Peace

For me, it is a good time to be reminded  of my true citizenship. Just as Paul reminded the Philippians–who we very proud of their Roman citizenship–where their future is and to make that a priority, I need to hear this:

Our citizenship is in heaven.

I find, increasingly so, this political season to be disturbing rapidly moving into disgusting. Yet I keep watching. I really do care, but I have to have a frame of reference that keeps me at peace and provides joy in the midst of all of it. Ancient tradition says these words were written by David on this way to worship.

O Eternal One, my heart is not occupied with proud thoughts;
my eyes do not look down on others;
I don’t even begin to get involved in matters too big, matters of faith, state, business,
or the many things that defy my ability to understand them.
Of one thing I am certain: my soul has become calm, quiet, and contented in You.
Like a weaned child resting upon his mother, I am quiet.
My soul is like this weaned child.
O Israel, stake your trust completely in the Eternal—
from this very moment and into the vast future.

— Psalm 131 The Voice

Forgiveness

Anne Lamott, in Traveling Mercies says, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” I’ve heard various versions of this saying over the years with various different vices.

It always makes me chuckle (at least inside) before the sobering truth settles in. Too often we make rifts in relationships about the other person. While it’s probably true there is fault and blame to be placed on the other, at some point we have to realize we cannot control him/her. We can only control our response.

Forgiveness in all its fullness in found in Jesus – the ability to forgive ourselves and the ability to forgive others. Forgiveness is not earned. It is given by grace, at least that’s how it work from God toward us. I believe he wants us to do the same to each other.

Voices in my Head

All of us, I think, replay scenes from the past. Some of it is vivid video where we see what we did. Other times we just have audio clips. What we choose to play determines how we feel about ourselves and reveals our faith in God’s love and redemptive ability. Choose carefully!

Henri Nouwen writes about this a fair amount. Think through this:

Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful."

But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen. That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us “my Beloved.”

Choose the Right Path

Today, like every day, will be filled with choices–most of them seemingly small and perhaps insignificant. Yet all of them reflect the way we think and what we believe, and they accumulate and lead us down certain paths. It’s always wise to stop and think, to pray and petition for guidance. I find these words of the Psalmist to be good and helpful reminders of all that. May the Lord bless your day as you seek his way.


O Lord, I give my life to you.
I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
—Psalm 25:1-7

Prayer

May these words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

These words from Psalm 19 are a part of my daily prayers and have been for many years. I have yet to realize a day of perfecting the prayer. There are too many thoughts and too many words. Not all of them repent and get baptized. 

Thank God for mercy and grace! From that platform of security and acceptance–found in Christ–I can focus on progress in a process of being shaped into the image of Jesus. Words and their use are one of the key indicators of how it’s going. 

I get to begin a new day with joy, praying the same prayer and having the same goal. Will you join me?

Do it Anyway

Sometimes we wonder if most moments in time matter. They do. It’s important to live intentionally, especially if we are following Jesus. He is the source of our purpose in life no matter how we use our lives. Make every moment count.

The prayer that follows is widely attributed to Mother Teresa. I think she would say it doesn’t matter who wrote it.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. 
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years building, others could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

For Others

Here are a couple of thoughts that go together – a confluence of deep God-honoring challenge:

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

—Philippians 2:3-5

Lord God,
May I open my heart and life to others
so that fearful strangers might become my guests.
May I open my heart and life to others
who are very different from me.
Teach me in poverty of spirit
to quit clinging to what I think I have,
whatever it is:
my knowledge,
my good name,
my house,
my money,
or the many objects I have collected around me,
so that any who might take from me
will find me only offering gifts.

—Henri Nouwen

Prayer

Most of us are familiar with Reinhold Niebuhr’s prayer from the 1930s. It goes like this:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; 
and wisdom to know the difference.

There is more to the prayer than those wonderful first four lines. It continues:

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.

The first part is dependent upon the second part, and they both point to Jesus.

Loving

There is someone that I love, even though I don’t approve of what he does. There is someone I accept, though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me. There is someone I forgive though he hurts the people I love the most. That person is me. — C.S. Lewis

These are really good words to think through in dealing with yourself and with others this week. Once Jesus was asked about the most important thing in life. He summarized it with a couple of things. Note, especially, the last sentence, thinking through it with the words above from Lewis.

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Lord, help me.