I Want to be a Pointer

Okay. I’ll admit it. Some days I struggle with humility. I get so fixated on who commented or liked or loved my blog, that I fail to remember it is HE Who deserves all the honor and praise. Less of me, more of Him. That I might decrease and He increase.

We’ve been talking about John the Baptist a lot lately and, WOW, did he ever exude humility! Those two boys – Jesus and John – were cousins with intimately close mamas – so intimate that when Mary showed up at Elizabeth’s home, Elizabeth’s baby boy, John, leapt in her womb. They were quite a foursome. I suspect those boys had many play-times together. They were more than cousins – they were “soul and spirit” brothers.

Just think how John could have been jealous of Jesus, but He continued to say things like: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) And, I agree with John. I want that, too! I really do desire that when others see me, they see Jesus. I want any attention I get to deflect off me and land right to He Who is worthy of all praise. He must increase, but I must decrease.

I suppose this is a common struggle in the world we’re living in today. In this “survival of the fittest” to gain the most followers or take the best “touched-up” selfie, or profile our amazing “bestie” friends, it is easy to allow the self-praise desires to cloud the path to Christ. This is why I know I am inspired by the humility of St John the Baptist. When given the opportunity to claim personal fame, he deflects the attention to Christ.

I wonder how much of what we do proclaims to the world, “more of you, God"! In the midst of racking up those likes and loves, are our efforts leading others to Christ, or are they fattening up the number of followers in the popularity score we’re keeping for ourselves? Lord, please help us show You off and be a pointer to You as an example of true humility. And when the world seeks to capture our attention with promises of glory or fame or accolades of any kind, may we point to the One who deserves all our praise. Less of me, more of You, God!

He AND They Get Sweeter as the Days Go By

An old gospel song went like this: "He gets sweeter as the days go by; He gets sweeter as the moments fly; His love is richer, deeper, fuller, sweeter. Sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by." Seriously, the older I get and the closer I've become with my Lord, the sweeter and more peaceful is my journey. I'm consistently drawn to His Light. I'll be honest with you -- I'm so happy that the dark side of October 31st is over. Bring on the bright Light of Christ! Talking, walking and living in the Light is my number one priority. The more familiar I've become with THE LIGHT, the more I shun darkness of any kind!

Yesterday, November 1st (BTW – Happy November!!) was All Saints Day when we focused on saints. This tradition began in AD 609 and encourages us to remember and emulate our heroes of faith. So many devoted their lives to God and were Light-bearers of Christ. Many were martyred for their faith.

Today, November 2nd, is All Souls’ Day. Both of these days touch me so much -- two beautiful days of celebration. Those of us who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, look at death as leaving our “temporary” home on earth to go to our home sweet, eternal home in heaven. There are many who consider death an unpleasant topic and don’t even want to discuss the subject. But, my sweet mother-in-law gets it because she keeps saying "I want to go home!" She knows the joys that await her.

Here’s the positive way of looking at death. This earth has been our internship for heaven. It's the "holding room" for the ride of our life. You and I, and everyone we love will eventually die so then death had better be our friend and not our enemy. All Saints Day and All Souls Day offer us a wonderful, consoling and beautiful way of looking at death. On All Saints Day, we celebrate the glory of the saints in heaven. The Church teaches that everyone in heaven is a saint. There are many men and women, who are canonized (official) saints, and a special day is assigned to them. On All Saints Day, we celebrate everyone in heaven. Think of our loved ones who have died and gone to heaven. This is a chance for us to be happy for, and with them. They have no pain, no frustration, and all they know is absolute, complete peace and happiness because they are in the presence of God. We rejoice with them!

On All Souls Day, we acknowledge our loved ones who died and we embrace our memories with them and the great hope of meeting up with them in heaven. On this day, I purposely recall my precious grandmother who introduced me to my future husband, my firey-preacher grandfather, my angel mom, and wonderful dad, my beloved husband and so many others who influenced and impacted my life. On this day I get to admit that I miss them and I’m not even ashamed to shed a few tears for them. After all, Jesus wept over the death of His friend, Lazarus. I don’t shed tears because I lack faith or because my faith is weak. I shed tears because I miss them. It's okay. It's just temporary for me because I carry on with the joy of seeing them one day soon! I continue to let Jesus make sense of it all for me! How about you?