I have often heard or read that most people are in favor of being freed from whichever person, situation or system that might hold them back from reaching their fullest potential in life. However, upon a closer look at what is actually desired to be freed from, and what are the byproducts of that type of freedom; some of us begin to have misgivings about saying that we are in favor of being free in general.
This is springtime - new leaves are sprouting, new grass is growing, and new flowers are blooming. New crops are planted - wheat, corn, oats, beans, greens, melons, and apples are being harvested for us to eat.
When he had gone out, Jesus said,
"Now the Son of Man has been glorified,
and God has been glorified in him.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself
and will glorify him at once.
Little children, I am with you only a little longer.
You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews
so now I say to you, 'Where I am going,
you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another. Just as I have loved you,
you also should love one another.
This week in worship, we will be focusing on togetherness. As we join for one service at 10:00 a.m. with both the Chapel Choir and Chancel Choir, we worship and walk together in faith with our confirmation class. It seems like more than ever before our culture is very divided! In some instances, it is difficult to have meaningful conversations with people we love because our views may be polar opposite.
The happenings around us this time of year are full of the great expectations of a new spring season and the breaking forth of new life in nature and within many families that we know or have heard of.
With so much newness and blossoming going on we become thankful for the world we live in and all that we have that is good and wanting to thank the One who is the source of our blessedness. The desire to show our gratitude to the source of our worlds' renewal and the giver of life to all of humanity reveals the basis of our worldview, specifically, our belief in God.
There are many things that we are thankful for and can praise God that we have them. Here are a few to think about: love, good health, good friends, freedom of religion, your parents, having a life partner, opportunity to get an education, having a home, laughter, safety and security, clean water, kindness of strangers, diversity, children, music, freedom to vote (lifehack.org). These are all very good things to be thankful for, we all are thankful that we have them in varying degrees of comfort.
Achieving goals and reaching high levels of accomplishment in our lives is very gratifying. We may have felt or still feel the need to strive against a set of odds to make sure our lives have significance and long-lasting meaning. Looking inwardly, we should discover ways that we seek to make our lives meaningful in this present climate of uncertainty, discord, and dissatisfaction. As we search our souls, let's consider this question: "How can we be sure that our lives have importance and long-term meaning from God's point of view?"
I am deeply touched by anyone who is filled with joy when they welcome back somebody who was, up to that point, given up on and believed to be "lost." Lost is a term that has many meanings. Among other things, it could mean a wayward person, a wild child, or a stubborn and hard-hearted person who often did not care about doing what was even in her or his own best interest. In other words, someone who is considered a hopeless case.
How are we dealing with the ups and downs of our life in Christ? As we travel on our faith journey, are we evaluating the life we live from one day to the next? I have often considered how I did at the end of a particular day. Did I do good according to God's will that day or was I being led by my own selfishness, which is against God's will?
What is your biggest fear? What is the thing that keeps you up at night? Have you ever been so afraid that you became paralyzed, unable to respond to the situation in front of you? At some point or another, each of us grapples with fear. Sometimes it's the small stuff that we know we shouldn't sweat so much. Other times, our fear is so vivid - so real - that it can consume us, keeping from speaking and acting as we normally would.
We are the children of God. As children, we are aware of how we act in relationship to our God. We find ourselves doing things that we know are honorable and helpful to others and for our own life. We reach out to help those in financial distress and those who are broken by death and the hardships in their lives spiritually, emotionally, and physically. We pray to God, learn and meditate on God's words, and seek to lift up and strengthen others to do the same.
We are in a place of transition and fundamental change. Not necessarily because we wanted to be, but because we must change in order to live as God created us to live. There is nothing that can completely prepare us for the times and stations in our lives where we must become vastly different in ways that we did not want to. One word that describes it is metamorphose - "to change into a wholly different form or appearance; transform."