Show no partiality...

But if you show partiality, you commit sin..."

James 2:9

 

I most often work in my clients' homes when I see them.  And when I heard this reading on "Pray-as-You-Go" this morning, the question lingered.  "Does this reading make you uncomfortable?"  Yes, it does.  More often than not, the homes I go in are nice, clean, comfortable, cozy.  But, other times, they are much more difficult. When I heard this reading, my mind immediately flashed to a very difficult home where I had a hard time, logistically, marking the appliances and doing what I needed to do to help the client.  And that causes me to have partiality, just like James is saying in this reading.  I, unfairly, judge these folks, whose circumstances are most difficult.  And that is wrong and sinful.  I am here to help these people, not judge them.  Whatever difficulties they have encountered bring them to this point of struggle and I am there to help. Lord, I need you to go with me into each home.  Remind me that each person I meet is cherished by you and deserves my utmost respect and compassion. Help me to help them by getting my prejudice and partiality out of the way. Love, heidi

Quick and slow...the way to go!

"Everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger..."

James 1:19

 

When I have a particularly frustrating day, like I had yesterday, I don't need to reflect long on the why of it.  I know why.  I do it to myself.  I can't control everything that happens during the day, but I can control my reaction to it.  When I just hear what I want to hear and jump to hasty conclusions, words come flying out of my mouth; anger bubbles forth.  (I wish this had been yesterday's reading!) I have such great opportunity, each day, to do God's work and will and yet...
Lord, please help me to realize that today is a brand, new day; fresh and clean.  Yesterday and its frustration is over.  Today is what is in front of me.  Help me to be attentive and really hear those I meet today.  Help me to engage the clutch on my mouth and be slow to speak--so slow in fact that maybe I will say nothing! And let anger not appear on my radar today.  With your help, only Lord, with your help!  Love, heidi

God sends us the good...

"No one experiencing temptation should say, 'I am being tempted by God.'"

James 1:13

 

God doesn't send bad stuff our way to trip us up, in other words.  God doesn't need to...we humans can get ourselves into plenty of difficult situations, thank you very much! Our human nature and desire for immediate gratification and pleasure can certainly cause us to chart our own negative course.  We can make enough mischief ourselves without God sending anything to tempt us.  A little further in the reading, James says, "All good giving and every perfect gift is from above." (v. 17) God only sends us good gifts. So, God sends us good, we make our own bad and then what?  And then our Psalm for today:

"When I say, 'My foot is slipping,' your mercy, O Lord, sustains me; when cares abound within me, your comfort gladdens my soul."  Psalm 94:18-19

 God send us mercy and love, even when we slip--especially when we slip.  Thanks be to God!  Happy Tuesday-that-feels-like-Monday!  Love, heidi

A bit cheeky...

"She replied and said to him, 'Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps.'"

Mark 7:28

 

Today, on "Pray-as-You-Go," which originates in the UK, asked, "Does this woman seem a bit cheeky while addressing Jesus?"  I had to laugh out loud.  Yes, just a bit...cheeky.  But, in thinking about my own relationship with Jesus, there are surely times I'm a bit cheeky as well. (I may just type in a British accent all day, so bear with me). I really try to behave myself while around others, but I can get in my car and just rant and rave and let it all out. And who am I ranting to?  Well, thankfully, no one else is the recipient!  What happens is, I don't feel pent-up or repress my feelings, I just complain to the One who can take it.  And it leads me to treat others better.  Jesus, you want us to be in relationship with you...we can tell you anything and everything and you support and love us, all the same.  I'm sorry for the times I'm a bit cheeky and seem ungrateful for all the many gifts of my life. You told us to pray "all ways," and my crabby rants are sometimes the prayers on my heart.  Thank you for encouraging me to be me, when I'm with you, even if I'm a bit cheeky...Love, heidi

We AREN'T what we eat!

"Nothing that enters one from the outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile."

Mark 7:15

 

So much for "You are what you eat!" But this makes such perfect sense and goes along well with yesterday's Gospel.  The people of Jesus' time had strict cleanliness laws and were quite finicky eaters.  But, did that make them more moral, caring, loving people? Not necessarily.  Jesus makes the point that it is what we do and say that really indicates what kind of people we are.  Not what we eat or how we wash.  The early dietary laws and laws of cleanliness probably made so much sense in the culture of the time. (Can you imagine NOT washing food from the first-century market?) They probably insured a healthier way of life. But, somehow, something got lost in the stringent adherence to law after law.  People lost compassion and caring for each other.  They lost themselves in hurtful, self-righteous, judgmental activity, but, by golly, their dishes were clean!  Let's take care today to pay attention to what comes out of our mouths--our gossip, harsh judgments, critical tongue-wagging is far more harmful than anything we could eat today! Love, heidi

Powerful lesson!

"You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."

Mark 7:8

 

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees here about their complaining the disciples didn't go through the ritual washings before eating.  There were a couple of excellent reflections on this Gospel today which made it so much clearer to me.  First, in "Give Us This Day," Richard Reece, talks about "empty rituals," that is, rituals that may have had some deep meaning for us at some point, but now we do them mindlessly and without the love they were meant to inspire.  Isn't that the truth?  How often have we mindlessly done the Sign of the Cross while entering church, without giving it the true prayer-ness it deserves?  Let's not let our prayer rituals become meaningless!  They must be done with deep and reverent love for God!  And second, on "Pray-As-You-Go," they asked how one tells the difference between God's commandment and human tradition? Good question! Sometimes, they blend together in our minds. When thinking about that, I immediately go to what Jesus actually did and said while he walked among us.  Was Jesus inclusive? What did he say about the poor? How did Jesus treat people?  Jesus lived God's commandments and showed us how to do it.  We have the perfect example in Jesus. Love, heidi