Hard Questions from a Heavy Heart
by Pastor Dan
Is it apathy, fear, or lack of love? Should I even share this thought with you today?
Five years ago, I lost my dad and, very recently, I lost my Mom. Sometimes as I think about life without my mom in this world, I began to think about what life was like with her: good and bad times, good conversations and not so good ones, flashbacks of life as a child, lessons learned the easy way and the hard way (I had my fair share of spankings!), responsibilities learned, relationships earned, and life discerned. I am who I am today because of the childhood I lived and experienced. There were chores to do, cows to milk, hay to gather all the while keeping up with school and family life. As I reflect on those years, some Bible verses stand out to me from my past that point me toward a view of the present. They go like this:
“He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend” Psalm 15:2-3.
Where is the microphone? Where is the loud yet stable and strong voice who is willing to echo these words to the masses? Sometimes I cry and sometimes I get angry. Those emotions don’t make me feel any better about the condition of the world I see, but they do energize me to make a difference if I can. To do so, I must ask myself some serious questions.
Have I been filled with apathy, thinking it is not my place to say anything? I am thankful for my upbringing and the discipline that seemed to follow me around as if my parents had eyes in the back of their heads. As the years went by, I realized they disciplined out of love, and I began to understand that God desires the same for us to understand His love. Jesus even says in the book of John that we are pruned like a grapevine is pruned so our fruit will be sweeter and more beautiful.
Christians, are we doing this, or are we thinking someone else will do it? Is it apathy or fear? Are you afraid to speak out because you might not be liked? Does the power of love become a value in your life? Love has a wonderful balance of empathy and correction in it. Where is love today that will speak out about personal responsibility with words that are laced with empathy and an understanding that, without the grace of God in my life, I could not handle the problems that arise in my life, whether those problems are caused by my own actions or the actions of others. Where is respect and dignity for life, period?
My friend, will you be bold to speak the love of God with me, or are we to sit by and let things continue? A motto for life comes from Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
May God bless the humble of heart and mind who seek to change the world around them with the Light of Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
-Pastor Dan
Is it apathy, fear, or lack of love? Should I even share this thought with you today?
Five years ago, I lost my dad and, very recently, I lost my Mom. Sometimes as I think about life without my mom in this world, I began to think about what life was like with her: good and bad times, good conversations and not so good ones, flashbacks of life as a child, lessons learned the easy way and the hard way (I had my fair share of spankings!), responsibilities learned, relationships earned, and life discerned. I am who I am today because of the childhood I lived and experienced. There were chores to do, cows to milk, hay to gather all the while keeping up with school and family life. As I reflect on those years, some Bible verses stand out to me from my past that point me toward a view of the present. They go like this:
“He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend” Psalm 15:2-3.
Where is the microphone? Where is the loud yet stable and strong voice who is willing to echo these words to the masses? Sometimes I cry and sometimes I get angry. Those emotions don’t make me feel any better about the condition of the world I see, but they do energize me to make a difference if I can. To do so, I must ask myself some serious questions.
Have I been filled with apathy, thinking it is not my place to say anything? I am thankful for my upbringing and the discipline that seemed to follow me around as if my parents had eyes in the back of their heads. As the years went by, I realized they disciplined out of love, and I began to understand that God desires the same for us to understand His love. Jesus even says in the book of John that we are pruned like a grapevine is pruned so our fruit will be sweeter and more beautiful.
Christians, are we doing this, or are we thinking someone else will do it? Is it apathy or fear? Are you afraid to speak out because you might not be liked? Does the power of love become a value in your life? Love has a wonderful balance of empathy and correction in it. Where is love today that will speak out about personal responsibility with words that are laced with empathy and an understanding that, without the grace of God in my life, I could not handle the problems that arise in my life, whether those problems are caused by my own actions or the actions of others. Where is respect and dignity for life, period?
My friend, will you be bold to speak the love of God with me, or are we to sit by and let things continue? A motto for life comes from Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
May God bless the humble of heart and mind who seek to change the world around them with the Light of Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
-Pastor Dan
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