Tag Archives: faith

I have SO much to be thankful for……

I have so much to be thankful for; seeing God’s word and his works alive from the moment I awaken.

As in most mornings, my eyes open and I thank Him for the breath in my lungs and the beat of my heart.  I ask him to open my eyes and my ears to what he wants me to see and hear, that I may acknowledge it as such and follow Him in my heart and my words and in my deeds. 

The first thing I read today is Rita Simmonds “Almsgiving” poem.  It gives me pause on how the almsgiver personally looks at the homeless and respond to their presence.  The poetess writes how the almsgiver is PLEASED TO SEE HIM(HER)!,,, not moved by the act of giving as much as that she is in the mere presence of the needy.  No judgement. Just compassion.  

It reminds me of two recent situations that triangulate with this. 

First, at pickleball the other day a player confided in me how shallow her thinking is.  Let’s call her Marie. She said “I am so unaware that other people have so many problems in their lives that we’re unaware of”. She went on to speak of another player, her partner on the court in the last game she played.  During pla , that player wasn’t make good attempts to reach the ball that was lightly tapped over the net, “dinked” and it meant “side out”; the other team got the ball back and along with it, to start adding more points to strive toward the goal of 11 and win the match.  Marie then said “I had no idea she had such a difficult situation with her back; her disc is all messed up and she’s playing with constant pain and it limits her ability to move quickly”.  She realized there are times when we need to open her heart and mind, accept there are things we don’t fully understand, and place our own mercy and grace into situations we encounter.  Indeed, we can all better ourselves, and help others, if we apply the “First seek to understand…..” adage in our daily experiences.   

Another situation I became aware of was the case of a woman who has multiple, I mean, MULTIPLE, medical problems.  Because of the treatment she is receiving for her advanced cancer, she has lost the function of both her thyroid and adrenal glands, has acquired Type II Diabetes and is on replacement therapy for all.  She now suffers a significant decline in her quality of life. But you wouldn’t know it!  She starts every day, literally singing “Good Morning! Good Morning!” and finishes every day with “It’s another day in Paradise!”.  What most bothers her, though, is that she has gained a considerable amount of weight. So much so that she cannot reach down and put her own socks on her feet and feels bad that her husband needs to put her socks on her while still hopeful that someday she’ll be able to do that for herself.   And she told her husband all that to which he replied, just as I read in ‘Almsgiving, that he’s just happy they are still on this side of the daisies and they are in each others presence!  Putting socks on her feet is just a manifestation of his total love for her.  Reassuring her she will be putting her own socks on when the Lord sees fit for her to do so, and that they can pray that it will be in His will soon. 

Over the past several days, as the war against Iran continues to rage, I sit and watch what information provided.  I don’t want to invest too much intellectually or emotionally because it’s not something I can do much about.  It’s not that I don’t care. I’m just being mindful of my thoughts concerning it. Nobody knows what’s going to become of the country, the people, the nearby countries nor the world at large. I pray for peace and resolution. Honestly, I know that God is very much aware of what is going on.  God is in control.  And what rings out in my mind is:

“Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalms 46:10 NIV)

In the book of Daniel, in the Old Testament books of Scripture I am again reassured by His Word, helping me reconcile what is happening as we watch the calamity in the Middle East:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
 He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. (Daniel 2: 20-21 NIV)

“He deposes Kings and raises up others…..”. Why would I think that this is not what is happening today in the Middle East?

Amidst all that He has revealed in my mind and in my heart, I will try to move peacefully through this day.

“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?”

A variety of quips abound about how we reconcile our past and over-analyze our future including:

* Don’t borrow your sorrows from tomorrow

* If you spend most of your time dwelling on the past you’ll find yourself depressed, and overthinking on your days to come lends itself to anxiety.

* It’s better to stay focused on the future than the past. That’s why the rear-view mirror is so small and the windshield is so large.

* If you don’t understand your history then you’re doomed to repeat it.

