Dear Zion Friends and Family,
I share this story with hesitation, and hope you have a good laugh. I hope it helps make a point.
Before the story however, I have been sending out meditations for a long time now. Are they helping you connect every day life experience with your faith? That is a fundamental aspect of our faith, is to connect those things together.
Please consider sharing your story with others.Remember we publish our "God Sighting" booklet every lent that is filled with faith stories about how you notice God in your life. You can send your examples to me any time. I would love to begin collecting them now.
Last week we had a huge storm blow into Freeland. Hail was a part of the storm. It was small at first and then very large, one inch in diameter easy. I was standing under the church porch and thought to myself, I wonder what hail would feel like. It looked really cool coming down in big pieces. So I stepped out into the storm, and withing seconds, SMACK, direct hit on the top of my head. My immediate reaction was a bad word, as I quickly ran for cover again. The two people standing there with me laughed their heads off.
I should have known better. Large hail, dropping from high altitude and being blown hard would hurt. And it really did sting.
Seems stupid doesn't it. Yet how many times do we "check out" or "try to manage" things that we know will hurt us. We all know from past experiences there are certain people, places and things we must avoid.
I can not blame God for sending the hail, or making me step out into the storm. That was my choice. God is with us through all things and at all times. But God also allows free will and choices to be made by us humans. And choices have consequences.
Sometimes we cause pain for ourselves and others by our choices. Sometimes things just happen by chance or accident. Sometimes storms just blow in and drop hail. God does not cause these things, but is present with us through all these things.
Isaiah 49:14-16
14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me."
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.
It is difficult to sort through our lives at times and figure out why we are the way we are, or how choices (ours and other peoples) impact outcomes or consequences. But having the ability to do just that is a great life skill to minimize negative outcomes, maximize positive outcomes and grow in faith in the process.
Prayer: Dear Lord help us grow in our ability to be honest with ourselves and learn to be good stewards with the freedoms you have granted us. Help us understand the connections of every day choices, with every day results. Help us remember to come to you every day for guidance and direction. AMEN
Have a great week
Pr. Rob
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