Ordinary Time

Pause

It is the nature of God to Care.

The Creator of the universe invests in our lives through direct intervention and through the care of others.

Sometimes we just need to have eyes to capture the vision, ears to catch the rhythm, and a heart to respond to God’s call.

Listen

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first. Then bring it to me. You can make something for yourself and your son after that. This is what Israel’s God, the Lord, says: The jar of flour won’t decrease and the bottle of oil won’t run out until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

1 Kings 17:13-14

Think

Many conversations in the Bible begin with the phrase, “Don’t be afraid.” We are often people who are paralyzed by fear. Fear of failure, rejection, and looking foolish rank at the top of our fears. The biblical statement is not a reprimand, but an alert to something out of the ordinary. Fortunately, many of these passages instruct the hearer in ways to let go of that fear and walk into a fuller and courageous life.

Recently I saw an article where District Court Judge Lou Olivera sentenced a retired Green Beret to be locked up for a probation violation. What made the story noteworthy was that the judge knew that the parolee suffered from PTSD and a night in jail was going to be traumatic for him. So rather than removing the responsibility from the parolee, the judge decided to spend the night in jail with him to help dispel his fear.

Fear is best dispersed in community, whether we are the person in fear or the one challenging another’s fear. Let us find ways to journey toward wholeness together.

Wanda Kidd

Pray

Oh God, who meets us in the midst of our greatest and smallest fears, give me the courage to believe you when you say you go with me into the darkest night and into the glaring light of day. I do believe; help my unbelief. Amen.

Go

Care is an engaging word. If we care, then we are compelled to respond to the needs we see around us. Sometimes it requires action, sometimes it simply calls for our presence, but it always propels us to see the world with Christ-like compassion and grace.

Remember today: we do not always know what someone is going through.