Ordinary Time

Pause

“Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it's like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”

Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, 1973

We serve a God who knows what it’s like to walk in our shoes. We follow Christ, who looks at us with compassion and says, “Go in peace.” And, we find joy in the embrace of God’s Spirit.

Will you accept God’s compassion for you? Will you share such compassion with those around you?

Pause. Breathe. Soak it in. God’s compassion is yours. Today and every day.

Listen

You changed my mourning into dancing. You took off my funeral clothes and dressed me up in joy so that my whole being might sing praises to you and never stop. Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Psalm 30:11-12

Think

Have you ever stood in front of your mirror in the morning and thought to yourself, “Today, I am dressed in joy”? What would that even look like?

The Psalmist says that God dresses us in joy, and it changes our whole being. Such an ensemble causes us to dance and praise God endlessly. Such all-encompassing joy leads us to give thanks — forever.

For us, wearing joy is just as much a choice as wearing the purple skirt or brown pants hanging in our closet. We wrap ourselves in joy when we remember that God’s compassion for us is stronger than death. We choose praise when we reflect on God’s faithfulness.

So, go stand in front of the mirror. Are you dressed in joy? What would it take to get there?

Emily Holladay

Pray

God, thank you. I find my joy in you. Today, I wear it proudly. Thank you. Amen.

Go

What would happen if you believed God’s compassion is deep enough and wide enough for you? Would you accept it? Would you share it?

Go today, confident in this: The God who made you came to Earth to walk in your shoes, that you might know the overwhelming peace and joy made just for you.

What are you waiting for? Go! Share this wonderful news!