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What kind of influence do you have on those around you? Many years ago, I worked at a business that actively promoted the mantra, “Talk to, not about.” The employees knew that the success or failure of the business depended on everyone’s attitude, and the resulting culture we created in the workplace. The same can be said for life in general, and the Bible has a lot to say about attitude (Phil. 2:14-15; 1 Cor. 10:10; 1 Pet. 4:9).
In his book, The Meaning of Marriage…(2013), the author, Timothy Keller, says: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” In simple terms, when someone knows the worst of you and still chooses to love you, that is godly love.
I attended a dinner event recently where I heard a young man share the testimony of his life journey. It was impactful. He spoke about growing up with a disability and he shared how he hated his life back then. He described how isolated he felt when society treated him as though he was “different”.
This is Holy Week. All over the world, believers will gather together to contemplate the events that unfolded many centuries ago, in Jerusalem. In our Sunday services, we can get so caught up in the drama of dancing and singing “Hosanna” while waving our palm branches as we try to recreate the atmosphere that unfolded that day….
Loneliness. If you have ever experienced it, you know. Jesus felt it too on that night in Gethsemane. Throughout his life he had enjoyed the crowds in the temple, and he had experienced the closeness of those who followed him day and night listening to his teachings and experiencing his miraculous power. For three years he had savored the constant friendship of the twelve disciples, his closest chosen companions. Yet on the night that he needed them the most, in those final few hours of his life, they fell asleep. They abandoned him. They failed him in his hour of need.
…When was the last time someone really encouraged you? How did it make you feel? How did you view yourself afterwards? If you haven’t been encouraged in a while, how greatly do you long for it? If the daily news headlines are anything to go by, our whole world needs encouragement right now.
The feeding of the 5,000 is a story we know well. We are inspired by this miracle when we are caught in worries of scarcity. This miracle reminds us that Jesus will provide. Yet, while we focus on his impactful teaching and miraculous feeding of the crowd, it is easy to gloss over the thing that makes it possible: rest.
In reading this story, what do you notice?
When did you last unplug from technology? Many of us are tethered to our cell phones from the moment we wake up to the time we go to sleep. One Saturday evening, a few months ago, I remember reaching the brink of panic because I could not find my cell phone anywhere. I spent hours searching frantically for it, my mind spinning as I tried to retrace my movements throughout the day and all the time wishing I had not switched it to silent mode.
As a young girl growing up, I often heard the adults in my life say the phrase, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. At the time, I did not understand the full meaning of that phrase, but as I got older it made a whole lot more sense. I noticed how destructive idle time can be. The devil likes to slip into the idle and empty spaces of our lives. He loves to wreak havoc when he finds an opening, however tiny it might be.
Take a moment and think about the most important thing you need to accomplish by the end of your day today. Pause. I’ll wait…. Got it?
Now would you believe me if I told you that, that is not the most important thing?