Hello peeps! Welcome to the world of August and its taxing heat. For my part, I am excited about a part time sped position, teaching a course at a local community college and continuing to tutor some students. Recovery from my hospital stay has been steady and positive. I am on the right regimen of meds, participating in therapy and learning skills to ward off intrusive thoughts and feelings. I’m also continuing to work on my overall health by eating well and exercising every day. I am grateful.
The pictures I included in this month’s post were drawings I spotted while attending a meeting in a catholic church this past winter. They had me chuckling, so I had to take snapshots. My personal favorite is the one where Jesus appears to be holding hands with a dolphin. The other two pics are the more traditional views we have of Jesus, but the dolphin one seems like the real Jesus if you ask me. When it comes to things of faith, I’ve been seeking the truth concerning religion versus relationship. What does it mean to be in a faith relationship with God? Does it mean attending church one day a week, listening to a sermon, singing a few hymns and slapping the label Christian on yourself? No. Being a Christian should include so much more than that. It should mean problem solving the bigger issues of the world that leave people adrift on a sea of flotsam and jetsam in which pain and suffering seem to rule the day. It should mean sharing each others’ burdens as one walks the road of life in fellowship. Being a Christian should include living humbly, executing justice, and working for the preservation and restoration of creation. What does Jesus look like? He might look like the road construction worker holding a proceed with caution sign or the person committed in a mental health facility. He might even resemble the person you consider your worst enemy. Does that leave you feeling unsettled? Good. It should. Jesus never meant for the life of faith to be easy. Nor should it be straightforward, convenient or even that comfortable. The good news is, this way of being includes a life full of promise and purpose. In short, it’s a mission that leads to a meaningful existence of thriving rather than just surviving.
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