God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
Sometimes it is so hard to see the good that can come. In the dark and fearful times it is hard to even think of the light. We can feel the darkness closing around us and there is no light to be found. We have to wait. We have to see the light when it is not visible. It is there. Just believe.
Prayer: God of light and darkness help us to know that your light waits for us. Give us faith to see your light even in the darkness. Amen
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
I recently took my husband’s ashes back to the church he loved for a funeral and burial. It has been 17 plus months since his death and I was fine during the funeral, visiting with friends, and previous loved places. After returning to my current home I was surprised to be overwhelmed with grief. Not something I expected.
God does not wish sorrow and pain upon us. He wants only the best for us and knows when overwhelming grief has brought us to out knees. The grief he brings to us is in the cleansing wash of tears and the compassionate love of his presence with us. We grieve because we loved. He grieves with us.
To know the guidance of God’s Spirit, you need to be still and silent. In the cadence of your day, create some enclosures of silence where you pause and breathe and are really present to God’s presence.-
It is so easy to slip into each day and let it take us where it will. It is easy to keep moving from one itinerary to another. It is so easy to forget to stop and take time to sit in silence and let God be present with you. We just don’t stop all we do and just open ourselves to God’s presence.
In the past two years plus I have had many challenges. Life has not been easy. In reality the whole world has faced much pain, grief and fear. Yet, through all of this I have felt a support holding me. For God promises that through everything that we face we can know that his support is there. He reminds us of this in one of the most favorite Psalms.
Psalm 23: 4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
There are so many times a day that I am planning, thinking about what is next, reading, watching TV and many more things. I am not listening. Only in silence can I hear the voice of God. Only when I LISTEN can I hear!
I have always been a talker and for many years while someone was speaking was thinking about what I would say next. I have gotten better over the years but I will never be perfect. Someone says we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
Don’t forget to sit silent and wait. God will speak.
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR LENT 2022 “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest,if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity,let us do good to all” (Gal 6:9-10) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Lent is a favourable time for […]
10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
This verse from Paul seems so timely. Does anyone agree with anyone else anymore? Dissension is not just in politics but it has spread to everything in life. Nothing can be discussed without rancor. Sometimes I think that people defend things they don’t even believe.
Paul is reminding us that this is not how we should live. As a child many of us were taught “If you can’t say anything nice say nothing at all.” Maybe we can’t agree with the position others have taken but we can at least practise kindness and not press differing opinions into an argument. The problem is once we have planted our feet we can’t seem to back down. It is important to understand that we will never convince someone else to change their view by using arguments. It is possible that we still have things to learn from other insights. How WE behave is what matters. Things change by example not argument.
I have long been a believer in the “butterfly effect.” The idea that somehow we are all connected. I see this in so many ways. There is a wonderful children’s book called “The Invisible String” that tells us that love is one of the ways we are connected and it is the “invisible string” that never goes away even with death.
Sometimes we have a strong feeling of connection to someone we have never physically met. I feel that way about some people I connect with on this blog. I hear their voice through their words. I have a sense of who they are and feel connected. Because I don’t know them otherwise I could be wrong but there is still something there. Kindness and compassion are clearly felt.
We are connected to the people we see in our everyday lives. It could be seeing the same grocery clerk every week or someone we meet for lunch. People touch us in our work. Obviously some of these links can be good or bad but there is still a connection. Each of us has an impact on those around us.
We are connected to those who have gone before us. We may not know about them or we may have heard stories about their lives. They are present in our DNA. We often find that there are personality traits that have been passed on. People say that I look like my great grandmother. Pictures do show a strong connection.
In the church where I worked for years there is a sense in the building of the lives that have gone before. It is something I feel when I sit in silence in the sanctuary. It is as if the “communion of saints” is physically present.
Don’t doubt that we are all connected. The things that I do each day affects others. Science tells us that nothing is lost…just changed. What I do matters. What you do matters.
We often ask the question “why are we here.” For me the answer has been “to help others.” In today’s world this idea is taking a back seat and society seems intent on forwarding ourselves and phooey with others. There is love and caring in the world but many are trying to make it take a back seat.
We are seeing some of this is some attitudes about covid 19. If only we could begin to turn back the other way.
Genesis 4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
God would easily answer yes to that question. For those of us who are doing our best to follow the acts of Jesus there is only one response. We are responsible for our behavior and how we treat others. Each of us is only one but many ones together can make a difference. Follow the path of Jesus and show your love and care for your fellow human beings.
I have purchased a wonderful little book called The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. It has wonderful pieces of wisdom and today I read “Tears fall for a reason and they are your strength not weakness.”
The way our world is today many tears are falling. Sometimes all the pain becomes more than we can bear. However, our loving God gave us the ability to cry. Those tears rolling down our cheeks can cleanse some of the pain. God did not promise that life would be without pain. Only that he would be there with us…and to help….he gave us tears.
Hear God in Other Voices 