Who You'd Be Today

Friday, April 30, 2010
Who You'd be Today
The words from a well known tune, "Who you'd be today", brings me to a thought about what happens to a life that doesn't respond to God's goodness. I realize the song is about a young women that died before her time. However, it can be used to bring you to a different realization. How many times have we walked away from the goodness of God's touch in our life and have lost what God had in store for us. Who would we be today if we had listened to Him. What we could have been had we only responded with generosity. If we would have said yes to His voice. So many circumstances that have played out and instead of looking for God's hand in it, we turn inward to realize that we can not control the world or the people in it. We take our pain and frustration and and allow it to run our lives. Think about it, the clerk that doesn't show kindness because she has been treated so poorly by so many others before you. Perhaps it started in her own family...a lack of respect for her, maybe a loss of dignity, lack of concern for her...there could be a million different ways she was told by others that she wasn't important to this world and than she went off on her own only to find that so many things in her life tell her the same thing. Instead of realizing that that is what the world says, and those people are lacking in their own lives. There have been others that have touched her with kindness and goodness but she quickly dismissed it because it was only a small voice that could only be heard, but, only for a moment. The stronger and louder voices are to loud to overcome. Ah, but it's that moment that she needs to cling to and feed it. Where should she turn? To her father, God. He wants to tell her how important she is and how precious she is no mater what the world says to her...she is loved more than she could ever imagine. That only if she would come to God to be filled instead of filling herself with her own thoughts. A peaceful feeling that comes in a moment of silence or a friend that takes the time to listen to her, it's there that God is speaking. When we open our life up to God we find that peace we all long for...we find our purpose in life and we learn how to deal with the hardships that we all face in one aspect or another. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and hurting others we look to do good with the sufferings. Oh Father, use my sufferings for your glory. For I love you more than anything and will do whatever you ask.

More to come....

Who You'd beToday Continued

Answering God's call in the midst of pain and hardship can be most difficult. I used to wonder why there were so many "elderly people" with such an anger in their hearts. Well, many years later, I know why. The crosses that we are given, and the ones that are placed upon ourselves because of our own choices, create a weight that can't be taken without the love of Christ within our hearts. Now, what does that mean; it means to take it all to God, lay your pains and sorrows at the foot of the cross and ask for mercy, guidance, peace and understanding. We all have pain and suffering, everyone. Oh, so many circumstances, reasons, and injustices, we could all make a case as to why our hearts are hard, couldn't we? And, yes, many many valid reasons. However, that doesn't excuse us from following the words of Christ. Love your enemies, pray for them ...and even those family members that hurt you so much on an on-going basis, we must forgive. So easy to fall of the tongue but, yet, so very difficult to do. It requires us to be vulnerable, humble, patient, and hurt. Should we be a door mat...no, of course not. That is not what God said...he said to love. That can mean that you love from a distance. God doesn't ask us to accept abuse as that would wound the spirit, and in most cases, drawing you away from the Father. He wants us to empty ourselves of ourselves, so that only Christ is seen...less of me more of Him. I pray that one day I can acquire the holiness that is necessary to live up to God's way. And, yes, it is attainable. Will we fall? Of course, we are human and have original sin. The evil one would like us to believe that without perfection we could never attain what God wants...such a mistake to believe that. God knows we will falter, but he has given us His beautiful mercy and forgiveness. He wants what is good for us, that which draws you to Him. For most of us, it is our sufferings that draw us closer because we see there is noone or nothing can heal, give meaning, and dignity to a life that has such pain and suffering, like the love of God. As we grow in our relationship with Him, our sin will become less. We shall see more with His eyes and love more with His heart, we will become more like the one we are in love with, God. And one day we can be what God wants us to be. Who you'd be today doesn't have to be what you "could" have been, it can be what you are. Because you responded to God's call.

May you find your day filled with the joy and peace that God has for you, right now, in this moment.

God bless you.