Think about this. There is no one on the face of the earth that you, yourself, can change. Change comes from within, not without. Only the grace of God can move hearts.
As Christians, we allow God to use us, so in that way we may be instrumental in the change in another–but only in that way. We will never be the cause of it.
So how do we allow God to use us? There is only one way we can–through Love.
As Christians, we are to love–especially the unlovable, especially those we do not agree with, especially those who have not shown us love in return.
The video that follows is interesting. What do you think?
There are times when I put things off–actually many times when I put things off–things I know I should do. But I talk my self out of doing it for some reason or another. One of the biggest things I put off is cleaning out drawers and closets. If I can squeeze one more item into a drawer, I see it as still ‘workable.’ Sometimes, I do that with my life, too.
But is ‘workable’ what I want? When is it time to turn ‘workable’ into ‘working like a charm?’ And who can do this, except me? And when is the time to do it, except now?
The Gospel Acclamation for Monday, March 10, is: Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:2b
Maybe you’ve put things off, too. And maybe those things have to do with your relationship with God.
Most of us want a loving relationship with God, yet we put a lot of “stuff” ahead of our personal attempt to have one.
But we can change that.
We can clean out the closets and drawers of our lives. Get rid of all that makes them ‘unworkable’ by tossing out our old and over-used excuses for keeping what is not genuinely beneficial to us. Even then, we may not have a perfect house (or self) but we will have a house that is ready.
When do we do this?
Well, since tomorrow is always ‘iffy’ for each one of us, Today must be the acceptable time.
Who is the woman who means, or has meant, the most to you? Is it someone you trust? Someone you love? A woman you admire from the media?
What are the qualities this woman has that makes her so important to you?
Traits traditionally cited as feminine include gentleness, empathy, and sensitivity. I would submit another trait: extraordinary bravery. Does the woman you most admire have this trait?
There are many women today who stand up with courage–in quiet and often unappreciated ways such as:
Loyalty to a loved one.
Tending to sick children or parents.
Making a paycheck cover the month.
Giving up something she WANTs so her children can have what they NEED.
Standing by a friend despite the politics.
Loving an enemy who’s asked her for forgiveness.
Quieting the gossip of others when she knows it is hurtful.
Continuing, when continuing is hard.
Keeping faith in God and passing it to others by her example.
Here are some examples of bravery in women from the Bible.
Sarah – wife of Abraham. Sarah was also the step-sister of Abraham. When they went down to Egypt, Abraham told Sarah to say that she was his sister, which was true. She then caught the eye of the King of Egypt who took her as his wife, but later restored her to Abraham through divine admonition. Sara gave birth to their son Isaac when she was 90 years old and Abraham was 100 years old. She laughed when she was told by visitors to their home that she would have a son. Therefore, the son she bore was named Isaac which means “He will laugh.” Isaiah 51 calls Sarah the mother of the chosen people.
Rebecca – married Isaac when he was forty years old. Rebecca bore twins, Esau and Jacob when Isaac was sixty years old. Esau grew to be a skillful hunter and was preferred by Isaac. Esau was tricked into selling Jacob his birthright. Rebecca favored Jacob and when Esau was sent by his father to hunt some game, Rebecca prepared a dish for Jacob to give to his father, pretending he was Esau. She also covered Jacob’s hands with goatskin since Esau was hairy and Jacob was not. Isaac, thinking that Jacob was his favored son Esau, gave Jacob his blessing. Esau returned and learned that Jacob had received his father’s blessing and his father had no blessing left to give to Esau.
Deborah – a unique character in the Bible. She was a prophetess as well as the only woman to be a Judge of Israel, making her the equivalent of a king. She was also a leader of the army of Israel. Israel had been under domination by the Canaanites for twenty years. Sisera was the captain of the Canaanite army which far outnumbered the army of Israel. Deborah was told by God to have her general, Barak, take his soldiers to Mount Tabor. They would be engaged in battle by the Canaanite soldiers but the Israelites would win the battle. Barak agreed to do it only if Deborah would accompany him. The Israelites did indeed defeat the Canaanites. Deborah gave all the glory to God for the victory and also thanked Him for what He had done for the nation of Israel.
Judith – The king of Ninevah sent his general Holofernes to subdue the Jews. The Jews who were suffering from a famine were about to give up when the widow Judith reprimanded them and told them she would deliver the city herself. She entered the camp of Holofernes and captivated him with her beauty. When he became drunk, she cut off his head. She returned to the city with his head as a trophy and the Jews gained the strength to defeat their enemy. Chapter 16 is Judith’s song of thanksgiving to God for the victory.
Ruth – In the time of the judges, a famine arose in the land of Israel. Therefore, Naomi and her family emigrated from Bethlehem of Judea to the land of Moab. After her husband and children died, Naomi left Moab to return to Bethlehem. She was accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth who insisted on going with her. Ruth intoned that famous quote “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” To help out, Ruth went to work in the fields of Boaz, a rich man. Boaz married Ruth who bore him a son Obed, the grandfather of David. The book of Ruth therefore gives insight into the origin of David, King of Israel and the royal ancestor of the Messiah.
