed of faith in each person that is watered, nourished and appropriately tended by the Creator to bear its fruit. In every case the individual plant and the Creator are in their own unique relationship. No two are alike, just as no two relationships in the leather and bear communities are alike for each individual.

The fruit, each of us bears, also varies like the plants. Some fruit are showy above ground and others are found in the ground. Some come forth on a plant in a very short time and the plant dies, while other plants may take many years to bear fruit season after season, or others after many, many years bloom and bear fruit and die. All these variations are representative of life. So what kind of fruit are you bearing? Are you in the limelight like the showy fruit, or are you behind the scenes doing vital but often unnoticed wonderful fruit, like the tubers that flourish in the ground? The Creator says all of you are acceptable as you are. Don’t belittle yourself, if you are not in the limelight; and those in the limelight humble yourself knowing that the Creator made you for that purpose in the scheme of the life in the world.

Now plants are living organisms created by the Creator. However you, leather people and bears, are given so much more for the Creator’s purposes. The reason that you were created was for companionship with the Creator. Almost every religious system that Daddy has studied has gods creating humans for this purpose. These humans are given a free will to live according to the gods’ system. If choosing not to live by the system, then the humans suffer the consequences. Often these god systems reflect human conditions and relationships amongst humans. Our play as leather people and bears often follows a similar pattern in that a submissive freely submits to a dominant for that one’s purposes and who then takes total responsibility for the submissive. When the submissive misses the mark set by the dominant, the submissive may have greater consequences to endure.

So as Daddy envisions the readers in their relationships with their Creator; he sees many different plants of the Creator all growing together. Some of you, both, submissives and dominants, come from very ritualistic religious systems and long for that, but find yourselves excluded for who you are. The Creator says, “I accept you as you are, just believe in me and seek more of me. I will lead you in my ways which are not your ways.” Others of you, both submissives and dominants, are loners because you have had to learn to do things on your own and often feel that there is no one for you. Again Creator says, “I accept you as you are just believe in me and seek more of me. I will lead you in my ways which are not your ways.” Others of you, both submissives and dominants, may be some where in between. You are also acceptable to me, the Creator, as you are. “Just believe in me and seek more of me. I will lead you in my ways which are not your ways.” Daddy is firmly convinced that the Creator will lead all, who submit, to embrace Jesus Christ and achieve everlasting life. However, the Creator is not limited to any one religious system that exists, for the Creator is able to turn willing hearts, wherever they are, into desiring total submission to the Creator and freely entering into it.

The Creator is love, a love that is much greater than romantic love that we think of when the word ‘love’ is mentioned. This love is unconditional; it is given to all and sustains all. This love is like a human parent’s love for his children, whom are disciplined so that they learn to walk in harmony with others and the universe. Also if the child rejects the parent and has nothing to do with the parent, the parent’s love goes on unconditionally. This is the kind of love expressed by the dominant to the submissive, whom one has put one’s total trust in. Each person likewise is to grow into total submission to the Creator, thus entering into a wonderful and fulfilling relationship with the Creator.

As each of you let the Creator lead you, the Creator will water, and nourish your faith according to your needs to bear your own kind of fruit, for the benefit of others and eternal life. Just as some plants are not pruned, some of you will not need any pruning. However, as other plants need severe pruning to bear good fruit, so others of you will need much. Each of you will bear great good fruit only if you are submitted to the Creator’s working in your life. In all cases the Creator’s working will not be burdensome beyond what you can bear; in fact the Creator’s yoke is easy and the burden is light, but not as you think of as light. For, if it were light like you want it, you would not bear any good fruit. Just as you dominants treat each submissive differently from time to time so does the Creator treats you likewise. Also as you dominants assist the submissives to grow in warmth of the experience, the Creator assists each of us to grow in grace and love for the Creator and one another, reaching new spiritual highs through the low periods of painful trials.

Come both of you, dominants and submissives, receive the blessedness of the Creator’s relationship with you in Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit who enables each to produce the good fruits of unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Daddy has experienced these fruits, although not matured yet, from the trials and discipline of the Creator for which Daddy is ever thankful. Daddy wants more of the Creator whose love was so great that his Son, Jesus Christ, was offered as a ransom for Daddy and you by his dying on the cross, rising alive from the dead and reigning now in heaven and soon the earth. Daddy wants more of Christ as he is a most costly jewel for which Daddy strives to yield absolutely everything materially and bodily to attain. And Daddy wants more of the Holy Spirit, for only thereby is Daddy able to be more submissive to the Creator, and thus not turn away and live for self and the world. These latter are very pale and worthless compared to life in Christ, and to live for self and the world is to forfeit eternal life.