Now we can skip all the secular answers, we might joke about them outside of church semi-seriously. Money, prestige, influence, power, fame. . . those are what most people look for in this life and world; they are also what most people would ask of God if God brought them to heaven and gave them their one true wish.
Those answers and that posture do not interest me today, I am wondering about the deep thing that we would ask God for?
As I pray about it, and look through my Bible as part of my morning devotions, I think that I would ask God to help me tear down the walls of that I have created that separate me from my community. I would ask God to help me to change my heart and change my perspective so that as I work toward faithfulness, I might be able to build community and be present to care for those God places in my path each day.
Henri Nouwen says it this way:
"To make compassion the bottom line of life, to be open and vulnerable to others, to make community life the focus, and to let prayer be the breath of your life. . . that requires a willingness to tear down the countless walls that we have erected between ourselves and others in order to maintain our safe isolation. This is a lifelong and arduous spiritual battle because while tearing down walls with one hand, we build new one with the other."
I am as guilty of this idea as anyone--and I suspect that you have some understanding about it as well. While affirming in church that we are the Body of Christ that seeks to "be with" others, does that practice take shape in our lives continually and consistently?
I wonder if you'd join me in asking God to help you tear down those walls today so that you could serve Him faithfully?
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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