Philippians 2:1-4
If you’ve gotten anything at all
out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your
life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if
you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each
other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to
the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside,
and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own
advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Greg
and I have two cats...litter mates we rescued 15 years ago from the
local Humane Society animal shelter. Mabel is a calico – mostly white
with splotches of black and orange, and even a spot of orange and white
stripes! Lucy is a “tuxedo”, which means that her long black and white
fur make her look like she is wearing a formal evening suit. “The girls”
- as we lovingly refer to them - were both our office mates when they
were kittens. Over time, they have each somewhat “chosen sides”. Mabel
is never very far from Greg...Lucy is almost always within at least
earshot of me and spends much of her day in my office sleeping in a
chair. In recent months, both of our cats have begun to slow down and
show their age somewhat...especially Lucy. But she still wants to sit
in my lap from time to time...especially in the morning right after
breakfast.
Lucy will lead me to my office and stand by my desk
and cry. That is my cue to sit down and pick her up...and RUB HER! She
doesn’t like for me to look at e-mail – or worse yet, type on my
keyboard. She wants ALL of my attention...and my hands are to be busy
about her face, rubbing and scratching as I softly coo to her and tell
her what a good girl she is. This can last anywhere from a minute to
almost a half an hour, depending on her mood.
There are days when
I truly am too busy for “lap time”...times when I have something
pressing that MUST be attended to – an appointment, a house guest, or
some household chore. This doesn’t happen often...and usually I find
time at some point every day to hold Lucy and “love on her” in this
manner. Here’s the thing I’ve learned...we won’t have these precious
four-legged companions forever. All too soon, there will come a day when
I would give anything for just 30 more minutes to hold my beloved pet
and scratch her face and ears. The time to share my attention and
affection with her is NOW!
I know some of you are thinking,
“She’s just a CAT, for goodness sake!” And I would say to you...this
same thing applies to others. The little children who demand so much of
your time and attention will be teenagers and/or adults tomorrow. The
friend or neighbor...or even your family member or elderly loved one who
seems so needy at times...might not always be around. Often,
opportunities that present themselves over and again - and go untended -
cease to exist. The person you meant to visit...the card you intended
to send...the care you thought you should show to another but never got
around to doing so has an expiration date in many cases...both
figuratively and quite literally.
Everyone is busy. We all “have
a life”...and many of us have an inordinate amount of things to do and
places to be – often all at the same time! But more than a few of us
have made life all about ourselves and our own agendas...and others
strictly get the leftovers. I know, because I’ve done it. I’ve looked at
my little “tuxedoed” Lucy at the end of a busy day and realized that we
never had our “quiet time” together...that I barely looked in her
direction other than to plunk some food into her bowl or brush hurriedly
past her. And I know I have essentially done this in countless other
situations with people who truly are important to me – but I did not act
in the least as if that were the case.
I am so thankful that God
doesn’t do this! He always has time for us...always has our best
interest at heart, even though HE is truly superior in every way – and
far more important than we could ever hope to be. God always has a lap
for us...an ear to bend...time to hear our every word...and the right
support and answers for our every need. In Him, we find comfort AND the
model of perfect grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, and compassion
toward others. The question is...are we paying attention? Are we
honoring Jesus by serving others in His name...and in a like manner?
Has
his love has made any difference in your life? Does being in a
community of the Spirit mean anything to you? Do you have a heart...and
do you really care? What kind of Christian disciple are you...or are
you truly His disciple in the first place? Your answers to these
questions matter...to others, and more importantly – to GOD! How are you
representing the love, grace and mercy of Jesus in your own life? Is it
time for a change of heart, attitude and actions? Wouldn’t today be a
great day to begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment