compassion – Page 8 – Hear God in Other Voices

Always give!

January 31, 2018 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Teach us to give and not count the cost. Ignatius Loyola

Each day we have time to give. This morning I was in a cafe. A woman came in and seemed a little lost. She ordered her coffee and sat down alone. She turned and look at me and I gave her a big smile. She smiled back and seemed to relax in her chair. I gave nothing that I couldn’t do without. I don’t really know if she needed that smile but I gave it anyway. It made me feel good.

We don’t always have to think about giving away costly things. We can give a smile, a helping hand, a kind word. We can afford to do this every day.

Lord, remind us to give of ourselves every day. AMEN

Remove the stone

January 28, 2018 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Holding a grudge is a stone in your heart. TV show “The Good Doctor”

I would like to think that I don’t hold grudges but I can still find myself remembering some people with anger. If I do that I am still holding a grudge. It is so easy to hold onto things that hurt us. We remember with pain. The thing is we are the ones that are still being hurt by ourselves. That remembering is a negative feeling that we have to let go. We have to work at getting the stone out of our heart.

Loving Jesus, help us to forget the hurt and remove the stone. AMEN

heart of stone

All shall be well

January 28, 2018 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Julian I don’t know if you have read about the life of Julian of Norwich. I have included the info from Wikipedia.

“Julian of Norwich (c. 8 November 1342 – c. 1416) was an English anchoress and an important Christian mystic and theologian. Her Revelations of Divine Love, written around 1395, is the first theological book in the English language known to have been written by a woman. Julian was also known as a spiritual authority …”

all shall be well1

Her life was difficult but her faith enormous. As an anchoress she withdrew from secular life and is believed to have live in a sparse “cell.”

This is her most famous saying and I often lean on it when life seems fragile. Just repeat it over and over and said enough will help to bring peace.

“Comparisons are odious”

December 17, 2017 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

comparissons

My favorite author, Madeleine L’Engle says: “Comparisons are odious.” This works in several different ways. Do we spend time comparing ourselves to others and falling short? Do we compare to prove that we are better than. Comparisons hurt. It hurts us if we end up feeling unworthy. It hurts us in a different way if we see ourselves as better than others. In this country our founding fathers said the “all men (women also) were created equal and endowed with their creator certain inalienable rights…..etc.

Lear not to make comparisons. They hurt no matter what.

Creating God, you planned for to stay away from comparisons. You know their power to create pain. Help us to see all mankind as equal. AMEN

Live in community

December 14, 2017 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Religion is about fellowship and community….The task of religion is the maintenance and extension of human community. John Macmurray, The structure of Religious Experience, 1936

romans 11 It is difficult, if not impossible to be a Christian in isolation. I have heard people say “I find God best outdoors alone.” That is finding God and listening for him in beauty and silence but it is not being a Christian. A Christian is called to do more than that. We are to live in compassion and love toward others. Jesus tells us to feed the sick, clothe the naked, and aid the homeless. We see His love best through the eyes of other Christians so meeting him outside and alone is good but not enough.

Loving God, you are a community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Help us to see the importance of sharing with other Christians. AMEN

So alone!

December 3, 2017 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

One of the greatest of human needs is having someone wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night. Margaret Mead

We do need each other. Many of us live alone. Many of us are alone though we live with others. Society has evolved technically but has it made our loves any better? We are more stressed, more distant within our own walls. We have less real contact with others. Many of our relationships are superficial when we long for someone to touch our soul.

we-need-each-other-960x510 We are so alone! And yet…God is with us. God can reach that place that so craves communion. Turn to God.

“For I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth.”

God, filler of our emptiness, come to us now and touch our souls. Thank you for being with us in our loneliness. Help us to find our true companionship in our Christian Community with you. AMEN

Give and Accept

November 19, 2017 worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.”

― Brian Tracy

anne frank Too often we can get caught up in quid pro quo. That is if I do something for you then you owe something in return. This leads to not wanting accept assistance from others. It seems easier to give as that doesn’t incur an obligation. We have to understand God doesn’t expect this kind of thinking. We must be able to give without any obligation for a return and even harder for most of us take without feeling obligated. We have to think like the movie “Pay It Forward.” Kindness does move on from person to person. Give kindness and accept kindness. It’s God’s plan.