The Times We Live In

These times are frustrating, right?  We are in the third year of a pandemic that changes on us as we continue to defend ourselves with vaccinations and masks and distancing, etc.  We have a country riven by such deep division that sometimes it seems hopeless that we could ever reconcile.  Inflation is still high (just go to any gas station). The church is considered antiquated at best or immoral at worst by many.  And on and on.
When contemporary life becomes too hard to handle, when I become frustrated or angry or just plain sad I realize that I need to stop and think – to meditate – to remember – that I am aligned with a God who is none of the above. She is a God of calm and peace.  He is the embodiment of healing and compassion. They are a God of abundance. And no matter what anyone thinks of her, he remains the same. They are immovable.
I don’t mean any of this in the Old Testament sense. God has given us a new testament and shown his face in a new way.  God IS calm and peace and healing and compassion and abundance and immovable in their love. This is not pie-in-the-sky thinking.  It is and always will be the ultimate reality.  I see this at church with the community we have, I sense this in communion and I experience in the world from many good people – Christian or not. I need to acknowledge these truths more in my life during the times we live in. Wait, I think I need another meditation time.  See you on Sunday to celebrate the one who loves ALL of us beyond measure or understanding.

Bob Blough