Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
What would it take for you to change your story?
Inherent in that question is the assumption that we are not powerless characters in someone else’s play. Inherent in that question is the belief that human stories are not likely to change without our participation. We are not helpless and the story of our lives is not written in heaven. We are not predestined to live a certain way or to experience certain pains. God has given us free will. Limited free will, but free will none-the-less. We do, in fact, participate in the formation of our story. We are the primary actors in the play that is our life. Doing something, or doing nothing, is participating.
What would it take for you to change your story?
How could you change your story for good? I don’t know the answer but I am guessing that you do. Would your story be better if you faced your addictions? Would your story improve with therapy? Would your anxiety be reduced if you watched less cable news and spent the time doing something productive for your body or soul? Would you be healthier if you ate less or slept more, or ate more and slept less? Would your life have more meaning if you looked outside of yourself and cared for those less fortunate?
What will it take to change our story?
The shared story of those who live in the United States right now is pretty grim. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost to Covid-19. Families are struggling, unemployment continues to be a threat, school systems are stressed by uncertainty, parents worry about the Fall, and health care providers fight for the lives of patients even as they fight exhaustion themselves. But it is more than that. Our country is divided. We have become increasingly less civil, more vitriolic, less hospitable, more intolerant, more self-centered, less charitable. What has happened to our country? The values that are defining us are not the values that helped shape this great nation.
What will it take to change the story of our country?
We all need to do our part in changing the story of our country. Doing nothing is an option, but if good people do nothing, then we are giving our nation over to those without a moral compass. We all need to do our part! We need to vote. We need to protest peacefully. We need to advocate for those without a voice. We need to practice civility in all public discourse and on all social media platforms.
What will it take to change the story of our country?
Charlie Chaplin said, “We think too much and we think too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.” And Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Love yourself enough to change your story! Love our world by doing your part to change our shared story for good.
One day closer.
Pastor Jim
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