Fields United Methodist Church

Day 44.  Take Time to be Holy

June 1, 2020

“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13,14

Read: Psalm 27

At every step of creation God stepped back and proclaimed the goodness of creation, including and especially humanity.  Each of us has been created in the very image of God and with that divine image comes the goodness that was proclaimed from our conception. Along the journey of life, we accumulate stuff that hides the goodness that every human being possesses; the stuff of sin. Yet there is hope. Our God is one of opportunity and hope; opportunity to turn back to the goodness of the Lord and the hope that all will eventually witness the grace and peace that can only come from God. We are struggling with a global pandemic with all of its challenges and now we struggle with senseless violence and the stain of racism, sexism, and so many other “isms” that do nothing but separate the people of God. In God, through our living Savior Jesus Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit there is another way to live and see people; not as categories or statistics but as those possessing the very image of God, however tarnished it may have become. The eternal optimism of God sees beyond the dirt and grime of sin and sees a soul worthy to be saved. Jesus did not hang on a cross for nothing, and the grace and mercy of God is not offered only to a chosen few. There is hope for all people, every last one no matter who they are and what they have done; we all are part of “they.”

Maybe it is time to look beyond what we may see and judge another to be and see all people as God sees them, a beloved child worthy to be saved. It is the witness of the faithful that believes beyond belief that God is working in the hearts of all people, no matter who they are and the categories we place upon them. So what would happen if we saw all people just a bit differently, perhaps as God sees them? God sees you as a beloved child and will go even to death on a cross to save you, that is how much you are loved. The reality of the “goodness of the Lord” is that God loves all people in the very same way God loves you. Courage is needed to accept the reality of God’s love which has been offered to all people. There is hope for today; God is too good for anything less. Be strong; the Lord is not only near but is here!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to see the goodness in all people, no matter who they are and what they are doing. May my witness offer your grace to the world around me.  Amen