Everyone in the World Has a Bucket

As any new year approaches, it is common to offer re-caps and “best of” lists. This week I’m revisiting a column which garnered many positive comments the first time it appeared three years ago at the beginning of another new year. As we’re leaving a year which has seen its share of heartbreak and destruction, it is more important than ever for each of us to immerse ourselves in the wisdom which is at the heart of this simple message: 

I'm convinced that children have a better grasp of theology than almost any adult I know. Scripture solidifies that opinion when quoting Jesus as saying, ". . . Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 18:3-4) Children, it would seem, may have the upperhand, spiritually. When they speak we probably should listen.

When my grandson is asked what he learned at school, usually he'll say something along the lines of, "Same old thing." But one day, not long ago, he had a new thing to say. His teacher had read something to the class which one of his friends had brought to school.  "Everyone in the whole world has a bucket," he told me with the wide-eyed, earnest enthusiasm of a seven-year-old who had just found a way to express a great truth he had always known. There's no telling exactly how the story went originally, but he continued with his interpretation.

"Some people are bucket-dippers, and some people are bucket-fillers. When someone is a bully and they say or do mean things, they're a bucket-dipper, and they're trying to empty someone else's bucket so they can fill up their own. But they can never fill up their own bucket by being mean; it really just makes their bucket empty. When someone is a bucket-filler, they do nice things, like say hello to the mailman or smile at everyone. When they do that, they're trying to fill up other people's buckets, but they're really filling up their own bucket, too. Being nice is the only way to fill up your bucket."

Psalm 8:2 says, "From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease." 

If we all try to be strong by being bucket-fillers every day, eventually the bucket-dippers will be silenced, because everyone's bucket would be full. And when everyone's bucket is full, there won't be any reason to fight.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was an American poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride” and “The Song of Hiawatha.” He wrote the kind of poetry which children read when I was in school. In fact, I memorized his poem “The Village Blacksmith” when I was in fifth grade. It begins with a line of verse I have never forgotten:

Under a spreading chestnut tree

  The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

  With large and sinewy hands;

I suppose the poem reminded me of my own father. An honest, hardworking man, he was bighearted, friendly and loving. In my mind he was invincible. I felt safe and secure in his presence. With dad on my side, troubles of the world could not come near and no evil would befall me.

I long for every child to feel that way, to live in a world where innocence is not shattered by unimaginable tragedy. A world similar to what I remember, where I could ride my bike on our county road to my friend’s house two miles away and no one worried because the neighbors in the four houses along the way had known both of us since we were born. They would be on the look-out for our safety, not looking to do us harm.

I wish no child had to worry about meth houses next door, abuse or being shot in random acts of violence. But the truth is, the world has never been as idealistic as my fifth grade self remembers it. Cruelty and exploitation have always existed even if I was shielded from it when I was young.

Likewise, faulty theology would have us believe God has somehow abandoned schoolchildren or looks unfavorably on our country because outward displays of religion and, allegedly God himself, are not “welcome” in certain places. Well, here’s something else I learned as a child: God is everywhere. We will not be saved from every evil, or delivered from all loss and grief, but he has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He grieves with us, his spirit is waiting to bring us comfort.

If the test of God’s love and protection is that there is no destruction where he is welcome, then our men and women in the military would never see harm and everyone in hospitals would walk out whole and healthy, because I assure you prayers abound in “foxholes” and intensive care units.

As we grieve as a country for the loss of life in Connecticut, some are asking why God seemed to be absent there. I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I have a thought and it brings us back to Longfellow. A century and a half ago he penned a poem during another time of mourning in our nation's history. Not only had he recently suffered personal tragedy but the Civil War was raging on with all its horrors and bloodshed. This, I would add, despite teacher-led prayers and an abundance of Bibles and other outward displays of religion in schoolhouses throughout the land.

