Vanity or a Call to Service?

Photo by charlotte 202003 at Pixabay

I read a beautiful story about a family called to feed and care for the local homeless. It pricked my conscious. Should I set aside my desires to write and paint and instead do more volunteer work? At my age, I don’t have the physical stamina to do both. Perhaps my writing and painting are vain things best put aside for the benefit of others.


Then, why would God give me the desire and the talent to pursue those activities if they had no value, did not provide any blessings?


I spent several days praying to know His will, vowing to follow wherever He sent me.


Today, in my devotional, Good Morning, Lord Joseph T. Sullivan wrote: “… Lord, inspire those who create beauty for us: the sculptor, the writer, the composer, the architect, the painter, the virtuoso… They can show us what you are like and render great service to us all.”

I had not considered my talents as a service.

Although I am not called to run a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen, I am still required to be generous for the poor, the homeless, and others in need where and when I can.

Freed from guilt, I can joyously use my talents to help others see the beauty in our world, pointing out rainbows where some only see mud.


Lord, inspire me to use the talents you have given me wisely and generously. Amen.

The Best Fix for a Broken Heart

God did not promise us a life without suffering. Quite the opposite as he commanded that we take up our cross and follow him.

However, he didn’t leave us alone to flounder in our agony. He gave us the blueprint for joy amid our sorrows. This popped up in my memories on Facebook this morning. 

It seems life often spirals in circles with old wounds reopened long after you thought they had healed. In truth, we bear the scars of many wounds, and the right circumstances can open them again.

I had already vowed to put others before myself before I read this reminder. God merely confirmed my plan in His usual manner, a personal message where and when I least expect it.

So, in response to a fresh wave of sorrow, I am doubling my efforts to be a better wife, mother, and friend, putting others first. It will work. When we focus outside ourselves, our sorrows fade to the background.

Isn’t this what Christ told us to do? “For the first will be last and the last will be first.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Then he led by example, sacrificing himself for our us.  

 

Wishing My Life Away

When I was still in school, I would start whining about mid-March, loudly wishing it were June and summer vacation. After one of my more long winded sessions, my dad put down his paper and looked at me.

"Marie, life passes quickly enough, don't wish it away."

I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but as I am now past my middle years and stepping into my senior ones, I can, and do, appreciate his wisdom. Yet, I still seem to always be wishing for something: the weekend, vacation, or the golden years of retirement. I believe I will be happier when those moments finally arrive, but will that be true?

I've had hard weekends that made work look easy, vacations from hell, and retirement has a whole slew of other challenges. Is right now so bad I need to wish it away? Better I fill up on today, this moment, this hour. It is a gift, this Present.

Thank You, Lord for this inspiration as I am already wishing the day to be half over, the surprise overtime done and over with, and my short weekend already beginning.  Only with Your strength can I live now - in this moment - looking for ways to serve You rather than feed my self-indulgences. It is true, those who serve find more happiness and contentment than those who only take. Lord, I ask you this day to give me a serving heart, to seek Your will over mine. Amen.