Living in the Spirit

July 10, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 6:14-29

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. –Mark 6:17-29

What was Herod thinking? The answer is he was not thinking, and his pride would not keep him from breaking his promise. How much of our lives are controlled by our instinctual desires that we probably cannot explain, and yet we let them guide our lives. I once went on a business trip with a group in an area awash with bargain shops and malls. Two of the participants spent every free moment of their time on that trip shopping. A couple of weeks later, I saw one of them and asked how she liked all the purchases she had made. She said she sent it all back. She wondered what she was thinking?

We can be critical of both the atrociousness of Herod’s acts and the flakiness of my friend’s behavior. We, however, must recognize that we have all done something similar.  I stay closely on my eating plan most of the time, but occasionally, I succumb to a cookie or worse. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with doing something silly on the spur of the moment, particularly if it does not hurt anyone, including ourselves. The problem arises when we do not know or try to deal with what needs we are trying to meet with our impulsive behavior, and that is important. Cookies or other self-indulgences do not cure loneliness, shame, fear, lack of self-esteem, or even boredom.  

God desires wholeness for each of us. We all have had events in our pasts or everyday things like the pandemic that chip away at loving ourselves—wanting the best for ourselves. Such experiences can raise their ugly heads in our lives and send us down paths not attuned to God’s ways of being. When we do not love ourselves, we cannot love others. Routinely, dealing with such issues Is the best way to remove them from our lives. Take a few minutes each day to think about your day. Identify the things that happened that brought you joy and events that brought you down.  If you find something that routinely haunts you, spend some time wondering why it has a hold on you. Let it go and asked God to fill its vacancy with God’s love providing the insight needed to overcome it.

Prayer: God, grant us the insight to clear the path for loving ourselves, which paves the way to love others. Amen.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.