Later set to music by composer Jean Baptiste Calkin in 1872, Longfellow’s poem is now a familiar Christmas carol, “I heard the bells on Christmas Day.” Here is the original poem:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we must not despair at what we see and hear in the world. Let us all do our part to raise up children of faith and not depend on others to do it. Show young people how to be generous and giving. Don’t plant seeds of fear in their young minds so that they become afraid of living. Take time to point out the beauty of art and the wonder of nature. Don’t look for danger to be lurking around every corner. Be always hopeful in your own heart.

Take comfort in knowing that peace and goodwill can prevail. God has provided the Way through the teachings of Jesus for society to be transformed. We must show we have the will to live according to his word because it is up to us to change the world.

What Are We Teaching Children?

Some readers of my Sunday blog know usually it is a re-post (or close to it) of what I write for the West Plains Daily Quill's religion page on Friday. What appeared on the religion page on December 14 was written before the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the midst of everything else going on Friday, I did not think to try to update or change what I had written. It ran as written before 9 a.m. I read it now with a different perspective than when I wrote it, but I'm glad I didn't try to change it. I will not be part of stealing a bright future from my grandchildren. I am still hopeful. I will not allow the actions of a mad man to steal my faith. We cannot let him, and others like him, win.

 

On Thursday I had occasion to interact briefly with pre-schoolers who were getting ready for "Miss Pam" Coffman's annual Little Red Firehouse Christmas program. Every December Pam teaches the kids at her daycare center a few holiday songs which they perform for their parents and grandparents at the Avenue Theatre. I had to smile as they talked to me, speaking excitedly about the imminent arrival of Santa Claus. (Somehow, Pam always makes arrangements to have him stop by the show.) The tiny girls twirled in their new dresses, touching the pretty bows in their hair. Some of the boys proudly showed off their new boots or sweaters.

A little later in the evening, I attended Glenwood School's Christmas program to listen to the students sing songs of the season. My grandson's class sang about hot chocolate, and then they threw marshmallows out to the audience. Great fun. It was difficult not to get teary-eyed about another song of the evening,  "Welcome Christmas," when the kids clasped hands and sang, "While we stand heart to heart and hand in hand." I always tend to be hopeful about the future when I'm privileged to spend time with kids.

But it doesn't take long to get snapped back to a different reality: the non-stop chatter amongst adults about the "fiscal cliff," talk of ancient calendars or a headline for an Internet news story "4 in 10 Americans Believe Severe Weather Evidence of End Times." I don't know when the world or anything else is going to end, but I'm sad and angry for how society -- that's us, you know, all of us -- is stealing hope from our children every day. It's one thing when we want to get ourselves all worked up talking about the horrible state of things, but I think we forget sometimes that little kids and young people hear everything we say. They take it in and think about it. They get upset and worried about what might happen. They would probably like to look to adults for answers to hard questions, but how could they get a word in when we're complaining so much?

If I could have just one Christmas wish, it would be for all of us to keep a close watch on our words. Let's not steal hope for the future. Let's not make young people doubt their faith. Let's allow our children to be happy and blessed. Remember Jesus as an infant and the great love and care his mother bestowed upon him. Let's protect our children now in the same way. Doesn't that seem like the real reason for the season?

The Cliff and The Least of These

I've been thinking about the fiscal cliff, especially as it might relate to my novel "The Least of These." I finished writing this book thirteen years ago. It was published in 2008. What I used as a main plot point, the economic collapse of the U.S., seemed unlikely at the time. But now I'm feeling like it's more than a little prophetic. The premise is this: at some point in the (not-too-distant) future as the federal government is facing bankruptcy, the "Public Assistance Reform Act" is enacted. Here's an excerpt from the book:

"There were, of course, a multitude of reasons for the crash of the economy...For too many years, as political partisanship ran rampart, there had been no long-term planning within the federal government. Sustained periods of economic growth seemed to foster a sense of invincibility and a mood of reckless optimism about the country's future. Slight downturns were never viewed as trends....but other factors were also at work.

