Skip to main content

A Morning View From the Patio

I tend to think big. I so desire for the world to stop hurting. I want to make a big difference. I so desire peace. 
Looking back on my life I have mostly found myself in the middle. When Dad and Mom had an argument, I remember times where I stood in between them with my arms extended, one hand at Mom and the other at Dad. The fight did not matter in the moment, I just wanted it to stop. My soul is hurting watching other souls hurting. 
The reason for the current unrest matters and needs addressed. The violent actions during proper protest need to stop. I want to run into all of these situations with my arms spread wide and make it stop. I cannot, what can I do?
Relationship
I have my sphere of friends who are different from me in many ways. I have relationship with them. Yesterday, I had the reminder of what I know to be true come back to the front of my heart. 
Relationship
So I responded to my friends checking on them and checking on their soul.
Relationship.
I spent time with my Brother David on his 60th Birthday. David is an African American friend. We love each other and speak honestly and truthfully with each other. 
Relationship
I messaged another Brother apologizing for not checking on his soul first.
Relationship
There are other Sisters and Brothers in Christ I have checked on.
Relationship
I am willing to be in relationship. I desire to be in relationship. I want to know you. When we begin to know one another's heart, we begin to allow our arms to drop during the argument allowing our arms to wrap around one another in a holy hug of relationship. 
I believe this is a beginning to truly loving my neighbor. 
Relationship

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

This is the beginning. 
Peace,
PB 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Morning View By the Wood Stove

If you proclaim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then I must ask you a question. Are you seeking the deepest possible intimate relationship with God that you can ever experience on this earth? Because I know what I am about to say to be absolutely true. If you are not and if you are pursuing anything other than God you will not ever be satisfied and ultimately any other relationship will fail. It does not matter how deeply connected with another person you are without God it will fail. Failure may not mean completely walk away, failure can mean that a relationship will not be what it is intended to be and you settle for it because at least it is there, it's the best I can do, it could be worse and for many other reasons.  We are created to be in relationship with one another. We have many relationships and many depths within those relationships. We have social relationships. We have relationship with many forms of addiction and substitution. We have friends and we have FRIENDS...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Morning View From the Balcony at OBX

So far the weather has not been at its best for us. It is a very cloudy morning. It is rainy with a good chance of clearing up later in the day. But as I sit here this morning I noticed that it does not matter if it is sunny and clear, partly cloudy or even ugly storm cloudy, the sun comes up. We just need to decide how to navigate the day!  Our lives are the same. We need to decide how to navigate each and every day we face. It does not matter what we face, if it is sunny and clear, partly cloudy or even ugly storm cloudy, we still have another day to live and the Son is with us.  I know to some of you this sounds like a no brainer message. Well of course PB, this is the day the Lord has made! Everyday is a great day. To others this is such a difficult message to swallow. It becomes a difficult task to simply tie your shoes. We are all different in our view and response and it is alright to be different.  But please recognize that the sun does come up no matter what. Als...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Morning View By the Wood Stove

I really struggle with what I see and experience in our world today. I say this and am really not sure it is the world as much as it is our country.  I guess it is not so much our country, but with those who proclaim and profess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. I realize in my setting I am making blanket statements, so this is not intended as an attack on anyone, but as a thought provoking moment for everyone.  My heart has been impressed with proclaiming what it means to be a Christian. I grew up with a checklist and if I did not check the proper blanks, I was not a good Christian. I have found out that living that way is full of a bunch of lies and a dangerous understanding of perceived salvation. I believed that there was no way God could ever forgive me for what I have done and who I have been. Again a dangerous lie. I see and read comments people make about issues, government, religion and their faith in Jesus Christ and I cross reference what is said with how Jesus l...
Post a Comment
Read more