The Beatitudes

Shalom (God’s gift of peace and contentment) is God’s gift for those who are poor is spirit or not so full of themselves and their egos. These folks will inherit, not earn, or even deserve, God’s Kingdom. Shalom is God’s gift for those who mourn their regrets--those things they have done and/or said as well as those things they have left undone or unsaid. God says they shall me comforted. Shalom is a gift from God for those who are meek and thereby controlled by God’s guidance and desires rather than their own ego’s, plans, and ideas. God says these people will inherit the earth. Shalom is a gift from God for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, which is right relations with God, the earth with its land, water, air, trees, flowers, etc., as well as right relationships with others, as well as their own self. God has promised that these folks will be filled or satisfied. Shalom is a gift from being merciful. Stop the judging and complaining and learn to become full of mercy for everyone, including yourself. God says that you will receive mercy for your merciful attitude and behaviors. The pure in heart shall have Shalom. Pure in heart surely means being of a single mind, purpose of following Jesus. It is not a wandering mind and/or behavior. God says that these folks will get the opportunity to see God. Shalom belongs to the peacemakers; note it is the peacemakers not the peacekeepers. Peacemakers trust themselves, with their attitudes and behaviors, not to make situations worse as they are involved. Peacekeepers look for opportunities to avoid any conflict. Peacemakers are those who are following the above beatitudes. Peacemakers are the less anxious among us who are attentive to their emotions, attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors. These beatitude folks will have difficulties because they are different from most of us. Nevertheless, God says that Shalom will be theirs for they belong to the Kingdom of Heaven

Stop Kicking Against the Goads

Much too frequently we fuss and complain about our present situation. We struggle with how things really are, as we recall how things used to be and how we wish all these changes were not happening. With this struggle, we become infected with anxiety, depression, grief, anger, etc. We seem unable to accept and adapt. Acceptance means that we recognize the way things are. It is as it is. That is a healthy outlook. Things are not as they used to be, and they will never again be that way. Our world has, is, and continues to change. Acceptance means recognition of changes. Acceptance, however, also needs adaption. Adaption means that I change or alter my attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors to give evidence of my acceptance of reality. Adaption means that I will need to learn some new ways of doing things. It is one thing to say that I have accepted but if there is not adaption, then there is no genuine acceptance. The Bible says to “quit kicking against the goads” (Acts 26:14). This was God speaking to Saul as he was being confronted on the read to Damascus. It was such a significant experience that his name was changed from Saul to Paul. There are folks who continue kicking against the “goads” of present reality of health, family (or lack of family), work, politics, church, ways of doing things, etc. They are still kicking against the “goads” and wondering why nothing changes as they want things to change and why they are so frustrated and angry. Acceptance and adaption are two sides of the same coin, and they go together. Stop kicking against the “goads” and work toward accepting and adapting. When you do this, you may discover a significant change in how you are feeling about reality. Frustration and anger may begin to diminish as peace and contentment start to increase. Such change in myself is healing or redemption.

A Message from the Shredder

There are several pieces of mail waiting on my desk to be shredded. Most of them are requests for money, i.e., donations. They do not come right out and ask for money; “No,” they write about a membership that is about to expire. I do not ever recall joining or becoming a member of their organization. I do not even know what they mean by membership. I probably sent them a donation in year’s past and now they have my information. One request even says that they have not yet received my donation for 2022. I do not think it was to become an annual thing. One of those pieces of to-be-shredded mail even states that this is my final chance for 2022. There are even several pieces of mail from organizations of which I have no acquaintance. I guess this is the result of organizations buying information from other organizations. This is the season of Thanksgiving and Advent. From the looks of pieces of mail on my desk waiting to be shredded, I think it is also the season of job security for the postal workers.