"The protracted war on terror had dragged on for many years in an attempt to make the world a safer place, and it resulted in varying degrees of success. But whatever limited success achieved around the world came with an unimaginably enormous price tag--one that left the United States buried deep in devastating debt.

"An unprecedented number of deadly and phenomenally costly natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, drought, earthquakes, tornadoes, had pounded North America unmercilessly for several years in a row. County after county in state after state had been declared federal disaster areas, and emergency money from public funds had been poured into the affected areas.

"....Continuing high unemployment brought about by a sustained downturn in the economy not only contributed to the demise of Social Security, but had also overloaded an already faltering welfare system that had been on its way out for many years....

"Finally, the longstanding and ongoing habit of appropriating tens of billions of dollars for all kinds of programs and projects without ensuring there was a source for those funds had quite conclusively caught up with the federal government. A very simple yet significant principle emerged and soaked in; there was no more money to spend...."

This is an over-simplified commentary on what might cause financial disaster, but that's because government bankruptcy is not the main focus of the novel. The main focus is what happens next, and in my rather optimistic view (in the context of the book), the outcome is good. Churches, businesses, individuals work together to change society. The full meaning of the teachings of Jesus and his call to minister to "the least of these" is recognized and implemented.

I've never been particularly good at promoting this book, but now is the time for our country to hear a message like this, whether it's mine or someone else's. If you're looking for a Christmas gift for someone who is interested in current events, but would also like to read an optimistic story of faith and hope, I encourage you to buy "The Least of These." It's available all over the place online (amazon, etc.). It's discounted on Christianbook.com. 

What's waiting for us beyond the edge of the cliff? Maybe it's the best thing that could ever happen to society.
 

God and Common Sense

The following is from "My Utmost for His Highest." These were thoughts shared by Oswald Chambers 100 years ago while he was lecturing at the Bible Training College in Claphim, England. 

"At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself -- to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ's idea of prayer -- 'Your will be done' (Matt. 6:10) -- that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us -- He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.

"At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us....God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed....God guides our common sense."

The words of Chambers seem fresh and relevant to me even though I have read them many times over the years, and I join him in believing God guides our common sense, but I would add that we have to allow Him to do so. While faith is central to any religion, if common sense is not a factor in our lives, our faith can cause heartache, for ourselves and others. Treating God as though He is some kind of magic genie in a bottle waiting to grant us our every desire is a mistake. Our goal should be to see the bigger picture of how our lives and our desires are connected to the needs of others.

Faith must be cultivated and so must common sense. We should take the time to build an intimate relationship with God, learning to balance matters of the soul, (our emotions, will, feelings, and mind) with matters of the spirit. God will guide our choices, but we can’t skip the step of getting to know Him, seeking to know His will and learning to recognize His work in the smallest of details.

What's my motivation?

Not long ago my daughter and I were having one of our many conversations about life/religion/philosophy/the state of the world. The topic, I don't remember the specifics, was something I had blogged about and shared in my column in the West Plains Daily Quill. She said, "Why do you write your column and your blog? Is it because you like it when people tell you how much they enjoy reading what you've written?" (She and I like to keep each other on our toes. We're a family who tries to make sure no one "gets the big head," as my mother would say.) 

Her question is a good one. I struggled a bit with the answer. I don't think I write because I like to get the occasional pat on the back. It is nice to be complimented, and I appreciate encouraging words, but if "atta girl" is all I'm looking for, I would stick to warm and fuzzy stuff because we all like that sort of thing. 

Why do any of us share our thoughts and views, especially about religion? Is it because we believe our opinion is the right one? Do we think we know better than everyone else? In my case, am I trying to change anyone's mind about God and matters of faith? Do I think I have a corner on the market when it comes to The Way? 

