Christian

Today’s Word: Memory

Steve · August 7, 2013 · 6 Comments

So much of our lives as Christians is based on memories. The holy scriptures, of course, are the inspired memories of those who witnessed the history of the Jewish people, the life and passion of Christ, and the early days of the church. Many Christian denominations recall Jesus’ last supper with his followers by celebrating the Eucharist or Holy Communion. We do this, as scripture encourages us, “in memory” of him.

But so, too, do our own memories matter. When we remember the early days of our faith — whether as children or adults — we can see how much we have grown in relationship with God. And that growth is crucial to having a mature faith. Think of it this way: If our relationships with our spouses or other loved ones never grew stronger over the years, we would think something was wrong. We would want more. And yet, sometimes we remain complacent in our faith. We don’t push ourselves to “more” or “closer” with God for any number of reasons. Sometimes it may be just because we forget to remember where we have come from and neglect to consider how much further we could go if we only reached out to God.

Ask yourself in silence: What are my first memories of faith? What are the first precepts I learned? How much has my faith and my understanding of God changed over the years? Am I happy with my spiritual growth?

Today’s Word: Inevitable

Steve · August 6, 2013 · 3 Comments

flood — Road May Flood. Aubuchon Road, St. Louis. SJG photo

The photo to the right was taken not far from my home near the bottomlands of the Missouri River. The sign is absolutely correct, as several times a year the rain, the river and the nearby creeks combine to saturate the fields and overflow the road — a perfect storm of natural events that creates something that no one control. You just have to be prepared to accept the inevitable and take another route for a while.

Inevitable events are the ghosts of our lives. They linger in the back of our minds and come out once in a while to haunt our dreams and bring worry to our waking lives. Parents get older and die. Loved ones suffer in a myriad of ways. We face our own life challenges and — in one way or another — stare down our own mortality. Life’s changes and storms are inevitable, so the challenge of our faith is to be prepared when they come, to be spiritually strong so that our first response is not to throw up our arms in exasperation but rather to throw ourselves into the arms of God, the unchanging changer who stands solid at the center of our ever-changing lives.

Ask yourself in silence: Am I spiritually prepared for the inevitable events of my life? Am I building a faith and a relationship with God now, so that’s it’s ready when I need it most?

Today’s Word: Forgive

Steve · August 4, 2013 · 5 Comments

Forgive. Wicker Park graffiti, Chicago. SJG photo

I’ve been tryin’ to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it’s about…forgiveness.
-Don Henley, 1995

Is forgiveness at the heart of matter? I guess it depends on the matter we’re taking about….But the truth is, when we harden our hearts and refuse to forgive or accept forgiveness, we set ourselves up for heartache and separation from those we once loved and from God. We hold on to so much pain, sometimes thinking that “we’ll show them” by our silence and refusal to forgive. In reality, we’re only hurting ourselves, of course.

Pain is real, and I’m certainly not trying to make light of it. We get hurt by people and by circumstances. We can feel we’ve been hurt by God. God certainly understands the human pain we feel. God understands that we may need to hold on to this pain for a while, to own it and make it our own. But at some point, God calls us to release ourselves and others from pain, no matter who is at fault. Over and over in the Gospels, Jesus calls us to forgive, to turn the other cheek, to move on so we can repair our own lives and our fractured relationships with God and others.

Ask yourself in silence: Where in my life am I holding a grudge? Who do I need to forgive? Where do I need to seek forgiveness? Do I have the courage to do something about this today?

Today’s Word: Busy

Steve · August 3, 2013 · 5 Comments

cross — The Great Cross, St. Augustine, Florida. SJG photo.

In the Biblical story of the two sisters Martha and Mary (Luke 10), Martha is buzzing around the house, cooking, cleaning, waiting on everybody and “getting stuff done.” Her sister Mary, on the other hand, has seated herself at the feet of Jesus, resting serenely in his presence and words. When Martha objects to her lazy sister (can’t you just hear and see this story unfolding?), Jesus sets her straight: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

So we should just pray all day and not worry about keeping house or going to work, right? Hardly. We still need to do the stuff of life. But we need time at the feet of Jesus, too. If we make prayer and the presence of God the foundation for the rest of our lives, we will find ourselves with less anxiety and worry, and with more peace of mind and heart. There is one thing we need. The rest will fall into place. The work will get done. But the better part — peace — will not be taken from us.

Ask yourself in silence: Do I use busy-ness as an excuse to not spend time at the feet of Jesus? Do I let the presence of “stuff to get done” keep me from the presence of God?

Today’s Word: Harvest

Steve · August 2, 2013 · 5 Comments

I am no farmer and not much of a gardener. Sue and I grow annuals in flowerpots and once in a while grow some tomatoes, but that’s about it. Something in me would like to be, but I’m not sure I’m up to the commitment it takes to care for the potential harvest, however small. I grew up in urban St. Louis, but even there my father found the time and the space in our backyard to plant (mostly from seed) a healthy, organically grown crop of tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers and more. Today, I have friends who participate and work hard in community gardens, and I love the harvest at our local Farmer’s Market.

So I love the harvest (what’s better than a fresh tomato or strawberry?) and stand in awe and gratitude of all those farmers who bring us our daily fruits and vegetables. I am thankful for the often-underpaid farmworkers who plant and pick the produce that ends up in our supermarkets. And, as always, I worship the Creator who waters the fields and blesses the ground with nutrients. I adore the Lord who makes tomatoes taste heavenly and strawberries better than just about anything should be allowed to taste. We too easily take all this for granted. We just go down the produce aisle and there they all are, lined up and waiting for us, freshly misted. Today, let’s remember all those who bring us our food and the God who gives everything that is good: “The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.” (Psalm 67:7)

Ask yourself in silence: Can our eating (and our gathering together to eat) become an act of worship and prayer?