You are the Creator's Chosen One
This morning Juanita Laverty asked our Mennonite
congregation to adopt an attitude of gratitude in all that we do. Her sermon called to mind Ann
Voskamp book “One Thousand Gifts”. Living with terminal cancer Ann actualized living every moment with gratitude by setting the goal of finding 1,000 moments of gratitude/blessing and writing them down. Juanita has
suggested we do this by placing paper reminders in key places throughout our
day.
Colossians 3:12 opens by naming me Marjorie as chosen by the Creator, a
holy being and dearly loved. I am to cloth myself with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. I am to forgive
as the Creator does and to love through the love of my Creator. Juanita suggested that we place on our
bathroom mirror, a reminder that we are chosen, holy and loved. Why the bathroom mirror well it is the first
place most people go in the morning as they prepare for the day.
The older I grow the less I like what I see in the mirror. Truth be told I do not really look at myself until that point in my
daily routine that I place my mask over the face I was created with:
makeup in an attempt to hold onto my youth.
As a parent and grandparent I become critical
and short with my children and grandchildren when really I am critical of
myself. When my ego is not involved I am
instructive, and directive with them and the message they receive from me is about behaviour not them as people.
While critical and short my message is always about them as people and those are statement I always need to apologize for.
This afternoon I re-read Colossians 3:12-17 and did so
looking for how the Creator want me to treat myself instead of how I treat
others. That was and continues to be a
very humbling and challenging message. Read this way Colossians is addressing directly how I speak to, treat, and love myself.
Growing old is not for the faint at heart. At the very moment of your life when you have
the freedom and time to spend with Grandchildren, hobbies, vacations and
friends our bodies and minds begin the slow and inevitable
march towards dependence and loss of physical autonomy.
If the Creator was to sit down and have tea with you this
evening and ask you to make an accounting, not of your good deeds but of how
well you have loved and treated yourself, would you be able to say
that you did so with:
Compassion,
kindness,
humility,
gentleness,
patience,
forgiveness and
love
kindness,
humility,
gentleness,
patience,
forgiveness and
love
To see myself as my Creator God sees and loves me – No would be my answer I see myself through the society in which I live not
through the love of my Creator.
How would you answer?
Here is my request of you, if like me you answered no, envision
a miracle happening while you sleep tonight. That when you rise tomorrow you love yourself as God intended.
- What is the first thing that you would notice? What small and seemingly insignificant things would have changed to tell you the miracle had occurred.
- Once you can see that thing set about ensuring that it happens tomorrow: pretend the miracle and
- repeat this exercise until your practice of loving yourself becomes a reality.
Grandma Snyder
No comments:
Post a Comment