Mid-Week Devotion Good Day Parish Family and Friends My apologies for a tardy posting - life has been a bit full “You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world.” (Woodrow Wilson) At a womens retreat a few years ago Oprah Winfrey asked the participants, Why are you here? Some replied that they needed a break from their routine, others needed rest, many were simply interested in the themes for the retreat. Thats all fine, says Oprah, But why are you HERE - in this life? A slightly deeper question... So, why are YOU here? Ever wonder about your reason for being, the purpose of your incarnation? Why did God go through the trouble of creating you - just as you are - gifts, warts, wisdom, and all? Are you an accident of nature? Are you just here to take up space? Scripture is quite clear on this question. In Jeremiah 29 God tells the Israelites, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Furthermore, in chapter 1 Jeremiah is told, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. The implication, extrapolated to all of us is - Love intends for us to be here. Occasionally I have conversation with someone who feels that they do not make a difference, that they have no reason to exist. I think - oh my goodness! Seriously? You are a brilliant light in the universe; you were made to do something that only you can do. If you do not use your abilities, your person, your Love, your soul to make this world a better place then life is poorer for all of us as a consequence. Life is a tapestry, and each of us a thread upon its loom. Step back and the individual threads fade into the mosaic of the weaving; could one or two filaments be removed and the pattern remain in tact? Some would say yes, but they are not weavers, for a true weaver knows that the entire tapestry rests upon an unbroken warp. To pull one gossamer filament from the fabric of life will threaten the integrity of the whole. Step up to the weaving - look closely at the pattern, each thread has its place, each adding to the strength and clarity of the others. So too are each of us in this life. We are not here by accident, we are deliberately woven into the social, emotional, spiritual, and physical fabric of our world. So it is that we are here, in this life, in these circumstances, to make a difference. “God is calling you to change the world one life at a time and one small step at a time. Begin today where you are.” (Dillon Burroughs, Undefending Christianity: Embracing Truth Without Having All the Answers) All of us alive at this time, from the youngest to the elders - all of us are called by Christ to use this life to weave beauty, laughter, and healing into our world. We MUST challenge the apathy that whispers in our ear, What can I do? I am powerless in this world; I am small in the face of great powers! We are not powerless, we are not insignificant threads. YOU have a purpose, and only you can do and be that purpose. You have exactly one day - this day - to make your difference; please dont waste it. I leave the last word to Jesus: And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 37-39) In the tapestry with you, Pastor Bill The painting was near completion to the untrained eye a culmination of color yet one brushstroke remained the canvas unfinished till the Masters hand made the final touch YOU are the final touch Laugh Be Do
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 23:57:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015