Reminders for Your Spiritual Journey

From the time of the American revolution, Americans have had a particularly strong attachment to individual freedom and independence.  We don’t like anyone telling us what we can and cannot do.  We like to operate independently and to maintain our independence for as long as possible.  I am of an age that many people of my age are being forced to give up their freedom and independence.  Some have had to quit driving a car because their eyesight is failing.  Some have had to give up their homes and property to go into assisted living or a nursing home. 

Our children try to encourage us to make our own decisions and to take the steps necessary to make the move to that stage of life on our own.  And we know that it would, theoretically, make the decision easier, but we are still reluctant to do so.  It is not an easy decision, no matter how it comes about.  Giving up control is not something we want to do unless we absolutely have to.

Yet, there is an even more important decision we all (young or old) need to make.  We need to be willing to give up our freedom and independence and our attachment to things and completely surrender ourselves to God.  Not that we all need to abandon everything and become pastors or missionaries, but like the disciples and apostles, we must be willing to do even that, if we are called to do so.  God has a purpose for each of us and we are to serve Him wherever we are.  Whether we are in a comfortable life of our own choosing or in a facility of some kind.  The apostle Paul even served God from prison.

The Bible tells us that by surrendering our life to God, we will live the life we were meant to have.  The surrendered life is a willingness to give back to Jesus the life he granted to us, by His death on the cross.  Relinquishing control, our rights, our power, direction and all of the things we have, do or say is not something we relish.  Yet God has promised that, if we will totally relinquish our life into His hands, we will be freer than we can ever imagine.  How can that be?

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Being in God’s hands, frees us from the devil’s influence and to do Gods will in joy.

“'For I know the plans I have for you, 'declares the Lord,' plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. “Jeremiah 29:11. 

Almost everyone faces some daunting circumstances during their lifetime: a serious health issue, a financial or other loss, a project gone wrong, a relationship ending, or a job we have devoted our life to is suddenly gone.  No matter what has brought us into our darkest place, and its feelings of despair, we need to remember that there is always hope.  Even people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness have beat the odds and survived long after reputable doctors have predicted their demise, yet they lived.

We need to think of hope like breathing, we definitely will not live long without it, so we need to fight to maintain it.  As long as we can keep hope alive, we can go on living and somehow regain the confidence that we can climb out of whatever deep crevasse we have fallen into.

The decision to hope, is a life preserver we can grab onto.  We don’t have to know exactly what is at the other end of the rope to believe that whatever it is anchored to, will hold.  All we need to do is to hang on for dear life and start to believe we can pull ourselves out.  We might need some help, but it is ultimately up to us to make the decision to struggle through and look for the footholds we need to make it out.  Even if we can’t see the opening right away, we know it has to be there, because if there was a way in, there also has to be a way out.  Just keep breathing and hope will find a way.

The poet Emily Dickinson’s poem that starts: “Hope, is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul –And sings the tune without the words –And never stops – at all".  It’s a lovely image that uses a bird as a metaphor for hope.  She notes that hope is a feeling that “perches” on the soul and is always there.  She goes on to suggest that even a tiny creature can withstand a ferocious storm and come out the other side, still able to fly, implying that we too can rise up and fly.

Whatever it takes, where there is hope, there is also courage and strength to back it up. Sometimes, just knowing we are not alone in our struggle, brings out our best qualities to rise above almost any situation.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31

Generosity is an act of kindness in the form of giving money or material things, loving protection or loving understanding.  We donate money to the church and its missions.  We donate food to a food pantry.  We provide sympathetic gestures or words.  We might help a neighbor carry in her groceries.  Whatever we give, it costs us money, time and energy, and requires caring.  Help should be given out of the goodness of our hearts and in a kind spirit.  Giving for selfish motives, such as to look good to others or to gain recognition is not true generosity.

Ironically, just after I had started writing this essay.  I was asked to consider providing shelter, for a homeless woman and her daughter.  I am ashamed to say that I did not immediately say yes, I said that I needed to think about it.  I did agree to meet the woman and to see what could be done.  The suggestion had been made that they could sleep in a room upstairs in a house I own that I rent to my son.  The more I thought about it, the less sure I was that it would be a good idea.  My son, who’s upstairs they would be staying in, is a more generous person than I, and he said “yes”, without hesitation, and I am proud of his generous attitude.  He was even willing to help do the work required to get the room ready. 

By the time I met the woman at my apartment, to discuss possible arrangements, I had realized that she and her ten-year-old daughter would be more comfortable in my second bedroom, which is in the lower level of my apartment.  I decided I would make arrangements to let her live here for the two weeks they need a place to stay, until more-permanent housing is ready.

Generosity is not a matter of how much we give, but how much we sacrifice to give it.  “Warren Buffet, who led his company to a 22% gross profit increase in 2023, donated millions, but his total charitable donations were less than 1% of his holdings.  Bottom line, if you tithe on your salary––regardless of its size, you’re exceedingly more generous than the richest person in the world.”  Reuters.com, 11/21/23

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For they all contributed out of their abundance but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4