Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ~ Matthew 11: 28-30 Why do some people treat their faith like a burden?
We've all met folks like this. The daily struggle to find joy. The stipulations they place on themselves to be holy or righteous. For these people, faith is a burden. Sometimes when I meet people like this I want to know what their mentors must have been like. Who is it that taught them that unless there is constant struggles or moments of "sweat like blood," rolling from their foreheads then they obviously aren't living the right life. We all have made poor choices in our life, but God is not sitting back and waiting for some opportunistic time to sweep in and punish us. It is in these moments that we then discover what forgiveness and grace is all about. One of my favorite movies is, "Sister Act." There is a moment in the movie when the nuns are sitting around the dinner table and share about how difficult some of their lives had been in the course of service. One of the nuns remarks, "Now, those were the days." I won't lead you to believe that living out your faith is always cut out to be easy. If that were the case the world would be a much different place. Every decision you face would be simple. Sacrifice would be a theory, and suffering would be non-existent. It's not that easy. However, Christ invites us each to take on the challenge of living out our faith, reminding us, "look, it shouldn't be that hard, and to show that I'm telling the truth, I'd like to help you out today. Give me your troubles, struggles, and concerns, and in turn, let me give you the opportunity to see what it's like for you to carry, or shall I say, put on me." The challenge should not be that we carry the load of Christ, but the manifestation of Christ in us. To allow Christ to be seen in us. Not the struggles of living a Christ-like life, but to walk with Christ, allowing the Spirit to lead and direct. Righteousness and holiness are signs of that life, and should not be seen as something that should be a burden. The manifestation of Christ in us is meant to be possible. Take on the image of Christ, and give the struggles you face a break. Be gentle and humble in heart and know that God will take care of all you worry about. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019
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"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you." ~ Psalm 118:28 I remember a Sunday school lesson years ago where the teacher was trying to teach the class what it means to be grateful. I think I must have been been in second grade. I just remember her saying, "If you are not grateful for small things, then how will you know how to be grateful for when big things happen in your life?"
Being grateful for something is a choice. So often I try to think about the things that I am grateful for when I begin to pray, rather than all the things that I am hopeful for. My life always seems to be better balanced when I begin each day with a spirit of thankfulness, instead of one in need. Gratitude really is a discipline that involves a conscious choice. Even when I have been hurt, or feel resentful, I can make the choice to be grateful. Often this is the way that I can keep from complaining, or responding in a way that may lead to the hurt of others. In actuality, the choice to be grateful rarely comes without some real effort. But each time I make it, the next choice is a little easier, a little freer, a little less self-conscious. Eventually I think that we all discover that acts of gratitude make us grateful because little by little, the choices we make lead us to a place of grace as well. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb." ~ Deuteronomy 32:2 "Morning has Broken," is probably one of my all time favorite songs. It was one of the first that I learned to play on the guitar when I was a teenager, and it has been a song that has greeted me on a number of Sundays in church. I often will close my eyes, and imagine the lyrics in my mind, creating an image that draws me in. Consider the lyrics, "Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven. Like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where his feet pass."
This morning the dew was so thick that it weighted the flowers down in our backyard, and I suddenly was remembering the scripture, "My speech distill as the dew." God was speaking through the dewfall and reminding me that I am once again being invited to listen. The abundance of dew this morning serves as a reminder of God's abundance. A few fish and loaves come to mind and the five thousand souls that were satisfied with the abundance and twelve baskets remaining. God's abundance arrives with each new day. Blessings pour over us, just as the dew drapes each petal, green leaf, and every blade of grass in the garden. With the dew comes the arrival of the gratitude that is this manifested gift, followed by a prayer of thanksgiving. The dew is the reminder of the abundance of God's gifts to us, and as we come closer, we discover the presence of these gifts in the midst of every part of our life. The flower cannot escape the damp presence of the morning dew, just as we cannot escape God's presence in our lives. Like the dew for the flower, what may seem like a hinderance, proves to be a gift. This morning I am reminded that the quality of our hearts that allows for us to live in joy, depends on our ability to allow for the blessings of God to cover us, and for us to live in gratitude of God's presence. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "... and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." ~ 2 Peter 1:19 I will admit, sometimes I just get caught up in death and dying, especially when I have had an overwhelming situation. I can remember years ago when I had been having some tough encounters with patients, and then coming home to my daughter who was a teenager at the time, and her telling me, "Dad, I'm not dying."
Just yesterday, my sister Laura, who is a psychiatric nurse reminded me, "Sometimes you have to remind yourself to look for things that brings you life." It's easy for any of us to get overwhelmed, or trapped in a particular thought or pattern. Sometimes getting out of the "rut" that we have created for ourselves takes intentionality, or for some, even help. Recognizing when we are "stuck," is really the moment that we begin to make a change. Learning to listen to our own hearts takes time, and sometimes patience, but that is where our intimacy with God begins. Taking a few moments a day can change your life. We are to also be focused upon living. So often when I meet the patients I care for they have already been told that their life is being limited. Reminding them that they are still living can be a real struggle. Even on the day they die, they are still in the process of living. While Jesus had days where he struggled, he still is our example, saying to us and the disciples, "Don't be afraid. Perfect love casts out fear." He walked freely, lived freely, and carried on an intimate relationship with the One who sent him into the world. Sometimes new is simply happening and we don't realize it. When a door closes, another opens. When one season ends, another begins. With each new day we are invited to live! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." ~ Psalm 143:8, 10 Recently a friend of mine and I were talking about the death of Lazarus and how Jesus wept at the tomb prior to raising Lazarus from the dead. For decades I have listened to, and participated in, discussions of why it was that Jesus was crying. I remember listening to the preacher, Fred Craddick, talk about this very subject during a sermon. He shared that Jesus weeps in many ways.
I remember him describing an AIDS ward at a hospital, and the words, "Jesus wept," being embroidered into the pillow cases of those who were dying. He gave the example of an addict, laying in an alley, sticking a dirty needle into his arm, just so that he might feel something other than despair, and "Jesus weeps." He spoke of the aged woman in a care home, shut away from the world and her family, in the darkness, "Jesus weeps." And then my friend shared this thought. "Suppose Jesus knows that he is calling Lazarus away from the paradise of heaven, where there is no more pain. No more struggles. No more death. Perhaps THAT is why Jesus is weeping?" It suddenly had a greater impact in my understanding of the text. "Of course!" I said. Jesus is moved by his knowledge of heaven, and that of our earthly existence. In the Divine womb of God we are created for an eternal existence through Jesus. Through Jesus's weeping, we are reminded that God is not distant. I always remind others that when John declared that the "Kingdom of God is at hand," he wasn't talking about a time to come. It is present, all around us. Often we are so busy that we do not recognize it's presence. Jesus weeps, and we long for "something." Jesus was present in that moment, allowing for his pain to be seen, and for his love to be known. He was vulnerable, and willing to bring Lazarus back, just to provide an everlasting lesson of how our pain can also move God to exist with us. I am grateful for the loving grace of God that enters into our pain, who weeps with us, laughs with us, and wants to experience every moment with us. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 |
AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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