Living in the Spirit
September 30, 2018
Scripture Reading: Mark 9:38-50
‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’ –Mark 9:42-50
I like salt, always have. I fix what I call an omelet in the microwave using egg whites with a little salt and pepper added. It is good, but I have learned to stir the mixture well after adding both the salt and pepper because the consistency of the egg whites tends to hold those ingredients in one place unless I stir the concoction well. On occasion, I have failed to do that resulting in my getting a mouth full of pure salt (or pepper) which is not good. The one bite makes me sick while the rest of the omelet is rendered bland.
Discerning how to deal with children and adults on their life journeys, but particularly their faith journeys, is a challenge. I fear we drive people away from faith when we come on too strong and we make faith meaningless if water it down too much. What we do with one person probably will not work with another. Agape love, God love, requires our investing enough in another to know when they need us to be with them and in what way our presence will help the most.
One of the issues that is most perplexing is dealing with people who approach the faith community to obtain something needed or wanted that may not relate to a relationship with God and may not be the best means of addressing long-range solutions to improve their ongoing issues. How do we address immediate needs: food, housing, clothing, while trying to stabilize their situation? How do we seek to want the best for another without assuming that our vision for them is the correct path for them to take? How do we get beyond their saying what they think we want to hear and communicate on a level of mutual understanding?
As we travel deeper and further into our own faith development, we must learn to lean heavily on the guidance of the spirit and trust that whatever we do can be a conduit to loving relationships eventually in the full actualization of the Kingdom of Gods. When we make mistakes, we must learn from them. When we find something that works, we must give God the praise for it.
Prayer: God who is Love, strengthen our ability to attain mutual understanding with others. Amen.