Recently I read a work entitled “Invitation to a Lifetime Gift” written by Father Donald Haggerty. It began “An invitation ordinarily can be declined…..Yet it does happen that an invitation, on first sight unremarkable, easily capable of being refused, with a polite excuse, hides a significant turn in the direction of a life if it is accepted” He went on to describe an invitation he accepted to volunteer at a men’s shelter which changed his life forever. (1)

Truly, nearly everyone can look back at a time in their life when they looked a decision in the eye and asked to themself “Do I see this for what it really is. Do I see the better or best choice available?” As a very young man I had been dating a woman and I hadn’t yet gathered myself as to whether or not I was ready to commit to a long-term relationship. I know she was committed. And indeed, I did love this woman, but this is the first woman I ever dated. So many questions were going on in my head; “Is there more of life out there for me to experience, am I ready to spend the rest of my life with her, what will that look like?” and “If I do move forward on this, will I be capable for the responsibilities that will be placed on me?” and on and on. I was certainly leaning less on my heart and more on my mind. I had anxieties about what my future would look like. I was guessing I might possibly enjoy more time for myself outside of a long-term relationship than a lifetime with her. Was I seeking a life that, at least for the time being, would be entirely on my terms alone?

Then one day I was riding in the car with my older brother, and we were talking about all that I was debating in my head. He told me that I had to get my head around the things that really matter. He literally said “She loves you. She just about worships the ground you walk on. You’d be a fool to walk away from her.” In essence, he said “Go with it, you idiot!” It was then that I decided I’d spend the rest of my life with her. Any other choice surrounding this gift offering would have certainly led me down a very different path. Here now, 47 years later, I thank God daily for my wonderful life and for my wonderful wife!

And of course, during this season of Lent, we’re reminded of the grandest expression of love ever to all mankind, a gift in and of itself. It took place when our God sent his only son down from heaven to live among us. So many people understood him to be their Messiah, Savior, and deliverer. Yet, not everyone was ready for that level of commitment. Maybe because there was so much to unpack about him in the short time he was here. The son of a carpenter, really? How does he understand so much about God and Scripture at such a young age? Is he the one to lead us forward? They even asked “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven?’ ” (John 6:42). This didn’t fit what many thought their Savior would do including He would free them from their current situation by eliminating the domination of the Roman Empire. But that was not going to be his modus operandi. From the outset his message was love, forgiveness and the offering of eternal salvation for all. Again, Love trumps all. A wonderful sentiment on love was provided today: ” This love is not weakness. It is power born of the Cross. You don’t need to feel love to start acting with it.” (2) Really, why hesitate at all to share the best gift you have to give. Your love to another.

Finally, going back full circle to scripture, I think it truly is essential that we take things given to us for exactly what they are; a gift! Indeed, What do we have that we did not receive? And if we received it, why do we boast as if it were not a gift? (3)

References

  1. The Magnificat Lenten Companion. 2026. Febuary 18-April 5. p15
  2. Growing in Grace. Lenten Reflections from the Wisdom of the Saints by All Saints Press p.8
  3. 1 Corinthians 4:7 NRSV

“Don’t let it get you down, it’s only castles burning”

I used this quote as a header some time ago, so this is a redux of sorts but worth using again. It’s easier said than done. Today I’m reading an interview by Tunku Varadarajan with a gentleman named Francesco Lotoro, a self-commissioned archivist dedicated to preserving the music pieces written by Jewish composers. I believe the bulk of them, over 10,000 musical scores, originated within the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. There’s even a “60 Minutes” interview that was aired in the early 2020’s. I’m compelled to seek it out. If you can get access to this written interview published in the Wall Street Journal I highly recommend it. That such beautiful music can come from the most dreadful of conditions is testimony to perseverance.

The novelty of it all is entirely new to me and yet in a generic sense it reminds me of so many instances when I’ve observed courage and strength helped others live above their circumstances and foster beauty in the midst of it all. My own experience during a time of what I’m told and believe is the most tortuous loss imaginable, the loss of your child, somehow emboldened me to express my feelings in poetry and verse that I had not previously felt or shared as freely. I’ll bet many of you out there have found solace rising out of your own unimaginable circumstances.

Even as I write on this cool and cloudy day I look out the window of my sunroom and notice a splash of sunlight about a mile off against the side of a distant mountain. I’m thinking how nice to see it in contrast to both the local weather and the story lines in the interview when suddenly our mountainside is enveloped in bright and embracing sunlight that bathes my eyes and my thoughts with pleasure and an appreciation that despite and within our most difficult seasons of life, we can experience goodness and positivity. Happiness comes from our circumstances, but joy comes from somewhere else. We need to try and live above them as best we can when we can. Enjoy the sunbaths when they appear, (for the clouds can again quickly appear), persevere through adversities until which time when ….. well, I can’t speak for anyone else about when that happens and what it will look like. But I do know that “things will get better”. It might get better on its own or it might get better because of what you or someone else did in your midst during those dark and difficult times. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your path straight. Do not be wise in your own mind and keep yourself free from sin. It will be healthy for your body and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)