Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
We live in a cause-and-effect world. The choices we make have a major effect on the quality of our lives. The choices we make bear good or bad fruit for us (ourselves) and for those that we love. Every day we experience the realities of cause and effect. Sometimes we are the cause and sometimes we just get the effect. In every accident there is a cause; we fail to look back when we back out of the parking stall at Payless and we cause a collision, someone is texting and driving and they cross the center line striking our car. Their cause affects us.
We live in a cause-and-effect world. Our choices matter. In 2014 at the commencement ceremony at the University of Texas, Navy Admiral William H. McRaven gave a speech where he emphasized the importance of making the bed. His basic message was simple, if you want to change the world, if you want to change your life, if you want to be successful then start your day by making your bed. Each decision, small or large, sets into play a cause-and-effect reaction.
I do a fair amount of counseling with people who are grief stricken, desperate for change, trying to find their way. Every human story is unique and strikingly familiar. My advice to each is quite simple: “every morning wake up and make a list of things that are in your control, things that you can achieve that day that will benefit your life financially, spiritually, and physically. One decision at a time, take care of your physical, mental, financial and spiritual health. Invest in yourself and care for your relationships with loved ones.”
We are the primary writers of our life stories; we are not victims or pawns of a predetermined reality. Start the day by making the bed and build on that success as you make healthy choices the rest of the day. We live in a cause-and-effect world but…
We do not have a cause-and-effect God! God does not send us trouble, punishment or disease based on our behavior. God does not need to punish us; we are pretty good at punishing ourselves as we live with the consequences of misguided freewill choices. If you think that God is punishing you then you need to rethink your image of God. God is love. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and “nothing” includes everything. God’s love is not based on our intellectual assent, our good works, church attendance or exemplary behavior. Good works will serve us well and neighbors will be more likely to like us. Church attendance will encourage us with words of grace and the company of people of hope. Exemplary behavior will help to keep us out of trouble.
Human relationships are by nature transactional. Not so with God. God is love. God loves you. There is nothing that you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing that you can do to make God love you less.
We live in a transactional world, a cause-and-effect world. But we are not in a cause-and-effect relationship with God, our God is not a cause-and-effect being.
So, wake up tomorrow and make the bed, move forward to a healthier existence. One decision at a time you can change the world and change your life.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