When I walked into the Quill office over five years ago and asked city editor Carol Bruce if she would be interested in a weekly column I was willing to write for free for the religion page, I remember the frustration I was feeling with the mixing of God and politics in our country, with the way the name of Jesus was being used to justify all kinds of nonsense. I also remember how discouraged I was with the church situation I was in at the time. Allen and I were more or less forcing ourselves to attend Sunday morning services because it was a tradition, an obligation, a habit. We weren't getting anything out of it, and in fact, would leave feeling worse than when we arrived. I know, I know, local friends, YOUR church isn't like that, and I know we're welcome there any time. 

I will admit the church we were attending was pretty messed up, but, in general, I was worn down by years of hearing the same thing over and over again from the pulpit. In the church tradition I come from, it was the prosperity principle for a while and of course, an endless stream of altar calls. Where was the message of unconditional love? Why weren't we expending more resources to help the hurting? Sometimes I wondered if anyone going to church was even bothering to read the New Testament. I guess when it comes right down to it, I thought Jesus was getting a bad rap by those claiming to represent him. There are exceptions to that generalization, of course, and I think (I hope) the religious climate is changing, although I would be hard-pressed to prove it by the religious mudslinging so prevalent in the political realm.
  
My take on the message of Jesus is why I wrote my novel, "The Least of These." It's why I continue to comment on matters of religion. If nothing else, I write to remind MYSELF to be better, to love and forgive more, to judge less. When I make my views public, I feel an obligation to be consistent. I'm certainly not perfect, but I try not to be a hypocrite. 

Even though one of my ongoing claims is that Jesus is capable of taking care of himself, and he really doesn't need anyone's help, I suppose I feel like I'm defending his reputation with my words. Funny, isn't it? I know that's what everyone expressing a religious view which is in opposition to mine thinks, too. Why do I blog? What's the point of this one, in particular? Who knows? Might as well ask, what's the meaning of life? I'm on a constant quest for answers, a search for truth, I suppose. Thanks for going along on the journey.  

Gathering us in

The compassion of Jesus is beyond measure, even toward those who would be the ones to do him harm. In Luke 13:34, Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” He knew the ones he was addressing were behaving in ways which were not productive. Behaving in ways, in fact, which were destructive and bringing them misery, not joy, and he wanted to save them from themselves by gathering them in, protecting them.

I’ve been thinking about the upcoming holiday season in that light, wondering if Jesus would say to many of us something along the lines of, “You who are stressed out, worried about the mountain of gifts you’re planning to buy and the money you’re going to spend, the way you’re going to eat and how your schedule doesn’t have a spare moment, how I long to gather you to myself and remind you of the simple Way I have called you to live. I hope you are willing to let me gather you to myself to bring you peace.”

That’s imagined, of course, but there’s even something about the often loud way Christians try to convince others that Jesus is the reason for the season -- boycotting stores whose employees merely say 'happy holidays,' demanding Christmas trees and nativity scenes be on display everywhere, for example -- that doesn’t ring true with the larger message he proclaimed.

I wonder if Jesus is interested in being the reason for a season which is now officially beginning by big corporations asking employees to work on Thanksgiving to accommodate shoppers who want to get an early start on "black Friday." Doesn't it sees as though calming down around this time of year might be in order? 

In Luke chapter 1, there's a beautiful scripture which is part of Zacharias's prophecy regarding Jesus, "Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us...to guide our feet into the way of peace." (v. 78-79) Jesus can take care of himself and us, and wants to gather us to him. So what do you say? Let's relax and let his mercy and peace reign during the holidays and in every season.

The Wizard of Us

Shortly I'll be off to see the Wizard....The Wizard of Oz performed by the West Plains High School at the Avenue Theatre. I ventured back on to Facebook for a few minutes the day after the election, and I was pleasantly surprised to see (mostly) a mood of reconciliation amongst most of my friends and their friends. I did see a ridiculous chart about how the Democrats stole the election because of the lack of voter i.d. laws. Please note: similar future posts will have the end result of such "friends" being hidden by me if I see the posts. I'm not going to have that nonsense on my wall.

