Living in the Spirit
September 10, 2018
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.
At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,
when panic strikes you like a storm,
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you. –Proverbs 1:20-27
Truth is staring us in the face and we choose not to see it. Living in denial has become a way of life for many. We pay a high price for our greed, our lust for privilege, our search for shortcuts to a better world. We chase after anyone that seems even slightly capable of making the truth less real and thus less painful. In our hearts, we know what is necessary to create a world where all have enough, feel safe and secure, loved and respected, where everyone can maximize his or her potential and live in the wholeness and oneness God desires for us.
I was told as a child that it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown. I do not know if that is a fact, but I do know that it is a truth. We often work harder at avoiding justice and righteousness than we would ever work toward loving one another. The problem is that loving one another requires us to let go of all our ingrained habits of needing to be better than someone to be a person of worth and of assuming the righteousness I seek may or may not be right for me or anyone else. Loving our neighbor as ourselves requires us to invest some time in understanding our neighbor and wondering what is the best for them and not assuming that what is best for me is best for all others.
Prayer: Righteous God, forgive us for our shortsightedness, take the blinders from our eyes and help us see the world through your vision. Amen.