How many times do we say that? Something happens to someone and we automatically say, “I’ll pray for you!” We hear of a tragedy and we say, “I’ll pray for you!” How many times do we say that…and forget to pray? Or, how about when you’re scrolling through Facebook and someone asks for prayers. We might type “Prayers!” Or “Done!” Or my personal favorite…”???” A furtive “God, please give this woman what she’s asking for.” These are good things, don’t get me wrong. But we can do so much better.
We were driving out to the farm the other day and saw a for sale sign on a property just down the road. I went on the real estate sales website to look it up. I was curious to see if the property shared a boundary with the farm. There is an old homestead up there that I remember going to when I was a very young child. Grandma and Mom had taken me to an auction they were having. I was given a hot dog and placed in a little blue wagon and pulled all around. Grandma bought the jelly cupboard that’s in the kitchen. It was painted with several coats of white enamel and Pop-Pop let me “help” him scrape the paint off. That cupboard is the only piece of furniture I will inherit from the farm and I cherish it.
Those of us who were coming of age in the ‘60s remember the protests of the day. Slogans like “Make Love, Not War” are being replaced with “Arms Are For Hugging”. For the last several years I’ve been wondering…”Where are the hippies?” The adolescents of my generation changed the world. It has been frustrating to see subsequent generations become so complacent with the status quo.
One of the upsides of Facebook memories is documented progress. One of my readers shared a post yesterday that I wrote a year ago. I was declaring how gorgeous spring is in West Virginia. I observed the earth coming back to life, the shoots of spring bulbs exploding from the moist soil, the greening up of the world. I spoke of all the new babies being born in the fields surrounding the farm. And I talked about budding romances and how I was ready to try again. And here I am…a year later and in a relationship with a wonderful man. He is a constant reminder of how good God is to me.
While the world recoils in horror at the havoc you have wrought, I want you to know something. I have tears for the terribly tragic loss of these beautiful people you have cut down who will never have the opportunity to reach their potential. But, believe it or not, I have tears for you, too. While those parents prepare to lay their babies to rest, I wonder if there’s anyone there for you. Because I have a feeling there hasn’t been…probably for a very, very long time.
I’m doing something different today. Usually I write my essay then I go read and find a bible verse that best suits my message of the day. It’s easier that way for me because I look for verses about a certain theme, read and study them, then choose the one that speaks to me. To take a verse and pontificate on it seems a bit foreign after writing for nearly five years the other way. But today…I want to talk to you about Romans 12:6-8 specifically.
I was writing last night and listening to a channel on Amazon Music called “Relaxing Christian Music”. MercyMe came on and sang “Even If You Don’t”. It’s about those times when your faith is challenged by the hardships you face in life. It made me think of the losses so many are facing. There are seventeen mothers and fathers preparing to lay their children to rest this week. It is easy to ask questions like, “Where was God during all this?” “How can God let bad things happen to innocent people…especially children?”
We have had a few really warm days here in West Virginia, even though it’s been rainy and grey. I’ve been staying put a lot this year. Last year was crazy busy for me and I traveled a lot. There was also the car accident a year ago. Mr. FixIt had his hand surgery the first week of December and now he’s having pretty intense hand therapy, and I am taking advantage of the down time to just be still. We have some fun things scheduled, but for now, I’m kind of liking this homebody stuff.
”My burdens are light as a feather because God carries them for me.”
I love Uma Girish. Uma is a Grief Guide…one who helps others walk their path with valuable tools she gives them along the way. Uma wrote a post about mindfulness that I wanted to share with you. We talk about mindfulness here a lot. My word of the year is “presence”. I practice mindfulness frequently. I sure wish I could say I practice it all the time, but my monkey brain kicks in and takes me on wild tangents. I get lost in the weeds. Then, Spirit sends me something…a message, a person, a hint. Yesterday…I was sent back to Uma.
(*Edited: I must admit, I took the number 18 and ran with is as it was the lead in a number of online stories. That number was promoted by a group intending to imply there had been 18 mass shootings in schools during the first 7 weeks of 2018. This, of course, is not true. There have been 18 incidents where guns have been used on school grounds, including shots fired through windows and suicides both in and on school grounds…one at a former school. Ok, statistics are what they are and I know they can be manipulated for various purposes. My point remains the same. If there had been ONE school shooting, that is one too many. Thank you, Nancy, for bringing that to my attention.)
“I’ll Pray for You”
“Protests…Then and Now”
“Burger al Fresco”
“Writing in TOW-Wanda”
“My Hope is in You Alone” - MercyMe
Kicking Back by the Pool
”My burdens are light as a feather because God carries them for me.”