I'm short on time this morning, but here are some gentle reminders for my social conservative friends. Please take them as points to consider. I know I have many friends who will disagree with some of these observations, but we all need to start having conversations about how to work together to address the things we're passionate about, how to stop creating strife and instead, create solutions.

- If you believe there should be no abortions, don't have one. Men and women, don't have unprotected sex. If you are a member of a church, rather than campaign to make abortion illegal, perhaps you should immediately set up a program to welcome women who have an unplanned pregnancy, for whatever reason, and offer them an alternative other than abortion which is more than a prayer for their well-being. Help them find the way to adoption, or whatever it takes to insure their children, unwanted by them, will be wanted and cared for. Make it your mission to do what you can to see that there is never the need for abortions, except for medical reasons. Can you please consider there are times when an abortion is the best (as terrible as it is) option for some women?
- If you believe God is the one who is in charge of life and death and unwanted pregnancies are God's will, then I think you must also believe, as harsh as it sounds, that couples who can't conceive a child should not use medical intervention to help them have children. Rather than expensive and often risky procedures, those couples should adopt. Would that not also be God's will?
- If life is sacred, you cannot, in good conscience, favor the death penalty. Judgment is in God's realm. Yes, people who commit crimes should be jailed, many for the rest of their lives, but how/why can we use the law to kill them? There are have been innocent people who have been executed, and when there's even one instance of an innocent death (of a living, breathing individual) that should be enough for us to question the death penalty.
- If life is sacred, we should never, as a country, participate in wars where the rules and methods have been changed. Civilians have never been "fair game" in modern rules of war, and yet, by some estimates, hundreds of thousands of noncombatants (women and children and others not directly contributing to the wars) in the Middle East have been killed in recent wars. I don't believe it is intentional by our soldiers, but it is happening, nonetheless. We must stop being warmongers. When I talk to 90 year old men who break down and cry because of what they did during WWII, because of their friends who died in action, I wonder what it will take for us to ever stop sending our young men and women off to war, forcing them to have their lives changed forever. Blessed are the peace makers.
- If you believe homosexuality is wrong, don't fall in love with someone who is the same sex as you. Before we start harping about the sanctity of marriage, perhaps we, as believers, should do something about the divorce epidemic among Christians.

These are just a few things I've been considering lately, especially in the context of the Wizard of Oz. Do you remember how it goes? The wizard really didn't have the power to change to things. The power actually had been with Dorothy and her friends the whole time they were seeking for someone else to change their circumstances.

A set of laws will not make people moral. Government cannot force its people to do the right thing, and who decides what the right thing even is? Let's stop looking for magic solutions and start making the changes we can to start shifting from judgment to making a difference.

Almost Over

Barring any controversy over vote counts or other unforeseen circumstances, the election season will finally arrive at its conclusion on Tuesday. I don't know of a single person who will be anything other than relieved to see it end. I must agree with the phrase I hear with great frequency, "I'm sick of politics."
 
But what does that say about our country if the election process makes us feel awful? The U.S. is the self-proclaimed greatest nation on earth, but what's so great about the way we treat each other during presidential campaigns? What's so great about supporters of a particular candidate who are willing to spread false information about other candidates? What is it doing to the heart and soul of our country?
 
I have acquaintances who regularly spread lies about candidates, and others I know who send wrong information through emails or post false items on Facebook. Knowing that any of us can be careless and repeat something which is not true, several times I have gone to the trouble to find the evidence which shows the information to be false and then I passed it along to the offender. I have been astounded when the response has rarely been to issue a retraction, and most often has been, "I don't care." The excuses have ranged from, "It still makes a good point" to "I just thought it was funny." And yet, many of these same people claim we are a Christian nation. It has been my observation that most of the election process isn't funny or Christ-like, and for fans of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not bear false witness" is not merely a suggestion.
 
