Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 78; Deuteronomy 8:1-10; John 14:22-31; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
One of the themes that struck me in today’s passages from the Psalms and Deuteronomy is our human tendency to focus on the difficult things we face in life and forget the blessings. I think, for instance, of how quickly the Israelites forget their years of servitude in Egypt after they left; and how soon they started complaining about their new “accommodations” in the desert. Of course I can’t be too hard on the Israelites for there have been many, many, many times when I too have quickly forgotten the many blessings in my life and instead have chosen to clutch my fists in the midst of adversity and cried out, “Why me!!!!” It’s so easy to lose a sense of perspective in our lives. I loved the simplicity of the concluding words of today’s passage from Deuteronomy – for they helped me regain my sense of perspective today. Those words read: “After a meal, satisfied, bless God, your God, for the good land God has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10 – The Message). I would encourage you to take an inventory of your attitude toward life recently and see if there is a discernable pattern. Do you find yourself more frequently lifting words of thanks; or are you more likely to raise a litany of complaints? No matter what that ratio of thanksgiving to complaint currently looks like, realize that it’s never too late to restore a sense of balance in your attitude toward life. Til next time…
One of the themes that struck me in today’s passages from the Psalms and Deuteronomy is our human tendency to focus on the difficult things we face in life and forget the blessings. I think, for instance, of how quickly the Israelites forget their years of servitude in Egypt after they left; and how soon they started complaining about their new “accommodations” in the desert. Of course I can’t be too hard on the Israelites for there have been many, many, many times when I too have quickly forgotten the many blessings in my life and instead have chosen to clutch my fists in the midst of adversity and cried out, “Why me!!!!” It’s so easy to lose a sense of perspective in our lives. I loved the simplicity of the concluding words of today’s passage from Deuteronomy – for they helped me regain my sense of perspective today. Those words read: “After a meal, satisfied, bless God, your God, for the good land God has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10 – The Message). I would encourage you to take an inventory of your attitude toward life recently and see if there is a discernable pattern. Do you find yourself more frequently lifting words of thanks; or are you more likely to raise a litany of complaints? No matter what that ratio of thanksgiving to complaint currently looks like, realize that it’s never too late to restore a sense of balance in your attitude toward life. Til next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment