Each of us has his/her own opinions and political preferences. We have our reasons for why we hold certain positions and believe that a certain candidate will carry out to the best of their ability, the laws to establish the policy we want to see enacted. In the presidential election, we all have our own, probably strongly held, choice of candidate. But did it ever occur to you that when we pray, we all end up praying for the same person?
 
I personally take great comfort in Romans 8:26-28:
 
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT)
 
So, whether we realize it or not, when we pray, the Spirit interprets our prayers according to God’s will. We are all praying for the same thing, regardless of what we think we are praying for.

How I long for your peace to reign in me,
 
To understand deeply your mercy in me.
 
“Be still” then my work you will see
 
For so much more is waiting for me.
 
Help me be a safe place for others to be.
 
Protect me from any distortion of Thee
 
For nothing is impossible with you in me.
 

We are in the midst of a global pandemic with COVID-19 cases rising significantly in so many places. In an attempt to limit the spread, and keep the number of cases from overwhelming the available resources, governments, hospital workers and many others are urging people to wear masks and stay six feet apart. That seems a very simple request to preserve life and prevent further financial disasters for many families.
 
BUT there are a number of people who feel their rights are being taken away. “No one can tell ME what to do!” “I have my rights!” “You’ve gone too far this time!”
 
What are they REALLY saying? “My rights are more important than your life or well-being.” “My rights mean I can do what I want to do and no one else really matters.” “I come first!”
 
These statements are the result of a sense of entitlement – power, prerogative, privilege. Americans have long been moving in the direction of independent, self-reliance and individuality. In themselves, these traits are not bad. We value these principles a lot. However, when they come without the balance of care for others, compassion, humility, and self-sacrifice it becomes the ultimate selfishness.
 
Wearing a mask is not to protect the wearer, it is to protect those who come close to the wearer. That person may have underlying health conditions that you can’t see. And without your mask properly in place, they may end up on a ventilator. You may be the carrier that makes them sick and that sickness may result in thousands of dollars in medical bills, loss of jobs and even death.
 
We live in a community, and if we fail to protect the community because of our independent spirits, we will find ourselves the less for it. We must not fail to care for those around us. In the words of Henri Nouwen, “To care is to be present to those who suffer and to stay present even when nothing can be done to change their situation. To care is to be compassionate and so to form a community of people honestly facing the painful reality of our finite existence. To care is the most human gesture, in which the courageous confession of our common brokenness does not lead to paralysis but to community.”[i]


[i] "You are the Beloved" by Henri J.M. Nouwen © 2017 by The Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust. Published by Convergent Books.
 

In the leaves to green
sits a little wasp that stings
​small matters do things.

God is Like the Sea
 
Some years have passed since I played in the sea,
And those years have taken their toll on me.
My knees are less stable,
My body less able.
For a young man I’m grateful
who joined me so faithful.
When in waves we did tumble,
Undertow made me humble.
He helped when I stumbled
And my body got jumbled.
 
I’m reminded of ways God’s like the sea--
He’s always there waiting just for me.
He’s gentle, He’s rough
There’s always more than enough.
He never gets tired of the ebb and flow
However long we’ve known Him, there yet more to know.
There’s joy for the toddler, the youth and the teen.
Even us old folks find more to glean
From the abundance of grace
As we seek His face.
Thank you, God, for the sea
And all the lessons it teaches me.

​Leoma Gilley, 2020

Many people are asking why a worldwide pandemic? Whose fault is it? Why now? Why me?

As one who tends to look at the larger picture rather than the narrow one, and coming from a Christian perspective, I have an opinion. It is an opinion, but based in what I read in Scripture. So, for what it’s worth, here it is.

All we like sheep have gone astray. We have each followed our own way and left God out of the center of our lives and beings. So, God has been calling us back to Himself, through the recent weather events: tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, droughts, fires and locust plagues. He has warned us of impending danger from climate change: melting ice, rising temperatures in the oceans, threats to island nations just a bit above sea level, and more extremes of weather. We have seen the negative effects of pollution from oil, plastic, waste products in our water, the oceans and land, syringes on our beaches, all testimonies of our lack of care or concern for the welfare of our world or its inhabitants. We have polluted the water, the air and our lungs with abandon, all in the name of profit. Our greed is killing the only place we have to live in this universe. Yet, we have steadfastly ignored the warnings.

So, perhaps God decided to make things even clearer about who is REALLY in control of the universe. He decided to stop everything and everyone in their tracks, with COVID-19. Borders closed, flights stopped, people had to stay at home for weeks and months at a time. Economies are rocked to the core. Manufacturing is almost at a standstill, hospitals are overrun with patients, people are dying in record numbers so we can barely keep up with burying them. We are told to wear masks and stay away from other people physically. Even our pets can catch this virus and pass it along! We cannot even be with our dying loved ones for fear we will be the next victim. The disparities in our societies coming out in stark terms: more dead, more sick, less help. Those we considered as “worker bees” are now some of our most important people: grocery store employees, janitors, postmen, trash collectors. Without them, our lives would really be in a mess, and we wouldn’t be able to stay safely “at home”. Our values have had to shift, but will those last after this is over?

Our entertainments have dried up as people must physically distance themselves because one can have this virus and not show any symptoms. So, no sports, no plays, no new TV shows or movies, no concerts. Even our appearance is affected: no haircuts, nail salons, beauty parlors. And if there are a few of them open, the risk of catching the virus is pretty high. Should one risk it?

Businesses are struggling, and many have had to give up altogether. Those who can work from home do so with a sigh of relief. Those who can’t, worry. Will they get sick? Will they spread it to their families if they go home? How long can they live with the tension?

Government leaders are in disarray. It is like the situation in Egypt described in Isaiah 19: 13ff

 The officials of Zoan are fools, and the officials of Memphis are deluded. The leaders of the people have led Egypt astray. The LORD has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so all their suggestions are wrong. They cause Egypt to stagger like a drunk in his vomit. There is nothing Egypt can do. All are helpless—the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.

As countries begin to try to reopen their lives and economies, God is watching to see how we respond. Do we acknowledge him as the creator and sovereign LORD of the universe, or do we continue on our selfish and greedy way to do what is “fun”, what pleases us without regard for the impact our actions will have on others and the environment. And there will be an impact, either way we go.