Joyful Words Blog
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
– Psalm 119:105
– Psalm 119:105
So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone…1 Samuel 17:50
Hands down David and Goliath is an Old Testament favorite among the students every year. I re-read it to some students for about the tenth time not long ago and the sling shot seemed to stay in my mind. (no pun intended) It’s really a crazy story when you think about it. What are the chances we could really inflict great bodily harm using a sling shot? Since I can’t hit the refrigerator with a rubber band, you can probably breathe easy if I come toward you with a sling shot because odds are good my shot won’t be within 5 feet of my target! It was such an odd weapon of choice for David don’t you think? I wonder what the giant must have thought as this very young soldier stood before him with it…did he find it insulting or funny or insanely ridiculous? I wonder if it made him angry or if he just wanted to bust out laughing. Lately I seem to be confronting the “giants” in my day with a sling shot! Although David was able to conquer with it, I’m afraid I’m not so successful. I seem to keep missing the target and I wonder what God must think as he watches me wildly fling stones around and not really conquer the things that creep between us. I’m sure on some occasions He must have a good laugh at me; I must look like a nut throwing sand at an approaching army. I do believe I often miss the WHOLE point of the David and Goliath story. It wasn’t about David and his sling shot at all…it was about the power of God working through an open, trusting and expectant heart. David didn’t doubt, he just knew God would conquer. The truth is, David could have faced that enemy with a paper clip or a cotton ball and defeated him because it was the power of God that did the work not the power of man. I’m not so good at living that part of the story. I still think with enough practice, my sling shot and I will get better…NOT! It's not about the size of the battle or the weapon, it's the size of the faith and trust that determine the outcome. Sometimes I add to the story. I continue reading as if the words are really there and tell the story about how David did a big end zone dance joyfully proclaiming his greatness as a sling shot shooter. Then he goes to King Saul and demands more pay and more fame and tells his story of greatness again and again. I can always count on at least two or three kids to realize I’m making that part up and that leads into a very important lesson in humility. Perhaps in my own quest for greatness I forget who really needs to aim my sling shot and why. So we’ve reached the part in the story where I need to make a choice. Either I need another weapon to slay the sinful enemies and giants in my life or I need to let someone else aim my sling shot because I am a lousy shot! Let me see...I think I’ll try a little harder to go with the second choice! A Seed To Plant: Read the story of David and Goliath and then seriously contemplate the things you’re trying to slay with a sling shot and then figure out which ones you need to hand over to God’s precise aim. Blessings on your day!
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Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
My mom was quick with the “one-liners”! She had a way of cutting right to the chase in less than ten words, and her powerful lines had a way of knocking the wind right out of you. Those powerful lines were always spoken with great love and usually served up with a hug and a smile and I’m absolutely certain a prayer before she fell asleep that same night. Her goal was to help us get to heaven so she always said there was no time for messin around with the business of motherhood. One day I came home so excited that I had been given a solo part for an upcoming concert. Her response still sticks in my mind like a label on a jar! She stopped peeling potatoes for a minute, smiled and told me she was proud of me then motioned me over so she could kiss my forehead. A millisecond later she went back to peeling potatoes and said, “Now, don’t let it go to your head! Pridefulness isn’t pretty on anybody!” That was her style, love hard and speak the truth without any extra words. As I continue to pray about what God wants me to BE, he keeps sending me back to the word humility. I decided to spend some time praying and reading about humility and found some stuff that is helping me realize it’s much bigger than I thought. Many of the great saints have written about humility. Padre Pio, Mother Teresa, St. Francis deSales and St. Benedict just to name a few. As I read their teachings I decided to share a few of the things I’m learning because I get the feeling that if we all acted humbly, this world would be completely transformed. I picked four from among the many suggestions offered by the saints to start with. I may have to write a part 2 and a part 3 later. I keep coming across this quote; “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” —Saint Augustine. If sainthood is our mission then humility seems to be one of tools