Ruminations and Reflections Monday, July 21st “God is indeed waiting for you; he asks of you only the courage to go to him….We hear many offers from the world around us, but let us take up God’s offer instead; his is a caress of love.” Pope Francis “The Church of Mercy” You don’t have to be a Roman Catholic to have great admiration for Pope Francis. In the early days of his Papacy, his loving and disarming Christ-like behavior and authentic witness to God’s love, came like a welcome breeze from the Spirit for the Church, both Catholic and Protestant. Part of my bedtime reading on Sunday night was from “The Church of Mercy – A Vision for the Church,” a collection of writings from the Holy Father during his first year as Pope. What struck me before I returned the book to the night stand and rolled over to go to sleep, was the reference to the contrast between worldly offers and God’s offer. It’s easy to find yourself pulled and tugged in any number of directions by the allure of worldly things. And if you’re not careful, you can drain all your energy, time and resources chasing a lifetime of unmet dreams, empty promises and false hopes in pursuit of sparkly achievements and acquisitions highly valued by the world. True happiness, joy, fulfillment, finding meaning in life, will always remain beyond our grasp as long as our lives are characterized by self-centered, me-first kinds of choices. When we try to go it alone, without God, we will never be satisfied. If our happiness is tied to material things, we will never have enough. WE WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH! There will always be another rung on the ladder to scale. Here’s a simple thought to start your week: Loosen your grip a bit today on your plans, goals, dreams and desires. Dare to lay down that burden you’ve been carrying y the side of the road for a spell…. ….and allow yourself to be caressed by God, whose name is Love. Blessings, Pastor Randy Rock grove UMC
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 12:14:19 +0000
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