Esther – Upon the death of her parents, Esther was adopted by her uncle Mordecai. Esther won the favor of King Ahasuerus who made her his queen. The king had meanwhile raised Haman to high rank and all the king’s servants bowed down to Haman. Mordecai would not bow down to Haman. Haman obtained the king’s consent to a massacre of all the Jews in the kingdom. (Mordecai, of course, was a Jew.) A gallows was erected to hang Mordecai. The king learned belatedly that Mordecai had never been rewarded for revealing a plot by the eunuchs to kill the king, and therefore planned to reward him accordingly. He asked Aman what would be a fitting reward for one to be honored by the king. Aman, thinking that he himself was to be honored, suggested the use of the king’s apparel and insignia. Esther informed the king of the plot of Aman to destroy her people. The king then ordered Aman to be hanged on the gibbet he prepared for Mordecai and bestowed on Mordecai all of Aman’s property. Mordecai then instituted the feast of Purim to celebrate the day when Aman would have destroyed the Jews but which Esther turned into a day of triumph.
All of these women of the Bible showed extraordinary bravery during a time when women were regarded as mere chattel with no rights and little respect. It is fitting that they should be recognized for their character and accomplishments in the book that is the Word of God.
My husband and I were in Destin over Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. We went to Mass at the Catholic church closest to where we were staying and met a very interesting priest. Nearly twenty years ago, many of his congregation left his church for other churches in the area, saying that they were tired of listening to his preaching of politics. The priest told about the exodus of those parishioners in a Sunday homily. He said he’d never preached politics, never talked about a candidate or a political party–not even once during his time as pastor. But what he had preached was morality.
And wasn’t that a large part of his job as a priest?
Now, I ask you–what do you think? Politics or morality?
Preaching against abortion. Is that politics, or morality?
Preaching against sex outside of marriage. Is that politics, or morality?
Preaching that marriage is created by God as a sacrament between a man and a woman. Is that politics, or morality?
Preaching that drugs harm not only the physical body, but the human soul. Is that politics, or morality?
Preaching that lying–especially under oath–is a sin. Is that politics, or morality?
You may be able to bring up other similar examples that are referred to as political, but are actually moral questions.
Do you see an underlying–and current–problem here? Topics that have long been considered part of morality are, today, suddenly political questions where the answers are wishy-washy enough to be voted on as morally correct behavior. And worse— it is politically correct to adhere to them, evenwhen the opposite is true.
This is too thin a line because it fuzzies up Truth.
What is the next step? A complete elimination of Truth?
This is a repost from last July. I’m posting it again because I’ll be on vacation beneath this very same sunset until March 11, 2014. I will miss you, but stay tuned! And Happy Birthday to my daughter, Sheila! You are so Beautiful!
We rarely pay attention to the plain and simple things in our world. We notice the flamboyant, the extravagant. Who would not notice a sunset such as this? “Wow! How beautiful!” we might say.
Yet the smallest of particles are responsible for the stunning sunset. You might say they are responsible for its performance. These tiny molecules change the direction of light, causing it to scatter, resulting in the brilliant show of color. The value of the sunset, like the value of a person, is found within. But when we look at either of them, we don’t consider what’s ‘behind the scene.’
In fact, not many want to be ‘behind the scene.’ We are attracted to the flamboyant, to famous people who appear large on the stage of life, such as musicians and actors, and reality shows about so-called ‘real’ people. We fantasize about being like them, without considering a fleeting popularity.
I think this is because we have a very shallow understanding of our world and the crucial place each of us holds in it. We look into the lives of those we mistakenly see as more beautiful, and more important, to measure our own lives, which we may consider very small, and not beautiful at all.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a Swiss psychiatrist and pioneer in near-death studies, said, “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
The idea of beauty and importance dealt to us by ‘the big screen’ is misleading, and short-lived. The beautiful sunset lasts only a while–until the smallest of particles and molecules come together to bend the light and cause another momentary spectacle.
I’m taking another look at the sunset. I’m taking another look at all flamboyant and passing things, to consider the smaller, more permanent, performance behind the scene, by those not often noticed or admired.
How many people do you know who could be described as completely confident? Probably not many. We all have our hang-ups.
Even if we have great self-esteem, there are times when our confidence level drops. Someone says something to us that pricks an old memory, and the old memory hits us with thoughts like, “See? You’re not so good. In fact, you’re no good at all.”
Sadly, some constantly feel that way—they are no good. Why?
People aren’t born confident. Somewhere along the way–very early on—another person is responsible for planting the seeds of self-worth. This beneficial vision of himself through the eyes of another stays with a child. Of course, the opposite can be true as well.
How can a person re-instill self confidence that has been taken from them?
