Peaceful Heart Full Of Peace
TheMIghtyLCUCC
We may not be able to change the world, but the world will not change without us.
The question is….do we want a different world? Or more to the point of life question, do we want to leave the world a little bit better than when we found it?
That is my question. Do we want a different world for our communities, our world, and our children? Is the point of our lives, the gift of this life that we have been given, to take all we can while we are here and leave it all scorched to the ground in the meantime? Is the point of life to live selfishly? Or is the point of life to live self-giving for others?
If we call ourselves Christian, we have our answer. As Christians, if we are to truly follow and let Jesus be our guide, we have the answers about how to live in the world by following the example of how He lived his life, guided by the Spirit of God’s love.
He tells us that the greatest indicator of our devotion to God is found in loving as we have been loved by God as made known to us in Him, Jesus.
In Jesus we see a God who isn’t tinkering around the edges of something new. In Jesus we see a God who is breaking into history, incarnated in Jesus, to bring the world of power, greed, empire, and money to its knees by turning the system of exploitation and oppression upside down. Read the first shall be last, the last shall be first from the Gospel of Matthew. If we don’t hear Jesus’s underlying message about what God is newly creating in that short message, then we truly are listening with our own egotistical ears.
It really is quite simple if we can allow ourselves to conceive of it, admit it, work for it, allow it to fill us up, allow the wisdom of Jesus to teach us about how to change the world.
Truly the only way the world can change is through what we put into the world.
At times it may feel like we are helpless against the tyranny of violence, war and hate. At times it may feel like we can do nothing. That feeling as if we can do nothing can create a sense of loss and maybe even anxiety or sadness.
It is in these times that we must hold onto this reality that the world will only change by how we are in the world.
It is very difficult to hang onto our faith when we are given all indications that we are fools for believing in a great something that is ordering our world towards peace. But our faith doesn’t tell us that we are passive participants. Quite the contrary, actually.
What kind of world do we want to live in?
Our job is to wrestle with that question, get up and get to work creating that world by being in the world what we most desire.
So, if you are looking for good in the world…take a selfie or look in a mirror to see the image of God’s goodness in this world.
So, if you are looking for an affirmation that God is up to goodness, take a selfie or find a mirror.
God’s goodness in the world is contained in each one of us.
A peaceful world begins with a peaceful heart.