Spirit & Soul

People tell me their life stories in line at the supermarket. Maybe I have that familiar face or remind them of their mom.

So, it was no surprise when an acquaintance mentioned regretfully that they had not been in touch with many friends for twenty years since they had just moved from another state. I nodded. That made sense to me. Lack of proximity dampens friendships or ends ones that never entirely took root.

Social media makes it easier to remain in contact without much effort. It’s not like we need to write letters, buy stamps, and stomp off to the post office to snail mail someone who has moved. Social media and unlimited phone plans cut the cost of sustaining long-distance friendships. But even with all our always-on technology, not having regular interaction tends to cool relationships. 

I am fortunate to have good friends—some of whom I have known for forty-plus years. A few friendships go back as far as grade school. For their sake and mine, I won’t say how long ago that might have been. Some of these gracious friends have chosen to pick up where we left off, reconnecting after prolonged absences brought on by changes in our respective lives.

It struck me that my longest friendship is my relationship with Jesus—the Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Like my kind earthly friends, He is always there, ready to pick up where we left off. But I know that I do better when my connection with Him is regular, deep, and more than a text conversation. I have the ultimate Friend no matter where I live, what circumstances may change, or how many times I move.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. This verse reminded me how much I need to cultivate my friendship with Christ by spending more time in His Word and praying daily. I should also share my forever Friend with my new acquaintances as the Lord allows.

God will amaze us with how simple interactions can lead to deeper reflection and greater revelation. Keep listening while you stand in line.

I am one of those people who is generally happy but who can also quickly lose that happiness when faced with something. Scripture showed me that I experienced the ups and downs because I kept focusing on the wrong things.

Basing our happiness on surface-level stuff is easy. We build happiness around people, plans, possessions, titles, and achievements. Satan fools us into believing that we can achieve happiness if we become whoever or have whatever. This is a problem. Satan doesn't remind us our world is sinful or that many details are outside of our control. Instead, he works to keep us on this path of desire.

Framing happiness around things that can break, people who may disappoint, and titles and classes that can change is dangerous. With all the noise around us, it's hard to remember that contentment is a matter of the heart. The shift back starts by widening our perspective and recognizing the need to depend on something greater.

We must center our hearts around something that can weather the storms. God's love can do that, and it is enough. God's love is unlike any love felt here. His love is too great to understand fully. His love is steadfast and eternal and will never let us down. It can protect, isn't earned, and is freely given. God's love is something we should and can depend on above anything else.

If we place God's love at our core, we won't experience life's ups and downs as earth-shaking. Accepting it as enough permits us to let life's disappointments pass us by without rocking our foundation. Putting God and His love for us as the thing that matters most is the secret sauce to keeping a joyful heart.

Let Jesus show you the path to joy because God knows you personally by name. Let God's love fill your shortcomings and shine brightness into the dreary days. Call on God's love to satisfy your heart so you can rejoice and be glad daily. 

While waking up, I contemplated, “How can I show my faith today?” Personally, I can meditate in prayers while I listen to hymns. My favorite hymns are “Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary” and “The Spirit Is a Movin’.” I still wake up for my new seated hobby: being a senior.

I printed off some religious coloring pages with Bible messages for adults. One was about the Good Samaritan, and the next one was “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” Reading this psalm in the Bible, I realized this message is evergreen and timeless. I acknowledge I have met some Good Samaritans along my life’s long track.

Many years ago, I was in a refuge for female victims of domestic violence. There, the ladies were positive and supportive in many practical ways. The Lord was indeed my shepherd, leading me to worship. Eventually, I moved to my current sanctuary of affordable, safe housing with no more abusive male co-residents.

Today, I am still crafting beanies and scarves for people experiencing homelessness and women who are refugees, especially since here they can anticipate a bleak winter ahead. That is my contribution to their marginalization. I can also pray that all of us spread the Good News somehow. We can all keep praying and being practical as we share with others that Jesus is the shepherd for all of us.

I may be old now, but no one is ever too old to pray. I will keep on praying. So can you. 

The first indication that something wasn’t right was when my youngest grandson shut the playroom door and requested I not enter. The second detail pointing to a possible cover-up was his announcement that he no longer wanted to do crafts. And this from a child who hits the floor early each morning to start a craft project before school. The playroom walls, my refrigerator, and bedroom doors all displayed his handiwork.

I looked him square in the eyes and questioned the honesty of his claim. As we entered the room, and before I saw the misdeed, he was already confessing. However, he confessed for someone else. I explained that I couldn’t believe that because the person hadn’t been in the playroom.

My grandson dropped his head and looked up at me with big, sad eyes. “I didn’t want you to be mad at me, Meme,” he tearfully admitted.

I reminded him how much I loved him but how it hurt God and me that he had not told the truth. After he asked for my forgiveness and bowed his head to ask for God’s, we talked about what he needed to do to make it right. 

This time, the fix was easy. We could re-string the beads on the necklace he had cut and then re-tie it. The look of relief on his face was heartwarming.

This episode made me think of how God must feel when He knows the errors of our ways but then is thrilled when we ask for forgiveness. Unlike my grandson’s act, which I could fix, our rebellious acts are often not so easily rectified. But the same God who heard my grandson’s little prayer also hears our pleas for forgiveness. Yet we must recognize our words and actions as sin and then confess them.

God wants to restore our relationship with Him. We must take that first step. When we do, we are comforted by knowing God forgives us. 

Are you ready to take that step?

I thought I could have a political discussion with a family member via email, but I said something that upset him. He swore at me. One week later, I heard about a Christian who spit on a woman who does ultrasounds for women who want abortions. Sadly, the email the family member sent me was plain hateful and hurtful. The woman who was spit upon also experienced a hateful act.

I once worked for a local cable channel, and a co-worker who directed me didn’t like how I ran the camera. It seemed as if he hated me. Another woman I never had a good relationship with disliked me too. Furthermore, I was picked on as a kid because I had learning difficulties. I felt all the kids hated me based on how they treated me.

Sometimes, I feel I have some good reasons to dislike people. Nevertheless, God wants us to love one another. Many people have hurt me by their actions, affecting my life. However, it’s wrong to hate other people. In the end, I hurt myself and disobey God.

When people hurt us, we need to forgive them. One night, a friend’s wife told me she felt the Lord telling her I needed to forgive my mom. My mom, a recovering alcoholic, committed suicide when I was fourteen. We will encounter people we don’t like and who don’t like us. But we should pray and ask God to help us not to hate but to forgive them.

Think of someone you need to forgive.