Any Length

 There is a story in the Gospel in which a woman goes to any length to help her daughter whom she love dearly.  Love goes to any length is the point.  She is a foreigner to Jesus.  She is not a Jew.  So it is a bit outside her purview to ask him for anything since he is a foreigner to her.  They have a whole history and culture of staying separate.  But the woman loves her daughter and Jesus is the answer to healing her daughter.  The woman is insulted by Jesus when she asks for help.  So twice she has to eat her pride, her sense of self.  But she does follow her tenacity which inspires her wisdom. “Even the dogs eat the scraps from the master’s table,” she says, when Jesus refers to her as a dog.  She gets what she wants.  Love conquers regardless of the price.  

First Things First

 There is a lot to be learned from reading wisdom stories.  Read the Gospels.  Jesus walks on water.  What to be learned from that?  Well, before he walked on water he went up to the mountain by himself for the night.  Up to that point he had been first a carpenter, then a healer and then a teacher.  Others had been healers and teachers.  But no one walked on water.  Jesus first did deep meditation, a night full, in silence and solitude.  He got in touch with his God, Father, Power.  He realized his deepest and truest self.  Then he walked on water.  We all can be so much more than we think we are, or are told we are, if we have a deeper prayer life.  

Enough

 There is a famous bible story in all four gospels in which Jesus feeds thousands of people with just a little food.  Well, actually he does not do it, or does not do it alone.  His disciples actually do the distribution of the food, and Jesus looks to heaven before he gives them the food.  The disciples say they cannot feed all these people.  True, but God Power can help them do more than they thought.  They are concerned for the hunger of the people, but feel powerless to do anything about it.  Left to our own devices, yes.  But with a bit of power greater than oneself, lots can be done.  I try not to let concern for the suffering of others be the termination of my assistance.  

Idols

 People who downgrade religious worship say that Sunday is idol worship.  They scoff at the God believers.  But those same people have their own idols.  Activity is their idol.  For some it is work, seven days, all day, each week.  For some it is packing in endless activities on Sunday.  One event after another or more than one event at a time.  Kids are brought into this mayhem going from one thing to another lest they become “idol” or bored.  Silence, stillness, meditation, reading outside of homework are nowhere to be found.  Doing nothing much is not equal to laziness.  It may well open the gift of time to renew or discover are true self.  

Noah

 “I cannot do anything.  I am only one person.”  This is what we tend to say that allows us to remain ineffective if not indifferent.  But consider Noah in the bible story of the flood.  Ecological disaster is about to happen due to a flood.  Global warming to the max. You say it is a story?  Well, story or not, it has a point.  One person can do a lot.  He builds a boat and brings on all the animals and plants and a few people.  He nurtures them all for 40 days.  No dinosaurs though.  They got wiped out in an earlier disaster when there were no humans to help.  One human being can make a difference.  So for me, when I see a mess, I respond as best I can and pray for that power greater than me to lead me.  

Never Again

 Never Again can be a tough thing to do.  It is full of pride, the ego at work.  “I can do this.”  You think your will-power can change some lifelong tendency or action forever simply by saying so.  But this usually leads to failure on the “never again” scale.  I love bread.  Doc says drop the bread.  Ugg.  Impossible.  But maybe I can just not eat bread today with my breakfast.  Just for today.  This is more doable.  And it would help to get a power greater than my weak will-power involved.  “God help me, just for today.”  Now off to breakfast!

Leaven

 A little can go a long way.  So become like leaven.  Don’t worry that you did not do enough.  Do something small rather than nothing.  Flour and water are just that, flour and water.  It won’t become bread until you add just a little bit of yeast.  Then the whole batch will rise and you can bake it.  A little yeast goes a long way.  So today I will try and do the little things that make my home a better place to live.  Reset the dishes in the dishwasher.  I live with savages.  Ok.  I will write about judgment tomorrow.