of the trade. True humility comes when we put ourselves third. Humility is not a sign of weakness or passiveness; it’s the opposite. True humility allows us to see and act like Jesus. First Humility Practice: Talk about yourself as little as possible. If we believe God truly knows the desires of our hearts and if we do everything to please him rather than those here on earth, this makes perfect sense. Second Humility Practice: Choose the more difficult or less appealing jobs. There is great humility in doing the task nobody else wants to do. Vacuuming is one thing but cleaning out the produce drawer with all it’s hidden squishy, fuzzy contents is quite another. Third Humility Practice: Don’t worry about other peoples business, don’t talk about other peoples business and don’t even be curious about things that don’t concern you. We sometimes get curious and try to hear the news under the disguise of being “concerned” or “wanting to know the facts so we can pray for them” but the saints challenge us to be honest about our motives. Do we need to have our nose in someones business or can we use that energy to beef up our prayer life instead. Will knowing the “rest of the story” help us get to heaven or just give us some new information we can’t do something positive with? Fourth Humility Practice: Recognize your talents, gifts and graces then promptly thank God for them and move along. We should use them well, but the ambition to be the “best” is not going to build our humility. I think my mom knew this one because after my first solo performance, she lovingly said, “Sweetie, that was so good and we’re proud of you but just remember, you might sing prettier than a dozen people, but there are hundreds that sing better than you, so thank God for the gift and don’t let your imagination turn you into a rock star.” Humility keeps us grounded, balanced and rooted in the Lord. If I can master these first four practices I will have many fewer nights when I go to bed and feel guilty or embarrassed, how about you? A Seed To Plant: Pick one or two of the practices and sit with the Lord to make a plan of attack to put it into motion in your life. Blessings on your day! And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:12 There is nothing like a big ‘ole slice of humble pie every now and again to remind us who is really in charge! Tuesday was the start of a new year at St. Mary’s school and like always, the first grade rooms are full of life, energy, laughter and occasionally a big, fresh slice of humble pie for those who think they are the boss! In our building, we have a great principal! He is a faith-filled, gentle leader who is a joy to be around. He’s a very tall man and his stature can sometimes cause the first graders to look up in awe! He is definitely a person you notice when he walks down the hall. But, even the principal is sometimes served some humble pie. That’s exactly what happened when one of our first grader was asked to take something to the office. He walked through the office door expecting to visit with Melanie or Sue the “Angels of the Office”. Unfortunately they were both on a mission so the principal asked if he could help him. The little guy looked up at the principal shaking his head and said, “No thanks, I need to talk to somebody who works here!” The event gave us all a great laugh but the simplicity of the story has a pretty steep meaning when you give it a bit of thought. As I was thinking about the story, I began to wonder how many times during a struggle or challenge do we talk the issue over with friends, family or maybe even the poor lady stuck between us and the next cart in the check-out line at the grocery store. How often do we use human logic and reason instead of taking our concern straight to the boss? It’s usually just about the time I start feeling wise that everything goes hay-wire! I recently offered what I thought was great and wise advice to a teenager. I usually ask a quick blessing on my words from the Holy Spirit before I have this kind of discussion but this particular day I thought, “naww…I got this one”. At the conclusion of my sage counsel, the young lady looked me right in the eyes and said, “Are you serious…there’s no way, that’s ever gonna work!” Ouch! I then suggested maybe she should pray about it for a bit and see what happened. A few days later she thanked me…for reminding her that God was the one she should have gone to first instead of me. Humble pie lovingly served! I’ve decided if I don’t “talk to the boss” every time life gets a wrinkle in it, then I’d better start carrying a BIG fork to eat my humble pie with! A seed to plant: In order to be sure we don’t exalt ourselves, do some acts of personal humbling. You might start by allowing someone to move ahead of you in line or leave the last cookie on the plate. It’s much easier on the soul to humble ourselves than to have someone else do it for us! Blessings on your day! |
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Sheri's writing can also be found at Faith Catholic Publications and on CatholicMom.com
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