Progress, Not Perfection

Jesus tells us to love our enemies. Sometimes, when I am struggling to love my friends and family, I think about what a HUGE task it is to love our enemies. We often do not use the word "enemy" too much these days, so let's take a moment to think about what Jesus was talking about when he said to love our enemies. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us to pray for those who persecute us. Perhaps we have been wronged by someone, an organisation, a company, a family member. The point that Jesus is making here is that it is easy to love people who love us and are kind to us. But, it is harder to love people who treat us poorly. For me, I also find it hard to accept that I might not be able to change those people, in fact I probably won't be able to change them. The only person I have that kind of control over is myself. It takes courage to change. But Jesus calls for radical change in the way that we think, the way we speak, and the way that we love. I had

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice  ( Philippians 4:4) As we know, each week of advent has a theme and this week coming up, the theme is Joy. During this season, it can be easy to feel the stress of life with school, work, and family commitments. But it is important to think about the amazing gifts of God and the marvelous coming of God's son that we are preparing for during advent. I often find myself turning to the Psalms when I am seeking a prayer because I like the idea of praying a song that was written so long along and yet still holds true. For this week, I offer you Psalm 71. Psalm 71:18-24   New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) So even to old age and gray hairs,     O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might      to all the generations to come. Your power  and your righteousness, O God,      reach the high heavens. You who have done great things,      O God, who is like you?   You who have made me see many troubles a

There are events in life that happen which totally change how we see the world, how we live, and how we love others. When these things happen, it can feel like we are starting life over again. For example, I sometimes think back to high school and I feel like that was a totally different life. Who I am now is so different, and yet the same. It is a wonderful example of life's paradoxical nature. This was on my mind in the last week because my Grandpa had a heart attack last Thursday. He has been in the hospital and is making a slow recovery, but he has heart failure which means that his heart is no longer functioning the way that it should be. Because of this, he has to follow a very strict diet, weigh himself every morning, sleep in certain positions, and many more things. This is going to be a total change in his life. At 76 years old, it is like he is starting a new life. It is hard to imagine that our lives can continue to change and totally turn us around. I think a lot