You Never Know

Even from a distance in the checkout line I could hear the commotion. Walking toward the exit, I saw a woman near the doorway waving her arms and shouting at an employee, her language venomous. Her partner stood at her side, neither encouraging nor discouraging her rampage.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” – Plato

They say that ‘hurt people hurt people’ and that anger is a response to other emotions. Who knows? Maybe that woman had just received some bad news and was hurting inside. Maybe what she was really expressing was fear, or frustration, or helplessness over an unrelated situation. Or, perhaps the employee actually was at fault and the customer had never been taught how to handle or express her emotions. Maybe that wouldn’t excuse her behavior -- but it could explain it.

The lesson of ‘be considerate and don’t criticize because we usually don’t know where someone is coming from’ hit home to me soon after my mom passed away nearly 25 years ago. I was in a grocery store and caught my reflection in a window. It startled me: my face looked angry and mean. I felt sad, not mad, yet anyone looking at me wouldn’t have known that.

When we consider these and other possibilities, we let go of our pride and critical mindset and become more understanding and sympathetic.

Putting ourselves in other people’s shoes helps us to be patient. Have you ever had to rush to the hospital? The car speeding past you might be headed there, too – you never know. The greatest thing to do is ask our Lord to bless them.

You’re trying to be and do your best. Sometimes life’s challenges affect your words and actions; the same is true for all of us. We never know what someone may be going through. Trying to maintain an attitude of kindness will keep open the door to peace, in ourselves and those around us.

“Love is patient, love is kind… love never fails.” --1 Corinthians 13:4, 8

 

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Just Do It

 

                

  

(Photo credit: Lisa Scribner)

More than a foot and a half of snow has been dumped on our area over the past ten days. (Side note: Google ‘The Great Blizzard of 1978’ to reminisce about the record storm that hit us January 25-27 that year.)  The deep snow is beautiful! It also brings out the best in us: As people work to clear their driveways and sidewalks, it’s not uncommon to see neighbors with snow blowers helping those using shovels. Nobody asks them to, and it would be easy not to; they just do it.

Also, the two photos above show one snowman built by a few kind-hearted teenagers for their shut-in neighbor. Notice that this extraordinary snowman has two faces:  one smiling at the neighbor inside the house, and the other smiling at everyone who passes by. The neighbor didn’t ask them to build it, and the teens could have used the brutally cold weather as an excuse not to. They just did it because they knew it would make her happy – and that made them happy.

Saint Francis de Sales said, “Be who you are, and be that well.” Nike’s slogan is, ‘Just Do It.’ Taken together in light of the life God has given us, these phrases encourage us to cherish our own uniqueness; be and do the best we can; persist in doing what’s good and right; and not let difficulties or obstacles deter us. This persistence is not the same as stubbornly doing whatever we want; rather, it’s doing what God wants. Here are two Biblical examples:

In the story of David and Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17:32-51), Goliath had defied God and was taunting the Israelites. David believed that God would help him defeat Goliath. Disregarding Saul’s protests and his own small stature, David persisted and accomplished what God wanted him to do.  

Also: In the synagogue, Jesus noticed a man with a withered hand (see Mark 3:1-6). The Pharisees watched to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath. “Jesus looked at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart.” He knew it was ‘lawful to do good’ for the man regardless of what day it was. Jesus didn’t let the others’ narrow-mindedness stop Him from doing what was the good and right thing to do; He healed him.

Let’s follow these examples. Let’s persist in doing what’s right and good in any given situation and ignore the voices that try to deter us with excuses. Whatever God puts on our hearts to do -- clear our neighbor’s sidewalk, build a cheery snowman for someone who can’t get outside, or anything else -- let’s just do it, and do it well.

 “Lord, let me see the good I can do, and give me the strength to do it.”

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God Loves a Cheerful Giver

 The winter months are a popular time to clean out closets and cabinets, and give what we don’t use to someone who needs it. This isn’t always as easy to do as it sounds.

