Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord.” Psalm 19:14
Words are important. Words have the power to heal and the power to inflict great harm. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Not true, is it. Whoever coined that phrase must have lived in isolation, outside the bounds of human relationships. In fact, words can hurt, words injure, and the wounds left behind by the spoken word leave scars much deeper and more permanent than those from bones that have been broken. From time to time, you can still hear them, verbal daggers decades old, intimate words, perhaps forgotten by those who spoke them, but alive in the recesses of your heart.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21
What words will the words of your mouth and the mediation of your heart be this holiday season? What words will you say to loved ones and friends? What words will you say to ferry workers, grocery clerks and bank tellers? Can we choose our words carefully, with intention, with the intention to do good, to alleviate loneliness and suffering? Might a tender word to a friend or stranger bring hope to a soul who had nearly lost hope? Could a caring word and a smile offer light in a season that is dark?
It was three weeks before Christmas when I saw him sitting by himself in a local restaurant. His dear wife had died two years earlier. His world had become predictably smaller, he had a community that loved him, but he was alone for dinner. Though we had never really spent time together, we had run in some of the same religious circles and worked on some South Whidbey local service projects together. I greeted him by name. He smiled and wished me a merry Christmas. Small talking, or so I thought, I asked him if he had plans for the holidays. He said, “I am going home for Christmas.” I nodded my head in approval, and gave him a pat on the back, I was looking away now for the table that was waiting for me. “You see Jim, this will be the last one for me.” I stopped, “Last one?” “My doctor said there was nothing more that they could do, I have a few weeks left, that is all.” It was time to pull up a chair, the frenetic pace of the season on pause. He died shortly after the first of the year, I think of him each Christmas. Home for Christmas.
Each day, by the coincidences of daily life or by intention of God, people are placed in your pathway. For a moment they are entrusted to your care. A simple interaction between two humans is about to take place. What happens next? Will you offer them a word of compassion, hope, encouragement? Can you hear them, really hear them? Can you give a few minutes of your life as a sign of hope?
They arrived in Bethlehem, tired from a long journey, waiting for labor to begin. There was no room, that could have been the sole response. No room, not my problem, I wish you well. The world 2000 years ago was harsh; the people were oppressed and impoverished. There was no room, but on this night compassion and kindness shined through the darkness. Mary and Joseph would not be alone, someone took the time to help them, to provide space, to offer grace, to speak kind words.
God will put people in your pathway today. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord.”
Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. “Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” —Author Roy T. Bennett.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
rvlindus@whidbey.com
