This has been a strange week for me.  For some reason I feel more organized than usual.  I have also been more centered and grounded in my daily pursuits.  I have found myself thinking ahead and making a concerted effort to give only one emotional thought my undivided attention and concentration, instead of trying to resolve all the world’s problems in one day.   This week I have been free from frustrations and despair. Hallelujah!

So, now that this week has just about come to an end (today is Friday), I want to pause in all my ‘doing’ and give thanks to how the Holy Spirit has organized my time and allowed me to ‘just be’ in the moment.  There is no doubt that the weekly instructions I am imparting to a few residents at my apartment building on mindfulness meditation are strengthening me, too.

Do you realize that most of us go throughout our day ‘doing’ a host of things that are merely filling a void of not ‘being’ organized.  And because we did not actually complete any of those tasks, they are still on our plates the next day.  This cycle is repeated day after day.  We never truly clear our minds of rehashed problems.  The sad part is that we expect certain situations to complete themselves based on our inadequacy or inability to resolve it in a timely fashion.

Because life is difficult, during this week, the Holy Spirit led 3 people to me to give spiritual advice to that could help them un-clutter their minds from the trials and tribulations of this world.  Thanks be to our Lord and Savior that my countenance and demeanor were free to receive their dilemmas.  As I reflected on how I assisted them, I soon realized that my response to each one was the same.

With the aide of the Holy Spirit, I reminded them that both the man Job in the Old Testament and Jesus, the Son of God, warned in the holy scriptures that man is born to endue trouble.  And because of that biblical truth, we can expect our share of difficulties. 

My first encounter was with a friend who had just experienced a car accident.  According to her recollection of the mishap, she was innocent because the pedestrian carelessly ‘walked‘ into the side of her car.  The second encounter was with a male friend who wanted me to justify his decision not to accept a volunteer leadership position while on a mission trip because God had only imparted to him to ‘become‘ a missionary and not an ‘unpaid‘ organizer with extra responsibilities. (His emphasis was on the word ‘unpaid’.) And the third encounter was with a female friend who felt ‘guilty‘ because she had made a promise and signed up to participate in something that required a small monetary contribution, but later reneged. She was seeking forgiveness.

While none of these incidents were earth-shattering to me, they were wrecking havoc on my friends. Therefore, I did not make lite of them. I listened with sympathy…AND…with putting all else aside, gave each one my undivided attention. I even inquired of them what else they were troubled with. And that question opened up another half-hour of discussion time. I tried to be encouraging and in the end gave them comfort in knowing that in the midst of all these difficulties, no matter how great or how small, they can depend on the fact our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has already overcome the world. That in spite of everything, they should look on the bright side because it is during hardships and difficult times that draws us more closely to God.

While praying for them, I also reminded them that trials and difficulties are good for us because they also help to nurture perseverance and strengthen our tenacity to grow in faith. Amen.

Scripture Lesson: I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

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