How did we wind up here???


Never let a bad situation bring out the worst in you.
Be strong and choose to be positive. –Anonymous


What a peculiar time we are living in. Truly, some days up seems to be down. Truth is subjective; lies, verifiable and dangerous, run rampant. Beyond the challenges of this nation, the whole world seems, at times, to have gone mad!

How did we ever stray so far from the teachings of Jesus? And more importantly: how do we find our way back? Have we gone too far to turn it around? (Remember? Repent means to turn around, to do a full 180.)

No. Not ever. Not as long as we believe in a gracious God who loves us all unconditionally.

Our task is to accept that grace for ourselves, so that we can then extend God’s love to others.

It starts with the recognition of the value of every person with whom we journey, until we come to the realization and belief that in God’s Kingdom, there is no other. We are all siblings in Christ.

Start small. Start with your words. Speak truth to life. Offer a smile and a hand. Lift each other up instead of knocking each other down.

Life is so very short and precious. What can you do to ease the burdens of those you meet? Just as important: how will you keep from adding to the weight of the burdens we bear? (What would Jesus do, anyway? Do that.)


Monday Start the week with a look in the mirror. What do you see? Do you like what you see? (God surely does!) See the person God sees. Genesis 24:34-38

Tuesday Anyone you encounter today, offer a smile and a kind word. Take note of their response. Pray for them. Genesis 24:42-49

Wednesday Put together a bag of groceries for a local food bank. If you cannot deliver it, ask a friend (or see if someone near you could use some extra food). Psalm 45:10-17

Thursday Invite a friend over for a visit (outside is best). Wear a mask, and sit apart—but enjoy one another’s presence. Genesis 24:58-67

Friday As the weekend begins, you might decide to order in for dinner. Be a generous tipper. Zechariah 9:9-12

Saturday As you pray for yourself on this Independence Day, ask God to show you the best way to be both a Christ follower and an American. Romans 7:15-25

Sunday Check your gut this morning: as you worship virtually or live, are you worshipping God with your whole life? Are you honoring God by respecting one another? Matthew 11:25-30


When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad, they have to get better.
–Malcolm Forbes

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritual dehydration

  Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up. –Pearl S. Buck   The past two years (at least) have been exhausting, haven’t they? We had a pandemic that physically left us anxious and afraid. Our churches, where we go for nourishment, were closed or online longer than we wanted—and even now, we are careful. Politically, we have been divided against one another, and those wounds are still bleeding in many cases. We need to take care of ourselves. And it’s never been more difficult. What to do? How do I make time in our busy schedules—for me ? The simple answer: Whatever it takes. Remember when we would fly to a vacation destination? How the flight attendant would remind us that if the cabin loses pressure, the oxygen masks would drop down out of the ceiling? And that before we offer to help anyone else, we need to have our own masks in place ? Good advice for life in general. Today: Pause. Take inventory ...
Read more

What are you waiting for?

  The waiting is the hardest part. –Tom Petty   We spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for the coffee to finish dripping. Waiting for the light to turn green. Waiting for the next available agent. It’s inevitable, really. We cannot always be first, and if we aren’t first, we’ll have to wait. But I think the more important thing is to ask yourself: How am I at waiting? Do I find myself getting anxious and fidgety? Am I worrying about things not going the way I really need them to go? Is my attitude rubbing off on people around me? The best way to wait is not to worry where we are in line, or gripe about wasted time. The best way to wait—is to be right there , in the moment of waiting. The disciples waited in fear; we wait in hope. Why not use this waiting time to pray? Welcome God’s presence into your heart. Ask God to bring you into the moment. Inquire what God would ask of you in this moment . Thank God for wisdom, patience, humor. . . . Take a d-e...
Read more

Don't be afraid.

Living is a great deal more than simply not dying. It is carrying out a mission, committing oneself to fashion some meaning that will attain eternity. –Leonardo Boff When asked, “What are you afraid of?” we offer a myriad of answers: snakes, spiders, flying in an airplane. But when pressed, many people, believers and non-believers alike, will admit that the one thing they fear most, at the core of their being, is death. Most of us enjoy having control over our lives, and frankly, we have very little control over, or way of knowing, how or when our earthly journey will end. And we have even fewer concrete answers about what will happen next. We have the profession of our faith and the occasional “crossing-over” story—but. No wonder death is near the top of that list. But sometimes, as I look around, it seems like people are less fearful about dying—and more afraid of living. Really cutting loose and enjoying our time together as human beings privileged to live in God’s am...
Read more