We can all rise above the fray. It is possible to participate in the political process without lowering our standards, without being disrespectful and unloving. We can choose to be part of the solution to reuniting as citizens, as neighbors, not divided along partisan lines. As in all things, apply the biblical Golden Rule of treating others as you wish to be treated. Check your facts, don't gossip or repeat falsehoods. And when it's all over, and we have elected a president, no matter who it is, it is up to Christians across the nation to show compassion and forgiveness and to display a willingness to leave the rancor behind and never pick it up again.
 
I'm still proud to be an American, but I would rather we all behave in a way which would make Jesus proud of us.

What's Fair?

I am not prepared to endorse comedian Louis C.K. or his television show “Louie,” as I have never seen an entire episode, but have seen him a few times on other venues, and I know he does perform material which can tend to be fairly controversial. However, I recently saw an excerpt of his show, and there was a line in it which is a good lesson for all of us, of any age.

In the segment, Louie, who is played by Louis C.K., is preparing a meal for his two daughters. He has one slice of mango left, and he gives it to his older daughter. The younger one is upset and begins to grumble about the injustice of the situation. “Why does she get one and not me?”

“Because she’s a separate person from you. You’re never going to get the same things as other people. It’s never going to be equal. It’s not going to happen ever in your life, so you might as well learn that now.”

When she continues to protest about her sister getting something she didn’t, her father says, "That's right. Right now she’s lucky, and you’re not particularly lucky. Maybe later you’ll be lucky.”

"It's just not fair,” she complains repeatedly. "If she gets one, I should get one too."

"Look," he says, "the only time you should look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure they have enough. You don’t look in their bowl to make sure you have as much as they do." 

I'm supposing the lesson some will take from this is 'life isn't fair, get over it,' which is a valid observation. The aspect of the story I would draw attention to is that Louie's daughter is well-fed and taken care of, and even though she missed out on a piece of mango, she was going to have enough to eat for the upcoming meal. She had no real cause for concern she was going to be lacking, but her focus was on herself anyway. Louie tries to teach her a lesson about the importance of making sure others have what they need.

Scripture expresses it this way in I Corinthians 10:24, "Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor."

If we all take the focus off ourselves and what we want, and concentrate more on those around us, and what they need, the whole neighborhood will be better off, us included. A neighbor who is happy and has plenty is a good neighbor. Why wouldn't we want to be good neighbors and help others become good neighbors, too?

Choices

I have some questions and thoughts about abortion. If abortion is a cut and dried issue for you, I hope you will try to maintain an open mind. If you choose to respond to this post, I hope you will do so not out of a place of emotion, but thoughtfully. I respect honest opinions. I struggle with this issue myself, but I think we need to have conversations about it, not yelling matches.

I don't know anyone who thinks abortion is "Plan A," the first and best option, certainly not women who have been sexually assaulted (first choice for them: to not have been violated) or whose life is in danger if they go forward with a pregnancy (first choice for them: a healthy baby, carried full-term). Even those who make poor choices, who don't want children but choose to have unprotected sex, surely must not think, 'It's okay. If I get pregnant, I'll just put myself through the pain and humiliation of an abortion.' Perhaps there are a few in that category, but I believe most who decide to end a pregnancy are trying make the best choice under the worst of circumstances.

I realize that last statement is where I have lost some of my readers. Abortion, many believe, is NEVER the best choice, based on the belief that life begins at conception. Let's think about that for a moment. We all know a living, breathing baby is not what is produced at the moment of conception. Perhaps those who are approaching this from a religious point of view believe the moment of conception is when a spirit is bestowed and therefore, 'life' begins.

If that is what you believe, as I would say I do, then does not God have that spirit safely covered from whatever befalls it? Speaking as someone who had a miscarriage when I was a younger woman, I can tell you the sense of loss was real -- my baby was over three months old -- but my belief that that tiny spirit had gone back to its Creator was a comfort to me. Otherwise, did my body murder my unborn child, making me and he or she forever somehow condemned? Was I somehow responsible? The answer is, no, of course I was not responsible.

