let us always have in mind the eternal happiness, the goal of resurrection - a happiness of whose excellence the minutest part would scarce be told if all were said that the tongues of all men can say.
p1004
We are God’s offspring who were intended for greatness and we seem to ruin everything we touch.From the the perfect Monday morning blog post for my soul!
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| I only dread one day at a time. |
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" 25 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:21-35Mark...is describing a typical Sabbath day in the life of our Lord. He provides us with a concrete description of Jesus' Sabbath life so that we can meditate upon it and take it as a pattern for our own observance of the Lord's Day. The delightful thing is that Mark gives us a vision for the entire day, beginning with corporate worship and extending to works of mercy and necessity as well as fellowship. (p70 The Taste of Sabbath: How to Delight in God's Rest)
There is no dawdling in the face of fear. When we perceive it creeping up on us we want to keep moving. To slow down and listen to what it might be saying is counterintuitive.
But fear is speaking, and we should listen.
Highlights of Chapter 2 in Running ScaredRather than minimize your fears, find more of them. Expose them to the light of day because the more you find the more blessed you will be when you hear words of peace and comfort.
Control and certainty are myths.
What are your dreams saying? The content can be silly and inscrutable, but listen for the emotional tone of your dreams. What do they feel like? Being pursued? Missing deadlines? Spinning endless plates? Being exposed and embarrassed? Keep track of them and in the course of a week you will hear them speak
Take a quick inventory of your physical tension. Start at the top of your head and go to your toes. Unless you are on the tropical beach you once imagined or in a backyard Jacuzzi (loads of those in Tipton), you will probably notice that your forehead and neck are tightened. Your arms are much more constricted than they need
be......
When we are aware that anxiety has registered at a physical level we call it stress.
Stress is saying that life is teetering on the brink, right at the farthest reaches of your ability to maintain some control.
Stress can also signify that there is something on your to-do list that will be inspected by others.
Anxiety and fear prefer to stay on the surface rather than linger to consider something more deeply. And you are too busy anyway. If you think about these things, you will just get farther behind.
Even when paralyzed by circumstances a stressed person is a driven person.
Listen carefully to depression and you often hear fear and anxiety.
Outside the covers is a world that is out of control with the potential for failure, rejection, and endless surprises we can't even imagine, so depression opts for paralysis.
A woman rages at her husband for coming home late with alcohol on his breath. Sue, there is the 'You are wrong' component. But there is also ' I am afraid you are losing interest in me. I am afraid you could be tempted by another woman. And when you add alcohol, I get even more afraid.'
The problem is compounded with men because men aren't supposed to be afraid. With no permission to discuss fears, men opt for anger. Sometimes their anger says, 'This is the only way I know to get some control in an out-of-control world.'
Today's parents were an under-protected lot. They grew up during a time when the divorce rate had spiked; they came home to empty houses. Not only were many of them self-parented, they also parented their parents, which means that
they had no parents. So naturally, they are protective now as parents, involved and exhausted. They are looking into preschools before their child is born because they sense that the wrong one could forever handicap his or her future. Fear has given birth to 'extreme parenting.' It looks like love, but it is love mingled with fear.
SuperstitionsI love this
And yet, as if from nowhere, the paranoia rises.
Should Simeon be able to roller blade ?
And are we 'holding him back' because we are not giving him this brand of bottled water?
;)
Part 1
