Ordinary Time

Pause

I close my eyes from the hurt.

I turn away from the bad.

I ignore the pleas for help.

But it remains.

How can I see the Good that comes from God, grows in God, belongs to God?

Listen

They will say on that day, “Look! This is our God, for whom we have waited— and he has saved us! This is the Lord, for whom we have waited; let’s be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”

Isaiah 25:9

Think

This is a funny day. Many face it with dread. Friday the 13th! [Insert evil laugh here.]

But today we look at a different day, the Day of Salvation, not Dread.

Waiting is hard. For anything. We want what we want when we want it. But some things are worth waiting for. In a few weeks, many of us will have a Thanksgiving feast. The preparation and the details all take time. Often the smells coming from the kitchen are the hardest part, a promise of the meal to come. It makes the waiting all the harder, but it also makes the pay-off all the better. We find that the outcome is worth the wait.

Where do you “smell” the aroma of God’s promised day that is to come? Where do you see the preparations being made for the great day of Lord? As we continue to wait, see these glimpses of what is to come, and let us “be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation!”

Rock Higgins

Pray

Lord, when I look at the world, may I do so with your eyes. May I see the good, the beautiful, and the best in all situations. May each face be your beloved Child. And in the hard times, let me see where you are already at work and show me where to join in. Amen.

Go

What we see is a choice.

How we see is a choice.

Today I can choose to commit to see the good in God’s world and to work to make the bad better.