The New Testament does not mention abortion, or if it does, I have missed it. Jesus, however, does say to not harm children. Let me offer this: If abortion is illegal, more children -- living, breathing babies, toddlers and children of all ages -- will be harmed, and in many cases, unspeakably so, or even killed. In my training as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer, I know of children who were born to meth-addicted mothers, for example, who will have serious health and behavior problems for the rest of their lives. I know of children who have been abused by their biological families who go on to be abusers themselves, many times committing horrific crimes.

Carrying this line of reasoning through to the conclusion that some fundamental Christians have reached: many of these children grow up to be adults who never become Christians, and therefore, are destined for an eternity in hell. To be sure, some do find a way out of their circumstances, but is that a chance we should be willing to take? Anti-abortion activists believe they are saving lives. Would you entertain the notion that if abortions are banned, lives would also be destroyed?

What is society's role? How and why should we make life and death decisions for others -- not just women, but the children they bear? If abortion becomes illegal across the board, then what? Are we prepared, as a country, either through government intervention or as individuals, to take responsibility for children who will be living in their own hell on earth because they are born to women who, in many cases, don't want them and, almost certainly, have no means to take care of them?

Nothing is cut and dried. I've only barely touched on my thoughts about this complicated and emotionally-charged issue. Abortion is horrible. The consequences for children born to people who don't want them, is also, most often, horrible. As humans, we all make mistakes, and I believe it is unconscionable for any of us to pass judgment on women who feel abortion is the choice they must make, for whatever reason. Let those among us without sin, cast the first stone.

No matter our individual views on this divisive issue, for believers, the motivation for whichever 'side' we're on, must be love. Does Jesus offer us another option? One where love is absent? Abortion has become a hate-filled issue, and one way or the other, love must prevail. All of us need to stop demonizing one another over abortion and start working together to find real solutions.

Prayer Thoughts

I've prayed some interesting prayers over the years and heard others pray for interesting things, too. When I was younger, in particular, I prayed prayers I suppose I had no business praying, asked for things it would have been better not to have received. In retrospect, I would say thank God he's gracious and didn't give me everything I wanted or thought I needed. I've also witnessed and received some truly incredible answers to prayers, things which defy explanation aside from faith and the working of the Spirit.
 
Prayer is central to most religions, and yet, for many it seems to remain a bit mysterious. How and when do we pray? What should and should we not pray for? I would not presume to tell anyone what are suitable topics for prayers, although peace and wisdom might be good places to start and are certainly in short supply. I would humbly suggest a few things not to pray for: patience, a good mood, or that harm would befall another.
 
Patience grows by learning to deal with situations which make us upset or angry. It's perhaps better to practice patience in what we're already experiencing, rather than praying for patience, which could, conceivably, send even more things our way which frustrate us. Relax, be patient in current circumstances, and maybe save the trouble of learning a lesson the hard way. Likewise, praying to be in a good mood, or to be less stressed, or to not worry, for example, are all prayers I believe God will not answer, perhaps cannot answer, because the answer lies within us. These things amount to choices we make. Don't pray to be in good mood; be in a good mood.

Finally, based on New Testament teachings, praying for harm to befall another is about as far away from what Jesus taught as anything I can imagine. Yet, I have heard Christians pray "against" others many times. Our definition and view of justice is always incomplete, and aside from that, it is not our job to figure out who needs to be "put in their place" or punished. Lifting up others, rather than tearing them down, will always be a good use of our prayer time.

The Way to Blessing

Jesus began his "Sermon on the Mount" with a list of beatitudes, ways to be blessed and live in a state of exalted happiness. They are nine brief, yet life-changing, concepts. The main reason the beatitudes are transformative is because they take our focus off our personal problems, our immediate wants and how we have been wronged, and they force us to look at the notion we should not demand mercy and justice for ourselves, but we must never cease to give mercy and justice to others. We should not demand our own rights be upheld, perhaps giving us more time to stand up for the rights of those who are weak or oppressed.
 
The beatitudes promote ideas which many of us struggle to implement in our lives because they go against common mindsets within our society of what it takes to get ahead in life: self-reliance, wealth and power, for example. Instead, we are instructed to be gentle, merciful, pure in heart, peaceful and "poor in spirit," which is often interpreted to mean not placing confidence in our own religious ideas, but relying on God's greater strength to help us overcome adversity. When we mourn, we will be comforted. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness (virtuousness), we will be satisfied.
 
Finally, when our beliefs are challenged, when we are insulted for following Jesus, when false accusations are made against us because of him, we are to recognize this is the way the secular world has always viewed religious principles, and we shouldn't spend the precious time we've been given worrying about what people say about us. The more violently we defend ourselves, the further away we get from the blessings of the beatitudes.
 
If everyone in the world practiced the ideas in the beatitudes, then God's kingdom would be fully present here and now. If every person in the United States lived by these standards, our country would be changed completely. If churches were devoted to these words of Jesus, denominations would not be dwindling. And it starts with each of us deciding to find our own happiness in living out these concepts, thereby becoming a blessing to all we encounter. Happy people help bring happiness to others.

While I've Been Away

It's been nearly three weeks of (mostly) staying away from reading anything on Facebook. When notifications show up in my inbox, I have usually checked in to see what's going on with wall posts and messages, but I have stopped reading most status updates, and I have commented very little. This morning, I spent a bit of time catching up. I discovered I miss many of my friends, but others....not so much. I almost posted something on a friend's status (he had shared something blatantly false), but I refrained, as it would have, no doubt, been construed as political. Because his post was anti-Obama, my pointing out the falsehood of the item would have been taken as a pro-Obama stance on my part. There is no point in me trying to convince him my problem is with the lie, not his political stance. (I know because I've tried.)

And that's one thing I probably should have made clear when I posted my initial "tirade" on September 3. The super-negative comments I referred to, the ones where reason and integrity seem not to be present, are never (or extremely rarely) connected to my blog posts. They are in conversations I've had on some of my friends' threads. Many of those exchanges are entirely pointless, as I'm arguing with those who are not open-minded enough to consider any view other than their own narrow focus. The friends I have who read and comment on my blog topics are wonderful, and even when disagreeing with my opinion, my blog readers are thoughtful and, almost without exception, reasonable.

And there's something else I've come to realize in the weeks I've been away; many people who read what I post (on my status updates and on other threads) likely think I'm writiing political commentary, when most generally, I am not. I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of comments I've made, anywhere, which are about political issues/the direction of our government. You see, I believe in the separation of church and state, so when I write things which might seem (shockingly, I'm sure, to many) to show my support of socialism, for instance, it doesn't have much to do with my stance on government. When I point out our individual responsibilities, my comments are not directed at those who claim no religious affiliation. 

What I blog about is (again with rare exceptions, I suppose) how those who call themselves Christians, believers in God or followers of Jesus, Jehovah, Mohammad, Buddha, Krishna, etc., live out our faith in the world.  How do we put the needs of others ahead of our own? How do we take care of the most vulnerable in society? How do we treat the "least of these"? It's about personal priorities and responsibilities within the context of our spirituality, not within a governmental framework. I do have political opinions, but they are complex and often-changing, quite honestly. I am neither a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. Politically, I am probably the ultimate flip-flopper.

Do a quick search of how much money is spent yearly on cigarettes, perfume, pet care, sodas or bottled water, for example, and it should become readily apparent there is more than enough wealth in the hands of individuals and the private sector to take care of the world's needs. (Examine how the super-rich spend their money, and it's even more sobering.) If each and every one of us lived simply, concentrating on necessities for ourselves and others, then politics wouldn't matter much at all. In fact, I don't think it really matters as much as many of us think it does now.