Wednesday, February 26, 2025

My dearest God,

We often give up thinking things will never change.  We gripe and complain suggesting God is far off and disinterested in what is happening in our little neck of the woods let alone in the nation and the world.  The truth of the matter is we expect you to act immediately in ways we dictate.  When you fail to show up, we toss faith out as a resource for hard times.

But then something happens and suddenly we are amazed!  Today I discovered you sitting at my kitchen table.  You began talking to me about people caring about people, even people that some want tossed out.  And it all happened because I needed to donate my age-old but durable as dirt sofa bed.  I called a number given to me by the local Habitat Restore Store.  We set up a time and she and he came.  Her brother showed up and while Ellen and I talked the two men carried the sofa down the stairs, through the door and into the truck.  Before I knew it, I had committed to making Christmas ornaments, jam and other items to sell at the November craft fair at the local church.  All proceeds will go to Asylum Seekers to help with food, housing, clothing and more.

I had prayed to help, to do more and give more.  I had decided to create this year, make things, can jams and give it all away to make a difference where I could.  And sure enough you visited my messy home and we talked and talked.  Before you left, we hugged with a plan and a way.

Oh, what little faith we exhibit when things begin to break down and we see no way out.  We watch leaders make decisions to make the poor poorer and the rich richer.  We experience a democracy beginning to unravel hastened by dividing ways, disturbing policies and plain mean-spirited mandates.  We think we have to no power to change anything but then you open the door, invite yourself in and share a plan to help.  No, we can't all protest, no we can't all get involved in every program, speech and activity but we can do something.  We all need to do something.  We must care about those whose lives are being impacted by tragic revenge, self-serving laws, lies, threats and manipulation.  There are a thousand ways to make a difference to transform a society and we need to figure out what our part is.  

We can't afford to forget you, Lord.  You are part of this mess and chaos, you are in it for the long haul.  You are here to guide us to get busy loving our neighbor and calling out injustice.  You give us strangers to love, a plan to begin now and a hug on your way to the next home.

Blessed are you,

Compassionate, Merciful God.

All are

your children.

You care

about each one.

Keep showing us

the way,

we pray

as we

work together

for creative

and holy change.

Yours, Andrea