Sunday 22 January 2023
Do We Follow In Other’s Footsteps,
Or Forge Ahead Where the Spirit Leads Us?
Many Saints Have Gone Before Us,
Without Them We’d Know Nothing
of the ‘Foolishness of the Cross’
Giving Life Abundant!
Jeremiah 10:6
There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.
1 Corinthians 3:11
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
Words of Grace For Today
Christ laid a foundation of God’s power in weakness, of sacrifice for others being the way to an abundant life. At baptism we enter into that way of living as the Holy Spirit gives us such great gifts … all so that we can share God’ Grace with others. And then so often we turn it right back upside down and try to make it on our own as saints!
Another Adaptation of Mother Teresa’s “Anyway”
Mother Teresa wrote in her piece titled “Anyway!” that no matter the cost we should still choose to do the good things. I’ve adapted it to reflect that life following Christ is not about making the right choices. That’s a futile way to live, because the problem is that we never keep making the right choices! Jesus showed us instead that God intends that we surrender in our weakness and sinfulness to what the Holy Spirit makes us able to do: living out the foolishness of the cross, bringing Christ’s light into every darkness.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centred. – We get to forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. – We get to be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. – We get to succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. – We get to be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. – We get to create anyway.
If you compassionately listen to a poor person tell their story, it’ll wrench your heart and cost you a bit of life – We get to really listen anyway.
No matter how many poor people you help, there will always be another in great need. – We get to help the poor anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. – We get to be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. – We get to do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. – We get to give our best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God, and God promises to love us, no matter what. God gives us more than we need, so we get to give our all helping others see that God’s Grace is for them, too.
No matter how we fail or what comes our way in God’s great goodness, God created us to love compassionately, live vibrantly, and give unabashedly everything we have so that others may live knowing God’ Grace is for them, too!
Small wonders fill our days, if we but look and listen, and share them.