Division

 

Being in the field of Human Resources for more than four decades, I have certainly encountered my fair share of folks who cause division.  In my line of work, we labeled it as dissension.  Causing division or dissension is quite different than disagreeing.  I respect someone who may disagree with me.  Having a different opinion or perspective than mine has been extremely helpful in my life.  It has helped me to open my eyes where I may have been narrowly focused.  It has assisted me to consider options that I may not have considered on certain topics.  Disagreeing can be very constructive.

Causing division is a much stronger destructive behavior.  When people cause division, they are in it to create hostility, assert superiority, and actively seek to erode any collaboration or trust that may be evident.  There is an intense sense of negativity, gossip or even exclusion.  I would liken it to bullying behavior.  I am right, you are wrong, and you are going to feel the effects of that – either directly or indirectly.

This book of Titus is short and worthy of reading.  It is a letter from Paul to Titus, who is in Crete.  Paul helps to provide instruction for Titus on the leadership in the church, right living in the church and right living in society.  We can all take a few moments to learn the lessons Paul was teaching Titus.  Friends, we will have people who may disagree with us on many distinct aspects of life.  That is okay – it is free will.

Yet, when you have people around you who are causing division, especially when it comes to Holy Scripture and diverging from its truth, you need to be vigilant.  If dissension is their primary focus, take a lesson from Titus 3:10.  Provide warning – if it does not stop, then YOU need to remove YOURSELF from them.  Notice how this verse does not state to keep at it, trying to reason with this person.  It states that you should have nothing more to do with them.

This can be hard.  Especially if the person who is causing the division is a close friend or relative.  Please note, this is not saying we should not forgive people.  Nor does it say we should not continue to pray for people.  What it shares with us is that we should remove ourselves to ensure we do not fall into the deception that is being played out.  Let us remember to check ourselves as well!  We do not want to be the one causing dissension either! Keep our focus on God and have simple faith that God will bring justice and clarify to the situation. 

Heavenly Father, help me to have strength and faith when I meet someone who is causing division.  Provide me the words of warning, but if they do not work, help me to walk away from them and towards You.  Amen!

Togetherness

 

The world of today seems to have taken a drastic turn from the times that are spoken of in our verses for today.  Imagine a world where everything I have is yours, everything you have is mine, and we live together in harmony.  I think of times like that and wonder how we could incorporate that into times of today.  How can generosity take a greater focus on our lives?

Generosity of treasures, time and talents mean different things to different people.  The ability for us to give is many times overshadowed by what we need to do every day.  Maybe we work so many hours it is hard for us to give up any more time for others.  Maybe it is all we can do to keep food on our own tables, never mind giving it to others.  Do I really have a talent someone else may benefit from?

It can be difficult to find the time, release the money, or recognize a talent that can be shared in a larger community.  Yet, chances are, if we reflect long enough, there is something we can do.  It does not have to be grand in nature.  It just needs to come from your heart. 

·       It may be financially difficult for me to buy a big bag of groceries for the soup kitchen, but making a pot of soup for an elderly neighbor is possible.        

·       Finding time to work in the soup kitchen can be tough for me but purchasing a few extra items during grocery shopping this week is possible.

·       My talent may not lie in running the soup kitchen, but volunteering to make the meatloaf is more in line with the talent I possess.

Friends, giving all that we can to help those in need is living out Jesus’ love.  Helping others with a helping hand can be exactly what someone needs.  Our greatest ability each of us has to help others.  Praying!  We can all add someone in need to our prayer list.  We can all take a couple moments to raise up another in prayer. 

Yet, when the time comes when we see an open door to give more, let us do so with a warm and giving heart.  Let us take the time, share our treasures, or offer our talents to those around us.  Will it help someone else?  Yes.  Will it help you?  More than you will know.  Have simple faith!

Dearest Jesus, please open my eyes to see the open doors in front of me where I can give to others.  May I have simple faith that I know I can give to those around me.  Amen!

Welcome In

 

Inviting someone into our home is something I always look forward to.  It may not always be the neatest home when a guest arrives, but that does not stop me from saying “Come on in!”  Whether someone is coming over with intent or just quickly visiting, I always enjoy saying those three words, come on in.  Once in, there is always an offer of, “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”  This does not mean I have something readily available if it was a surprise visit, but there is always toast and PB&J!

The vision of today’s verse makes me happy and warm all over.  The physical nature of this verse is what excites me.  To have Jesus knock at my door, looking to come in to have a meal with our family?  As they say, Priceless!  Now here is where I admit my gap!  If Jesus showed up, either planned or unplanned, I am almost certain that my inner ‘Martha’ would come out and I would race around to see what I could offer.  Of course, there’s always spaghetti, right?

Welcoming Jesus into our lives, into our home, does not mean we always have to have all our ducks in a row or be ‘ready’ to say, “Come on in.”  If we wait to invite Jesus into our lives, our home, until we are the flawless Christian, Jesus will have an exceedingly long wait.  We will never be fully prepared.  We will never be fully faultless to have Jesus see us as the perfect Christian.  Good news all!  That is not what Jesus expects for us to invite Him into our lives.

