Love, Loss and Fear

Every now and then on KNX 1070 AM here in Los Angeles, CA Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute of Ethics runs a “Character Counts” segment.  I was especially struck on Monday when I heard him say, “Everyone you meet loves something, is afraid of something, and has lost something. Consider that in every personal encounter!”  I made it my status post on Facebook and received quite a few comments and compliments.

Seems so basic and elementary, but yet so complex and difficult at the same time.  As Christians we are called to, “Love one another.”  This commandment is an instruction to, ultimately, serve our fellow man.  Based on that commandment alone, it would make perfect sense for us to consider these factors in every personal interaction.

Reflecting on the belief that everyone has lost, loves and is afraid of something, promotes compassion and stimulates the soul to further progress.  This compassion will help us connect with one another in a more Christian way.  Having the head start of this concept allows for more productive relationships, less heart-break, decreased frustration and a reduced amount of stress.

The best place to start as we introduce this new thought into our pattern of living is to apply it to ourselves.  When we become familiar with the things we have lost, love and are afraid it will give us greater understanding and insight to the ways others react to conflict, strife and friction.

 

Not of this World

There is a Christian clothing company called, Not of this World.  They have a very interesting symbol that looks like the word NOW, with a cross extended through the letter “O.”  This cross is actually the letter “T,” but provides a double meaning.  You may have seen it without really knowing it, this is it:

The company gives a portion of each sale to various charities and non-profits.  It is a quite unique operation.  Our Lord reminds us in John 15:19, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  Yet because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you.”   I am captivated by Christ’s prayer in John 17:14, as He prays to His Father for the Apostles He says, “I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Serious consideration should be given to this idea of being, “Not of the world.”  As Christians we have been sanctified, set apart, distinguished as disciples of our Lord.  We cannot serve two masters.  Either we are true followers of Christ and seek to do His will, or we try to adhere to the wild demands and expectations of society.

This world burdens us with anxieties and stresses that take our attention away from Christ.  Each day we should be concerned with fulfilling God’s will in our lives.  Rather than focus on the materialistic minutiae of the world we should continually find ways to make God more present in our lives and in the lives of those we encounter.

Nothing in this world lasts, everything vanishes with time, only God’s truths are everlasting!  How then can we make these truths our sincerest desires?  Merely wearing a t-shirt or placing a sticker on our car indicating that we are Not of This World is not enough, and actually lends itself to reaching towards the worldly.  Putting our trust, our lives, and our heartfelt hope in Christ means separating ourselves from personal desires and wants and attempting to define God’s will in our lives.

 

Epiphany: “The Waters Turned Back”

This morning as we celebrated Divine Liturgy for the Feast Day of the Epiphany of our Lord we had the usual attendees for a weekday service, but also had a newly chrismated, faithful, young man.  Following the liturgy we had the traditional blessing of the waters.  During that service there is a line in a prayer that affirms, “The waters of the Jordon turned back.”

As I was reciting the prayer I thought, “What is going through his (the young man’s) mind as he listens to this prayer?  I continued the service, blessed the Church and the grounds, dismissed the congregation and headed out for my Post-Liturgical cup of coffee.  As I sat in Starbucks reviewing my email, I received a text from this faithful, young man.  It read, “Did the waters really turn back?”

I immediately gasped on my coffee, almost spilling it, and laughed out loud (it is hard for me to write “lol”- I feel like an out of place teen when I do).  I instantly responded, writing, “I thought you were thinking that! WOW!!”  I was a bit upset that this clairvoyant thought didn’t come to me in the form of the winning Mega Millions lotto numbers (jk but that is a topic for another post).

“In my opinion,” I frantically typed, and because of my inability to properly handle my smartphone, retyped, “It is allegorical to repentance.  That is how we should respond to Christ (The Creator) who humbly bowed to His creation (John) to be baptized.”  So, I ask you, on this the 6th Day of the New Year, and the Feast Day of the Epiphany of our Lord, can we truly amend our ways and become better Christians?  Can we make different choices, change our priorities and place Christ and His Church above all else?

Like the Jordon, upon Christ’s humble descent into Baptism by John, let us turn back from our old ways and renew ourselves in Christ!

Happy New Year!

See you tomorrow?