Tag Archives: Ennui

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Life

Wedding feastLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
October 11, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. — Matthew 22:1-3

Why do you suppose the guest would not come to the wedding? Clearly they are not concerned about how the King would react to such a snub. They have an uncanny lack of political correctness. This group of guest may even have no regard for their own safety or future in the kingdom. Perhaps they feel unworthy to be in the King’s presence or perhaps they worry that they do not have the right clothes to wear. My guess is that, if they are like those of us today, they were so self-absorbed in the everyday routines of life that there was no room left to worry about their neighbor even if the neighbor is a king.

What has set us today at such a frantic pace of ennui—emptiness of spirit? Is it technology pollution or over stimulation from mass communications? Have we lost our sense of hope? Jesus in telling us in this parable that our lack of engagement with God, running our own show doing life our way, is not the answer. Being in sync with God orders all of life so that we can celebrate when it is time to celebrate and love when it is time to love and trust that our future is in God’s hands.

Our challenge is to live our faith such that we are enabling all to come into sync with God. When that happens, the things of this world will not overwhelm us.

Oklahoma Fact: 7% of youth ages 12 to 17 years of age participate in binge alcohol drinking. For young adults 18 to 25 years of age the percentage increases to 38%.*

Prayer: God of Hope, save us from the pitfalls of life that impair our judgment and destroy our potential. Amen.

*http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/38-binge-alcohol-drinking-among-youths-by-age-group?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/38/false/909,857,105,118,104/30,31/14407,315

 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.

 

Bone-tired for God

Living in the Spirit
July 11, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-11

 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. — Romans 8:11

 My sister and I had an interesting conversation the other day. We were comparing notes about how tired one can get sitting at a desk all day with very limited exertion of our bodies. We both grew up on a farm where we did hard physical labor and know well what it means to be bone-tired. I must confess, I was never a good candidate for working in the garden. My mother finally gave up on me and assigned me to cooking and housework when I was about ten. My sister and mother though were closest to God doing that backbreaking work of hoeing and planting and harvesting.

When one is bone-tired there is usually an accompanying sense of work accomplished and productivity whether we are sitting at a desk or using a hoe. The tiredness I experience when I just go through the motions of living has very different results. I think the word ennui would best describe that state of being. Ennui is a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction:  languor or emptiness of spirit.*

Paul is telling us in our scripture today that the Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead will give life to [our] mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in [us]. It is OK to get bone-tired for Christ. If our lives are filled with going through the motions of living, however, we probably need to reengage with our Maker and seek the work God knows will give us fulfillment and also honor God.

Prayer: Spirit that Dwells Within, we dedicate our lives to being fully engaged with you so that our vocations and avocations are a testament of our Love for God. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/ennui

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.