Words that Bless ... Joy that Refreshes!
Read on to find hope and faith, comfort and joy, peace and refreshment.
May you be blessed today.
He is my Brother!
Sept 7th 2020
When COVID-19 hit our streets and pummelled our well planned lives in 2020, the world was shocked and dismayed. But amidst the horror-filled pandemic bulletins, there emerged one blessing, a big one at that. Early on, as my husband and I watched the news in TV on yet another difficult day, our eyebrows raised, our mouths wide open, I turned to my beloved.
"The world is together in this fight at present! Isn't that great?
For once the strife is not against one another!"
Shan nodded in agreement. Indeed, for a few weeks and months, it seemed like the whole world was on the same page, fighting in one accord against a common enemy. And it felt good. So good. But alas ... like a delicious scoop of Ice cream eaten far too quickly, the peace was short-lived. Soon, the bickering began. Fingers were pointed. Fighting erupted. Causes and rights held high. Man again man. Group against group. Nation against nation. And on and on ... !
Strife. It abounds. In our world. Today.
Nothing new of course. It was sad that the blissful months of solidarity were so short-lived, for like an unwelcome invasion of mosquitoes on a hot summer's day, our atmosphere changed to include loud buzzing sounds. Fighting. Dissension. Rudeness. Impatience. Aggression. People taking offence. Too easily. Sometimes for no reason. Except that anger seemed to have taken residence to stoke the air like a fire burning at high speed in full winds.
Why is understanding, tolerance, love and patience so rare in this 21st century world?
Usually, when I look at a situation, or view people, I don't see groups. I see individuals. And that makes a difference. I believe that's how God views us too. What if ... your neighbour wasn't part of a group who aspired to make life difficult? What if ... those you have problems with are not a collection of people but a collection of individuals? Would that change how you see them? I'm not saying that the needs of a community don't matter. They do. Of course they do. People suffer. We must fight for people who need our voices and hands to help them. God wants us to. I am with you. Totally.
But often ... problems can be quickly solved if every person was viewed through an individual lens. Instead of putting a person in a box, we could place them in a room of their own. We could stop and consider what their life is like and what it would be like to talk in his or her shoes. Life has been hard for us in 2020. It has been made more difficult by those who throw bricks and stones.
What if we choose instead, to throw blessings at one another? What if we learnt to seal our lips unless we had something profitable to say? What if we are humble enough to know that we don't always have all the answers, that our lenses could sometimes be clouded? What if just for one day this month, the entire planet decided to be kind? What if social media was a platform where good could be sprinkled liberally on others, like salt and pepper being sprinkled on your scrambled eggs this morning?
What if you chose to see another's perspective above your own? What if you chose to view each person in your sphere of influence as needing blessing from you?
We are all in the same human family. He is your brother. She is your sister.
Could you tolerate her weaknesses?
Could you refuse to take offence at his speech?
Would you stop a moment and say with a smile,
"He is my brother. She is my sister. Today, I will be kind."
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Eph 4:2
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