“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”
DEUTERONOMY 14-16
1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.(15:1-11)
MARK 13:14-37
32“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alerte ! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
JOURNAL
To truly live aware and present is much harder than it seems. I think it is because as a human, I tend to want to give context to everything. My memory serves as a way to give me perspective as to why I am here, what I am doing and ultimately who I am. Otherwise when I woke up this morning I would have no idea how I got here, who I am etc.
The brain is truly a remarkable gift. Not only are we able to remember everything from our past but we are also able to imagine, create, plan and visualize a future that does not yet exist. While this ability is absolutely amazing it is not the only amazing gift. Emotions...those chemical reactions in our system...give us feelings that guide us and help us to make sense of those memories and those visualizations and dreams.
When they are all working well...then we humans can do some amazing things...however when they aren't we can go off the rails in pretty dramatic fashion. The real problems begin to fester when we don't see the amazing uniqueness and opportunity of today. Because that is the only real opportunity we have to live this life, to affect the future etc. But it all starts and works in the here and now.
Being aware of what all is going on around me, the needs, the joys, the blessings, the hurts...it is critical in living this life well to fully be present and to see all that God has authored and all that he has allowed and therefore all that he will do through us humans.
When they are all working well...then we humans can do some amazing things...however when they aren't we can go off the rails in pretty dramatic fashion. The real problems begin to fester when we don't see the amazing uniqueness and opportunity of today. Because that is the only real opportunity we have to live this life, to affect the future etc. But it all starts and works in the here and now.
Being aware of what all is going on around me, the needs, the joys, the blessings, the hurts...it is critical in living this life well to fully be present and to see all that God has authored and all that he has allowed and therefore all that he will do through us humans.
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