Goodness and Senseless Acts

Waking up on a beautiful June morning to hear about another senseless act of violence started me thinking about goodness....that allusive quality that is one of the fruits of the spirit, a kernel of it contained inside us, protect that kernel, cultivate it so that it is not distorted and used for the exact opposite.

God gave us a present, a soul, a tiny sliver of himself, that is part of our journey toward our spiritual reunion with Him. So often that little part of ourselves is ignored. Why? Is it so hard to find, lost in the tangled maze of life?  Is it easier to choose a different path? Are we so easily led astray by worldly beliefs?  We so often despair that as individuals we can do little to "right" the wrongs of this world. But if each of us, individually lived with "all" our soul than wouldn't life fit together a little easier.

God calls us to love. Hate is not love, killing people is not love, making people suffer is not love. God knows his stuff! He knows what it takes to survive life here in the human domain. He gave us the directions to put together a meaningful, fulfilling life. Please pray for Orlando, Paris, Aurora, Belgium, (I won't continue as you get the point). Pray to whatever higher spirit you seek. Pray if you don't even believe. (I mean seriously it can't hurt, right?)

Hugs to each and everyone who reads this post. May the goodness of the gift God has given you shine forth in this world of darkness. May His hope bring hope into your life, piece by piece, bit by bit, we can make a difference.

June Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

Do you ever find yourself puzzling over a word or concept? Trying to figure out exactly HOW it might play out in your life. Twisting and turning it around and around like a puzzle piece that just seems "lost" among the bigger picture.

Goodness is a simple word for a very general and broad range of descriptors of character and conduct. How does that apply to God? And how does that apply to us in our daily lives?

Sounds sort of simple right? WRONG! How does one define good and worthy of approval?  I would bet there are some whose definition of that would be quite different than one might expect.

I sort of like this idea about goodness but it doesn't really cover it totally. But the ideas of honesty and transparency and being the SAME does round out the definition. One cannot just think of "good" as following the rules. There are some rules that are oppressive and create inequality and sometimes even worse things. Blindly following the rules doesn't equal being good.

The power of good is strong.  It is in some ways small but mighty. Can we right all the wrong in the world?  Maybe, maybe not, but we can right all the wrong in our own personal interactions.

Plant the seeds of good in your life, find them in your interactions, grow them in your communities, work places, and the world will blossom.

Hugs to each of you, seek goodness and find it every day.

In the Rear View Mirror: May

The month of May is coming to an end and as so often happens life steps in and things get put "on the back burner." Never is this more obvious for me than in keeping up with my writing and even more importantly spiritual musings. It take a long time to grow a spiritual "self". to connect with God and to bring that relationship into being in your own world. At times our minds become so crowded with "little things" and "big things", important and not so important leeches that drain our souls of the joy God promised.

May was my month to reflect of the fruit of the spirit: kindness and something came into a better focus on the "screen" of my life....true kindness ....blooms even when we are surrounded by struggles. Helping a friend when you have 200 other things to be doing is such a blessed act of kindness that it almost transcends the awkward busyness of our lives,

I think perhaps the tenderhearted kindness spoken of in Ephesians 4:32 is a little more difficult to model. We are quick to anger, slow to forgive and sometimes carry those wounds with us for a long time. I spent a little time thinking about how often I have probably disappointed God. Not doing it for a "downer" but for an honest evaluation of just where I stand. Humble and Human. Yet God through Christ forgives all. He does not keep in his heart the 101 times I have let him down, ignored him, doubted him, but simply forgives and moves on. That is a hard kindness to model here in this busy and sometimes cruel world.

But remember how I'm always writing about how we are "becoming"? How life is a continuous journey of faith and spiritual relationship with God.?  Kindness helps us on that upward spiral toward "becoming." It grows our spirit and strengthens our soul. It sends out that tender shoot from the darkness toward the light. Now as I've mentioned before....being kind doesn't mean letting others walk all over you or take advantage of you. God knows all about boundaries. It simply means to strive for a kinder word, a friendly helping hand and sometimes forgiveness even where none is "really" deserved.

 Kindness helps us rise to a higher level....in the process of lifting others we do far more to lift ourselves. We remember what being human is all about and that we are called to live this life to the fullest through our interactions with others, not alone and isolated.  It's hard, that balance between doing the "right" thing, doing nothing, and doing the right thing in the right way. May is in the rear view mirror but kindness still exists. Let's not forget it.

Hugs to each of you and please let kindness guide your words and actions.

Study of Matthew

I want to read the entire Bible in 2016. So I devised a plan. I contemplated many but I decided to start with the new Testament and therefore am reading Matthew currently. The study is two fold. One as I read I will look for verses or messages that relate to the monthly Soul Care theme (Which for January is Fruits of the Spirit-Love) Second I will look for God's voice in my reading. Messages that resonant and speak to me.

Since I did not start reading until January 4th, I had some catching up to do....Monday I read Matthew 1-6 and today I read 7-10. I have made it a practice to read the verses aloud because I have discovered in the past that it really helps me to stay focused on the message.

As I read through the chapters I came across several gems that really spoke to my heart. One is Matthew 9:28 in which Jesus is healing the blind men and he asked..." Do you believe I am able to do this."  To which they answered "Yes Lord."

How many times do we ask God for something without TRULY believing he can do it?  For me personally it is more... that He can do it but I have a specific outcome I want rather than relying on His plan.  Reading this gave me pause because it pointed out that prayer without faith is like casting your line into an empty pond.

 

 

This has always been one of my favorite verses.  Our Father wants us to have what we need and he is always ready to listen and intercede on our behalf.

 

 

 

I found a Soul Care theme gem too. When Jesus was speaking of false prophets he said, "by their fruit you will recognize them."  The false prophets of today may not be like the ones in Matthew...they may be more subtle and pervasive. It is easy to be lead into belief systems, especially in a political year, but what are the "fruits" of those belief systems? 

 

 

Hugs to each of you and may you recognize the fruits of many strong, good trees in your life!