Jesus wants us to say, “Welcome in,” regardless the state of our heart and mind.  He just wants to be invited into our lives. He wants to come in, sit at the table with us (the communion table), and let us know that when we are filled with the body and the blood, we will have eaten well, and we will be full.  That can only happen when we say to Jesus, “Come into my life, my heart and my soul.”  Once we do that, our sins are forgiven and we can eat at the banquet table, both on earth and in heaven.

My friends, when Jesus is knocking at your door to come in and have a meal, always say “Yes”!!  Our houses and our hearts do not have to be immaculate.  We do not have to have a banquet ready.  A dirty house and PB&J will be fine.  Jesus only wants you to invite Him in – He will take care of the rest.  We just need simple faith!

Dearest Jesus, always feel free to enter my home.  Become a part of my heart and my house, sitting at the table together for full nourishment.  In your name I pray, Amen!

Follow the Light

 

I find sunflowers to be amazing!  Every year, my daughter and I attend a Sunflower Festival in New Hampshire.  As you enter the parking lot, you see acres and acres of sunflowers.  It is so breathtaking.  We wander the fields and are able to cut some and bring them home to revel in their continued beauty.  Usually, we cut some of the larger flowers, but this time, we focused on some of the smaller ones and marveled at their beauty.  Here are a couple of pictures from our time at the festival.

                       

Sunflowers stand so tall, well above the average person.  Their stalks are strong; although the flower head can be well over a foot in diameter, the stalks never fall over.  The bees get to their job and pollinate from flower to flower.  Yet, the most amazing feature is how they follow the sun.  Their heads actually turn to where the sun is.  It is incredible!  There is much science to this, but to me, it is the wonder of God.

The sunflower can teach us so much about how we should live our lives with Jesus.   Let us explore a few:

Follow the sun:  As Jesus shares in this verse, if we follow Him, the Son, we will never walk in darkness.  Jesus brings light to all of our darkness.  By walking in His light, as the sunflower follows the light, we will grow strong in our faith.  Holding onto Jesus’ light can bring us out of the difficult situations in our lives and provide us hope.

Stand tall: Be a sunflower stalk.  Stand tall in your faith.  There is much in this world that can have us hang our heads low or fall over in despair.  My friends, our faith in Jesus should help us to stand tall in this world and shine our flowers to all those around us.

Be a pollinator:  Get busy as a bee and share Jesus’ love to all the sunflowers around us!  Go to the people around us and share the light that you walk in.   Different people may need different things from us.  Some may need to hear the Word of God.  Others may need you to hold their hand.  Others may need a prayer of healing.  In all instances, be the pollinator of Jesus’ love.

Whether your ‘flower’ is large and broad or your ‘flower’ is small and reserved, by following Jesus’ light we can all be a sunflower to the world around us. Follow the Son, stand tall in your faith and be a pollinator of Jesus’ love to all you meet.  Find joy in the simple faith that brings us to Jesus!

Dearest Jesus, help us to take lessons from the sunflower.  May we always follow you, the Son of God, and may your light shine upon us and bring us the hope and peace we need.  Amen! 

Trust and Lean

 

Why?  But why??  Meet any toddler and the word ‘why’ seems to be the only word they know.  They will constantly challenge every decision a parent makes with the word ‘why.’  For a parent, it can be exhausting and ultimately, the words that they vowed would never leave their lips suddenly come out, “Because I said so!”  Ahhh, the joys of parenting!

Today’s verse is a strong reflection that times I can seem like a toddler to God.  How many times have I questioned actions that are occurring here on earth to our Lord, starting out those inquiries with “why”?  “Why am I going through such a difficult time,” or “Why do I need to take this particular journey?”

All of these moments reflect a character flaw that I work on each and every day, trusting God with everything in my life.  Seems easy enough, but when the paths cross of what “I” want to do and the path God is sending me on, the road of trusting God and leaning on His understanding can take a wild turn.  It is then that this verse, which has become a staple in my life, needs to help turn me around.

Trusting in God is easy enough, isn’t it?  We know he is omnipresent and omni-----, so giving Him the direction in my life should be a ‘slam dunk.’  When things are going the way I planned them, I know He is in control, and we are aligned.  It is when things are not going as I had imagined that my trust in God can waiver and I tend to lean into my OWN understanding and not the One who knows all.  I am learning not to fight those moments as much as I used to, but this is when I turn into a toddler and ask numerous ‘why’ questions.

My friends, we will never be able to understand in earthly terms all that happens in our lives.  That is for God to know.  It is our responsibility to trust the paths our lives are taking, knowing that our understanding is limited, but that God’s understanding is omniscient.  We need to not only trust these moments but lean into them, submitting to God all of our questions and walk on the path that He has provided to us.  It may seem strange to us to walk in a different direction than what WE had intended.  Remember, though, that God’s paths will always be straighter and will always be the right one for our lives.  It may not be the easiest path, we may encounter bumpy roads, but the end will always show God’s goodness.

Dearest Lord, help us to have true trust in You, knowing that when we lean into your ways and submit to your ways, the path for our lives, set by you, will show us How Great Thou Art.  Amen!