Today’s reading is from 2 Corinthians 4: 3-6. Well, not really. I’m afraid I got mixed up and painted for NEXT Monday’s reading. Too late to re-do, so I’m going with it! We’ll save today’s for next week.
“Love Your Neighbor” © Jen Norton
Pope John Paul II once said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”
I think that statement may have been one of the truest ever uttered. In this reading the apostle Paul assures the Corinthian community that the ways of God are not dishonest or trickery and only appears so to those who are blinded by the “gods” of the generation. If their acts and words are in alignment, the truth of Christ in their lives will be apparent.
John Paul II knew something about veiled politics. He was born Karol Wohtya and grew up in communist Poland. He knew what vitriolic words, two-faced politics and neighbor turning on neighbor really looked like. He envisioned a world where people could work together, not against each other. A world where “Thy will (would) be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
We are bombarded daily by many trying hard to sell us hatred. There are whole TV stations devoted to keeping us scared and giving us reason to detest our neighbor. Entertainment value supersedes fact and personal responsibility. No matter what side you take, there’s a long list of blame to be found on the other. The culture sold to our children is frightening. It all makes me quite weary. So what’s a modern girl to do?
For me, it’s choosing where to put my energy and focus on the things I can influence. It’s taking time each day, even if only a moment, in stillness. It’s spending quality time with my family. I can make sure my daughter gets her homework done. I can teach her self respect and how to treat other people. I can notice the man who picks up trash along the creek path. I can welcome people to our home. I can listen to a friend in need. I can do the laundry and walk the dog. I can make choices in line with my values about what I buy or how I dispose of what I no longer need. I can smile at a checkout clerk or help my old neighbor who walks with a walker bring in her trash can. I can vote. I can travel or read or otherwise educate myself on cultures and issues. I can pick the issue that’s most important to me and share time, talents or treasures as my ability allows. I can do so many things to make the bit of the world I come in contact with a tiny bit better. God is in the details.
Most of us aren’t required to save the whole world. We just have to do the best we can to keep our words and actions in alignment with our values within our own home, and allow that light to shine to our neighbor as it may. God will handle the rest.
You can purchase this piece here.
