A rash of bad attitude - November 18
Today’s Readings: Psalm 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30; PM Psalm 119:121-144 Mal. 1:1,6-14; James 3:13-4:12; Luke 17:11-19
The shorter amounts of daylight are quite irksome to me. The sun sets so early, and it is pitch-black dark. I love to go running, but our neighborhood is not well-lighted. I appreciate that there is not much light pollution, though it does impede my ability to go running after work. The other day, I got perturbed with all the complications of life in 2020 and was a “Negative Nancy,” naming and blaming all the ills limiting and weighing on me. “If only it would be light outside longer, then things would be easier,” I whined.
When I read Psalm 101 appointed for this morning, I think about my low point last week. A bit sheepish, I find that I am often falling short of the mark prescribed. What follows are my responses to the eight verses of the psalm:
1. I think mercy and justice are good, and I don’t always sing praises to God; sometimes I whine at God instead.
2. Some days I am too tired to strive, and my course is far from blameless; I storm with irritation in my house.
3. I scroll through worthless social media memes to fill time, or read celebrity news.
4. I can be hard-headed and stubborn, and my 9-year-old might sometimes say I am evil when I make her eat sweet potatoes.
5. I don’t know our neighbors well, and I generally try to be kind, unless you speed down my street.
6. I am glad that God determines what faithful and unfaithful looks like, and I will commit to being a servant, even though my life is far from blameless.
7. I try not to be deceitful, and it is not a pretty sight in our house when someone tells a lie.
8. I pray that I don’t fall into the wicked category. Getting rooted out would mean having to pack boxes, and that could take a while.
Now, I know that some of what I presented sounds a bit crass or even borders on disrespectful. The tone of this psalm, entitled in my Bible as “Commitment to executing justice”, is really judge-y: black and white, good and bad, favor and forbidden. It is easy to draw the line to say that one person is wicked and another is blessed. I know there are times and places in our society to name what is right and what is wrong. Yet, other parts of Holy Scripture call us into the grey area: “for [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).
My hope is that God’s grace is big enough to encompass and redeem my low points, and yours. My hope is that God’s love is unbridled enough to break through even the hardest of hearts, and turn all of our minds toward Jesus. Whether you are having a bout of stormy weather or a week of blue skies, know that you are one of God’s beloved children. God is big enough to receive your anger, or welcome your vulnerabilities and exhaustion. So, come as you are.
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
When do you need to have definitive boundaries? When have you realized the gift of grey areas?
Daily Challenge
Think of an area or issue in your life where you are longing for justice. For three minutes, meditate and pray about how God is calling you to wait in that space. Pray about how God’s mercy is at play as well. After that three minutes, spend one minute offering prayers of praise to God, as a companion with you in this struggle.