Giving away our possessions requires letting go of our emotional attachment to them. It requires looking away from ourselves, opening our eyes to the needs of others, and transforming our attitudes from greed to generosity. We may change our perspective from wanting to hold onto something, just to have it, to seeing it as a precious gift to offer to someone else. If we’re absorbed with every little thing we have, then we won’t see the people around us, and we won’t be able to give freely to them.

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

– 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

 Being generous implies giving gladly and freely, without hesitation, complaining, or resentment. When we’re generous, we offer before we’re asked; we don’t judge whether or not the recipient ‘deserves’ it; and we disregard how often and how much we’ve already given. We may give quietly or anonymously, and give more than what’s expected.

The above verse from Corinthians goes on to point out that, as we give to others, God will bless us with all that we need and allow us to do even more good:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.’”  -- 2 Corinthians 9:8-9

When we unclench the fists and hearts we have wrapped around our stuff, we make room for God in that space. We let Him transform our hearts to look with love at our neighbors. We feel moved to ‘reach out with joy’ -- to give not only our material possessions, but our time and energy as well. (See my blog post from last week, ‘Reaching Out With Joy.’)

Let’s remember that, whenever and however we’re open-handed and open-hearted, we imitate Christ. We bring a little bit of heaven to Earth.

“Lord, make my heart like Yours. Make me a cheerful giver.”

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Reach Out With Joy

When Jesus began His public ministry, He “went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1: 14-15)

Read that again and listen to the joy and excitement in Jesus’ voice. He had been living a quiet life and now it was time to begin teaching the good news about God’s love! He traveled from one town to another, seeking out apostles to work with Him and making Himself available to heal the sick, cast out demons, and offer hope to all (see Mark 1:14-39). He gave us an example of looking for opportunities to serve others with love.

The Bible tells of many holy people who reached out in joyful, selfless service to share God’s love.

For example, Mary had just given consent to become the Mother of God. The angel Gabriel told her that her relative, Elizabeth, was also expecting a baby. What did Mary do? Did she flaunt her new state of grace, sit around the house, and expect her family to wait on her? No; she was so moved by love and humble joy for Elizabeth and how God was making Himself present to both of them that she ‘journeyed in haste’ to visit Elizabeth and to serve her for three months (see Luke 1:39-40, 56).

Even God the Father reached out to us when He sent His Son to save us from the power of sin and death. He still serves us today to draw us closer to Himself:  His wonders of creation fill us with awe; others’ acts of kindness restore our belief in the goodness of people; graced moments bring us peace; and healings – physical, emotional, and spiritual – strengthen our faith in God and His presence in our world.  

So, let’s remember that when we serve others with joyful love -- when we look for opportunities to reach out and show someone kindness or compassion -- we imitate Christ and all the other holy ones.

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do.” --Ephesians 6:7-8

“Lord, soften my heart to reach out and serve others with joy.”

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Inspired for the New Year

                  “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to the entire human race. 

It teaches us to reject godless ways and worldly desires…

to lead lives that are temperate, upright, and godly.

The goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

not because of any righteous deeds on our part  but because of his mercy...”

–Titus 2:11-12, 3:4-5

 God’s grace and mercy inspire us with wisdom and courage. We might think of a mentor we had during our younger years: a loving parent, coach, or mentor who challenged us, cheered us on, celebrated with us, and consoled us. As our respect and admiration for this person inspired us to do our best and learn from our mistakes, so does our confidence in God’s love and mercy make us want to learn from our past and become more like Him.

“The Lord takes delight in His people.” –Psalm 149:4

Let those words sink in: God loves you and delights in you!

Through the mercy of God we are forgiven again and again – and again – with unconditional, unending love. God’s mercy makes us want to reject our godless ways and worldly desires and lead lives that are temperate, upright, and godly. His grace may give us insight to make New Year’s Resolutions. We may recall that we’re created in His image, and so we may set specific goals to take care of ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We’re given courage to make changes that will make us more loving, patient, kind, compassionate, and generous.

Let’s pray for God’s inspiration as we begin this New Year. Let’s pray for the wisdom and courage to make changes that will make us more like Him.

“Lord, fill me with your grace and mercy.”

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Going Deeper in the New Year

Hanging up the January calendar is exciting! We see a NEW YEAR ahead of us, full of unknown opportunities and possibilities! It inspires us to toss aside our old, destructive attitudes and habits and start the year with new optimism and loving habits.

“I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them.’ And he who sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” –Revelation 21:3, 5

God is with us! He wants to renew us, our relationship with Him, and our relationships with each other. He wants to take us deeper into His presence to experience His magnificent love, power, and peace! As we begin the new year, let’s resolve to do our part to deepen our relationship with God through prayer -- not by using more words but by being more mindful and receptive in our prayer time. We may do this through meditation and contemplation. Meditation is prayer that involves work done by us using imagery, reasoning, and other mental activity. Contemplation is a deeper silence initiated by God. In contemplation we’re quiet, immersed in God’s peace, and basking in His love. Though we can’t force contemplation to happen, meditation is intended to lead us to contemplation. When we meditate, we think about God and open our hearts to receive His love and grace. 

Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen is a meditation designed for people of all walks of life to mindfully reflect on our day and open our hearts to God. Here’s the basic format; take as much time on each point as you wish:

* Relax your mind and body, slow your breathing, and be aware of God’s presence.

* Look back on the day; notice what you’re especially thankful for. Thank God for whatever comes to mind.

* Recall specific moments and interactions with others. What were your feelings at these times?

* Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Is there anything you would do differently next time, or anything you need to ask forgiveness for? Open your heart to a ‘gut feeling’ you may be getting from the Holy Spirit, directing you toward a specific situation.

* Look ahead to tomorrow and thank God for being with you in whatever you have planned. Know that with God there is no time, so He’s already there, blessing your tomorrow.  

Sit quietly in His presence as long as you feel moved to do so to allow for contemplation: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Thank God for loving you, and for this time with Him.

“Lord, open my heart to listen to You. Be with me; renew me; take me deeper with You.”

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Lessons of Humble Stables and Smelly Mangers

“She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” –Luke 2:7 

Imagine Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. They’re exhausted, Mary has gone into labor, and all the rooms in town are taken. Did they kick themselves for not getting there a day or two earlier? As they were turned away from one full inn after another, they certainly prayed, “God, help us find a place to stay!” Did they hope for a miraculous ‘last-minute cancellation’ that would give them a room? They trusted that God would provide for them; did they wonder why He didn’t intervene?

God, in His wisdom, wanted to use the circumstances of Jesus’ birth to teach us the holiness of humility. Jesus was born in a humble stable and laid in a smelly manger to unite Himself with the poorest of the poor, to prove that all people are precious to Him, regardless of their wealth or status. Mary and Joseph might not have realized this at the time, but they did trust that even the stable was part of God’s plan. Who knows? Maybe in Bethlehem there was another family praying desperately for lodging, and God’s plan was to let them experience the miracle of a ‘last-minute cancellation.’ Maybe their experience increased their faith in Him and brought them a joy they had never known before.

Have you ever asked God to help you, to take away a particular struggle, and you felt like He wasn’t listening because you didn’t see a change? Jesus’ birth in the stable shows us that, sometimes, God doesn’t intervene because He has a better plan. He knows the lessons He wants to teach us through our own ‘humble stables’ and ‘smelly mangers.’ Maybe one experience taught you that what needed to change wasn’t your situation but your attitude. Or maybe, when you trusted our Lord to provide for you and you followed the ‘gut feelings’ He gave you as to what steps to take next, you found a new course of action; maybe that experience took you on a path closer toward Him. Maybe you looked honestly at the messiness in your own heart and gained a new, humble perspective that softened how you relate to others.

The stable and manger became holy because the Son of God dwelt there. This Christmas, invite Jesus deeper into your heart. Let Him make holy the ‘humble stable’ of your day-to-day experience and the ‘smelly manger’ in your heart. Trust that He will use them to bring His Love, Peace, and Joy to the world.

Merry Christmas!

“Lord, come into my heart!” 

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