Tag Archives: Taking Responsibility for our Way of Being

Using Free Will Wisely

Christmastide

December 29, 2022

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

God is with us right now; the real question is: are we with God? Free will is perhaps the greatest gift God gave us. It opens the door to being whatever we want to be and doing whatever we choose. We forget that free will endows us with the responsibility to choose wisely. Maintaining a close relationship with our Creator is the best way to enhance our use of our free will for us and all of God’s creation.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of free will. We open our hearts and minds to you and ask for your guidance in using it wisely.  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.

Guilt or Responsibility

Living in the Spirit

July 11, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ –Mark 6:14-16

Guilt struck Herod when he heard about the teacher Jesus and assumed John the Baptist had returned from the dead. The dictionary definition of guilt* is:

  1. the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously
  2. feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one’s behavior

I like Freud’s idea that guilt is anger turned inward.

We live in an interesting time—an anti-guilt time. Guilt is usually not helpful. Indeed, it is a primary source of depression. But that does not mean we cannot discuss our nation’s history of slavery because we are not responsible for the sins of our ancestors. Likewise, we cannot study critical race theory because it might hurt the feelings of people whose ancestors practiced racism. Are not those two issues contradictory in terms, or do they complement each other?

I, too, do not think guilt is helpful when it channels our energies in self-destructive ways. A little responsibility that creates remorse**, however, could be beneficial. We do need to learn from history if we do not want to repeat its harmful elements. Most of the Bible is an attempt to help us learn from mistakes. I was amused when I toured Thomas Jefferson’s plantation and saw the bible he created after cutting out the parts he did not like. I do not like the violence attributed to God in the bible, but I read it. That study sent me to deeper analysis with comparisons to the teachings of Jesus. I am still exploring that today, but I do not either cut it out and ignore it or swallow it wholesale as God’s way of being in the 21st century. I do wonder at times how much we humans substitute our way for God’s way. The key to me is understanding that Jesus embodies the Word of God, and that is the light by which I try to read.

Prayer: Lord, free us from the strangling nature of guilt while helping us seek your way and your truth through recognizing you as our Word. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/guilt

** a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs (as injuries done to others)

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.