First of all, the Realization that God loved us enough to make us in His image and likeness , and that we are necessarily good because of it. And then, by reaching out to others, by helping other people, we see and understand their own valuable uniqueness. We receive appreciation from them, and may even see ourselves differently, too. And that is a great builder of self confidence.
When we treat others as we’d like to be treated, when we love them for who they are–our brothers and sisters in Christ–we are actually bolstering our own self-worth as well as theirs.
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. In the nearly twenty years I spent running an advertising agency, I created many logos for businesses. Some of those logos are still around, on billboards, trucks, and some television ads. That’s either because the business they represented is still around, too, or because the logo worked well for the business.
If you were interested in promoting yourself and what you stand for–what would your personal logo look like? Would it be bold and brazen, or sedate and sentimental? What would the colors be, the text style, the graphic if there was one? What is it about you that lets other people know who you are?
Logos is a Greek word which means rational thought or reason. In the Bible, it is translated to mean ‘word’ or another name for Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ]He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.–John 1:1-4
I would say the longest running logo, and most successful logo by far, is the Christian Cross. Can you imagine how many times it has been inscribed into stone, or imprinted? How many pieces of jewelry have used it? How many books? How many T-shirts?
But a Christian does not need to walk around in a T-shirt imprinted with a cross in order for people to know who we are. Being Christian isn’t just a word that we apply to ourselves. Being a Christian requires actions, the actions that love promotes.
1 John 3:16-20, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”
We can apply many other emblems to ourselves because we are unique and there are many words that might describe us as individuals. But together we are one. We are Christians. And Love is our logo.
DEAR MAMAS,
You are the wives
You are the mothers
You are the nannies
You are the teachers
You are the cooks–no the gourmets!
You are the washerwomen and the scrubbers
You are the taxi drivers
You are the gardeners
You are the counselors
You are the peace-makers
You are the judges
You are the juries
You are the nesters
You are the consolers
You are the planners
You are the confessors
You are the dream-makers
You are the caterers
You are the celebrators
You are the lovers
You are the listeners
YOU ARE THE GLUE
The definition of work of art is something that is considered to have aesthetic value, something that is beautiful, intriguing, interesting, creative or extremely well done.
Love is a work of art. Not a piece stuck on a shelf though, an inter-active work of art–like dancing. Love is a dance.
So how is the dance begun?
Love, as a dance, requires a partner of course. It requires a desire to be in the partner’s arms. It requires a certain timing. It requires a creative rhythm And above all, Love as a dance, requires the aesthetic of gracefulness.
What is necessary for the grace performed in a dance of love?
Grace, in the dance, first necessitates watching a teacher, or a role-model, how he or she moves. Try to copy that.
And of course, be skillful. Know the steps of the dance well, so you’ll be able to concentrate more on being grace-filled.
To be grace-filled, a dancer must be aware of the rhythm of his or her own heart, as well as the heart of his partner.
Grace, in the dance, necessitates practice–every day.
A dancer must allow for mistakes. He or she must forgive stepping on toes. Changing moods. Exhaustion. Even tears.
He/she should validate a partner’s significance.
Together, each partner should encourage the other to reach for perfection with a continuous supply of passionate praise.
Are you a control freak? Do you like to be in charge of processes, endings, and outcomes? Well, I do.
As young children, we don’t have much control of what happens to us. Decisions are made by our parents, and we go along, or else. Of course, we’re likely to throw tantrums–because even young children like to have their own ‘dog’ in the fight.
And when we grow up, some of us leash that dog and yank him along with us. We become control freaks.
I’ve always had the suspicion that I might be this sort of person, but until I began editing my short story collection with the wonderful Joshua Hren of Wiseblood Books, I didn’t know the extent of my malady.
I like happy endings. I like things ‘tied up with a neat little bow.’ I can handle the problems, the sufferings, the excruciating decisions of my characters, but in the end I want all of those happenings to work out—and work out happily.
So am I hopeless, or what? When I write about life, between the lines is the presence of God. And God is goodness. So, why can’t my characters not only experience that goodness, but in the end, also find it themselves? In fact, why can’t every person find their happy ending on earth. Could it be because life on earth is not our true ending at all, but only a path or journey to genuine fullness?
Even as I write, I realize I’m being a ‘Pollyanna.’ Realistically, life doesn’t always proceed like that, and since I write about life, I have to accept the fact that no one has the ability to understand the marvelous, infinite mind of God or His intricate plan for each of us. God’s plan is one that takes into consideration far more than our earthly existence here. And when I try to control every little thing, when I put a choke-hold on the worst in an attempt to keep it from happening, or line my path with glitter from a man-made can, there is something very un-genuine occurring. I’m trying to control, instead of trusting God to control.
A few years ago, there was a popular saying: Let Go and Let God. In other words, take your hands off the wheel and let God drive. What this requires is Trust. And why not trust in God? After all, no one loves us more than He does.
Think about this. There is no one on the face of the earth that you, yourself, can change. Change comes from within, not without. Only the grace of God can move hearts.
Translating a World on the Edge 