Devotionals

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Sing to the mountains!
Lift your voices high!

Jesus comes giving
comfort and peace!

He is beside us
during the storms of life

When we climb mountains
which are seemingly impossible,he is there

He gives us
courage and perseverance

Not to only survive,
but to grow in our faith

We see the goodness of God in
our brothers and sisters

Let our song
be so uplifting

even the lonely and isolated
people will hear

They will know Jesus is
here for them!

For the homeless and lonely
Jesus is here for them!

For the criminal
who has hurt people

but now realizes the pain he caused
Jesus is here for them!

For all the people
in the world

Jesus makes his presence known to all!
Alleluia!



Some times we are comfortable being with people we know and who have our same beliefs and values. We find it easy to put people into groups. Such as people of faith, the type of work they do the language they speak, or their ethnicity. Many times we do this without realizing we have a narrow point of view. How often do we go to a party where we only associate with people we know. Perhaps this is human nature.
I’m not sure Jesus had this in mind when He talked about brothers and sisters. In the Bible he says whoever does the will of my Father is brother and sister to me. He doesn’t say whoever goes to a certain church or has a particular religion. Also, he says whatever you do to the least of these you do to me. It seems to me Jesus is calling us to look beyond our comfort zone and realize that everyone we meet is our brother and sister. After all God created us all, not just people with whom we agree.
Who are some of the people we need to see as brothers and sisters? Perhaps the homeless? I love the movie where a homeless man was asking for money and it was later revealed that he was Jesus. What about a person who has hurt us. Perhaps very deeply. We might wonder how they can possibly be my brother or sister. We may need to work on our feelings in order to forgive them. But what a wonderful day that would be! They are our brothers and sisters. People from other cultures may have different ideas or religions. Do we discount them because they view life differently? Actually, is their religion so different? Most religions have many of the same values. Loving each other, looking at ourselves honestly and trying to be a better person, and prayer. I have found that many religions have something to teach me about my faith. Yes, the light of Jesus is always there when there is love.
What would happen if we saw each person as our beloved brother and sister and as being created in the image of God? I doubt that we would have wars. How could you kill someone who is the image of God? We wouldn’t fear someone who is “different” from ourselves. After all we have the same creator! We would still have many emotions regarding anyone who hurt us. However, if we realize even they are our brothers and sisters we can work through our feelings and forgive them. We would take special care of those who are frail or have severe disabilities. We would not see them as a burden, but as Jesus himself needing our help. There would be challenges and if we care for others it is important to also care for ourselves.
What if we saw our self as a creation of God? We can’t see others as brothers and sisters unless we realize who created us and how Jesus calls us his beloved son or daughter. We can’t give what we don’t have. As I discussed in chapter six much of our discrimination of others comes from our own lack of self esteem and awareness of that may be difficult. Especially in our noisy culture with its many distractions. We need to look beyond our roles and the media and ask who we really are. It might seem like an impossible task, yet we may be pleasantly surprised with what we find. As we discussed in chapter six our basic desire is to loved and to give love. Sometimes that is overshadowed by our ego. We may want to be important and have things done our way. Yes, we need to look at our weaknesses. All of us have an ego that is working overtime. It is hard to accept people as brothers and sisters when we aren’t comfortable with ourselves.That is why we did the exercises in chapter six. We feel confident when we are with others who have the same beliefs and ideas.However; we become frightened of those who challenge us to see things differently. When we look at our weaknesses we do it with love and with Jesus. We all have weaknesses. Even the most “spiritual” person we know. Once we are aware of our weaknesses we find our heart and soul. The light of Jesus! This is the most beautiful light imaginable. It is the part of us which was created to live eternally. This is the core of who we are. This is Jesus’ heart beating within us, and where all love, hope and faith originate. This is our eternal goodness! Here we are one with Jesus and find nothing but peace and compassion. That is our innermost self, and sustains us even though all may seem lost. We find ourselves loving each other even when we feel we have no love to give. It’s not so bad to consider who we really are is it?
Let’s go one step further. We have found that we are a beloved child of God, and we have a wonderful light within us. This same light is also within each person we meet. A person with whom we are uncomfortable posses the same light. When we discovered we have weaknesses we can look at them honestly and with love. Guess what? Everyone we meet has weaknesses. Isn’t it easier to forgive when we realize our own short comings and that everyone has them? It is then that we can see that we are all brothers and sisters.
Am I saying to forget the people you enjoy being with? Of course not. I am asking that sometimes we do go beyond our comfort zone and treat each person with dignity. To know the joy and challenge which comes from knowing everyone is our brother and sister!


Activity

Think of someone in your life with which you have difficulties. Do they actually have some of the same weaknesses as yourself? Is that why you find it difficult to accept them? You don’t have to be their best friend, but today why don’t you try to ask them a question which will help you know them better. When you go to a meeting or party take time to visit with someone you have never met before. If you see a person who seems to be alone go over and welcome them. Help them feel at home.

Prayer


Who are our brothers and sisters?
The child who
has no food

The person who cuts in
line at the
grocery store

The person speaking
a different language
and from a different culture

The man who has lived many
years and now needs help
with his basic needs

The woman who seems
to want control of everyone
and everything

We have many
brothers and sisters

Jesus, help us see
your glorious light
within us and everyone

May we welcome each
of our brothers
and sisters today

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