Watchwords

Saturday, May 9 – Short Supply

WATCHWORD:

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.
Happy are those
who reject the advice of evil people,
who do not follow the example of sinners
or join those who have no use for God.
2 Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord,
and they study it day and night.
3 They are like trees that grow beside a stream,
that bear fruit at the right time,
and whose leaves do not dry up.
They succeed in everything they do.
Psalm 144:15

 

Meditation:

Short Supply

It seems like happiness is in short supply, these days. You and I look for it. Do we always find it? It can be illusive, if you are looking in the distance, you know tomorrow, as opposed to today, to the now. Happiness could be there, just over your left shoulder, in the next room, or at the end of that telephone line, or the face on your Zoom or facetime loved one.

Have you noticed the common denominator in our search for happiness? People! Yeah, people.

Jesus is a people person who never left a lesson in the singular, always giving us a bonus. Max Lucado puts it this way when Jesus was asked which is the most important command: “The man wanted one answer, but he got two. ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus continues: ‘The second is this:  Love your neighbor as yourself, there is no commandment greater than these’.”

There is your original ‘two for one sale’, but where does happiness come in, you ask? Ah, glad you did. Back to that common denominator…people. I agree with Max that all of life’s ups and downs can be traced back to people. Think about it. You watch the news too much, and are not happy? People! Your check didn’t arrive from the government this week? People! People without masks? People.

Wait! Those are the downs. What about the ups? Some Pollyanna said, ‘Happiness happens when you give it away’. That’s not some Pollyanna, that is just a truth, something I believe we can rest upon. You know the doorway that happiness comes in your life is opened with ‘Whom can I help today?’ or ‘Which person can I encourage?’ or ‘Who needs a little sunshine?’ or ‘I love the rain on the roof’ or ‘A warm smile’ or, or, or, and so it goes. Does that sound like something we manufacture by our efforts? YES!

That little command, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’? That little word ‘love’ is an active, it is a verb. It’s love that neighbor enough to reach out, to do something. Put it to the test. You know what happens when you make others happy? You are happy. Maybe even happier than the one you made happy? Do you suppose? Go forth and smile!

 

Bulletin Board:

From Stan – Know anyone that would like to receive WATCHWORD? Let me know. If you want to opt-off? Let me know that, too.

Cliché of Happiness – Doing good does good for the good-doer.

 

Closing Prayer:

NOTE: For the next seven mornings, I’ll try to keep the focus on happiness in the meditations with the help of you-all, and maybe little shove from Max, Robert, Joyce, Oswald, etc. You know, my old gang. Here we go:

Prayer for happiness:

Heavenly Father, please help us to rest in your happiness, to allow a smile to linger on our lips, to dwell within a wonderful memory, to walk back through sunlit places.

Please help us to awake with hope. To engage with life in all its variety. To take in the beauty of others joys. To touch the souls of those we meet with thankfulness.

Please help us to sing with faith. To carry the truth, close in my heart always. To rejoice at new life and to have peace as we age.

Please help us to indulge in love. To breathe in the sweetness of intimacy. To taste the kindness of friendship. To feel the warmth of embrace.

Please help us not to miss a single drop of heaven. To catch each moment and drink in the great joy of life. You are Lord and Savior of all life. With gratitude, we pray. Amen.

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