Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 22, 2014
Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ — Exodus 17:1-3
Human nature has not changed much over the years. We want somebody else to fix our problems. We do not want to take responsibility for the hardships we face. In all honesty sometimes those troubles get so deep that the only thing we can do is hit out against them. The truth is that we are all in life together and we are all interdependent on one another to make life better for ourselves and each other. We put one foot in front of the other and continue down the path of life in stages. Sometimes things go well; sometimes things go horribly wrong. Sometimes we are responsible for both; sometimes outsides forces are responsible for both. We are challenged to search out the things for which we are individually accountable and make the proper adjustments to correct them when they go off course. For those things that are caused by outside forces we are called to work with one another to overcome them. We never ever, however, are alone in our actions. The God who created us is always with us to sustain and comfort us and to guide us along the path. These Israelites who followed the cloud and the fire out of Egypt had forgotten that. Sometimes we forget, too.
This is never truer than when we are dealing with issues related to our children for they are still learning the ways of people and the ways of God. All adults are accountable for the future of children for children are our future.
Oklahoma Fact: in 2013, Oklahoma ranked 39th in family and community wellbeing outcomes in the United States.*
Prayer: Creator of all, convict us of our responsibilities for children, guide us each step of the way as we strive to make a positive difference in their lives. Amen.
*2013 KIDS Count Profile: Oklahoma. Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, www.oica.org.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.