“Like a tiny candle in a dark room, even just a little bit of positivity can cancel out a whole lot of negativity.” Let’s be that light as the world grows literally darker and the days grow shorter. We were created for so much more than the daily rambles we hear that have divided us. I’m looking forward to seeing the sun today. In the Midwest, we often wear a cap of gray that engulfs us making the sunny days very special. How about a day of no negativity coming out of our mouths? Perhaps we can make a call or send a message to a friend or bring over a treat to a neighbor—something that shares our humanity with one another. One of my favorite verses coming from the words of Jesus while talking to his Father in prayer before his crucifixion. “I am not praying for these alone but also for the future believers who will come to me because of the testimony of these. My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind just as you and I are, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me (John 17:20-21)”
A New Day is Dawning
So now, as I look out my window witnessing the sun rise in the pink sky, I pray for you my friends that you will have a heart of forgiveness and that you will find joy in your relationships with family and fellow brothers and sisters who were created like you for so much more. Have a wonderful day!
Last night, I stepped out on my deck at midnight to see the best show on Earth. At first I spotted the brilliant moon and then looking South where I saw Mars, a red tinted spectacle brightening our sky like a rare jewel. I could see it just above the trees in our front yard. I imagined God looking down at our world and wondering what we were going to do next. “ Would we turn the other check when we were wronged or would we be like children in a sandbox throwing sand and shouting names at one another. When did civility go out the window of life? I could just imagine a tear in God’s eyes as He looked down at our world. I remember being taught that we were given two ears and one mouth so we could listen more and speak less. Did it ever occur to us that our perception could be wrong? “Every man is right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6. Why is it so important to be right? Are our egos that fragile? Instead, can we wake up this morning and see the beauty of a magnificent day—an opportunity to love on another and to enjoy a week of fantastic weather.
How many of you remember singing the song, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” Have we forgotten how to love one another? I ask myself these questions. We can do better with God’s help. This has been a very difficult year. More than 3,100 people have been shot in the US this year compared with just 2,000 during the first 9 months of 2019. That’s a 56% jump in statistics as reported in last Sunday’s Tribune. We have lost over 210,000 lives to Covid 19 and babies are aborted everyday to would-be mothers who have no way to support them. We need to stop throwing sand at one another and work at fixing our families, our neighborhoods and our communities. Who knows like Esther in the Bible who was used to stop the annihilation of the Jewish people in her time– “Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.”What is God calling you to do to better our world and draw significance from Him. I challenge you as one who has seen many years, to be a shining spot in the sky like Mars working at being a voice of hope and love in our turbulent world.
