What is the Healing Word?

Some of the events and places in our lives are so beautiful that each time we experience them we are surprised by how truly beautiful they are. I can recall when my friends and I were driving back for Christmas vacation from my first year of college in Michigan and seeing the Rocky Mountains to the west of Denver. As I got closer to Denver, they seemed to rise up out of the plains. The excitement, delight, and surprise grew more intense with each passing mile. A sense of wonder overwhelmed me and finally tears of joyful awe ran down my face and over my smile. I had forgotten how huge and beautiful the mountains were, and yet they were there all the time just as beautiful and just as huge. They had not changed. I had. Coming back helped me to remember.

Beautiful moments and beautiful places sometime surprise us like that even when we’ve only been away for a month, a week, or even a day. The Mass is one of those beautiful moments that is always more than I can anticipate or remember. One of my favorite parts of the Eucharistic Celebration is the prayer, “Lamb of God.” That is the first point in the Mass where we, the faithful, are actually speaking to the Real Presence. It is like seeing the mountains rise from the plains. Jesus is really there, really as beautiful, really as loving, really as real as life itself. He is always coming back to us in the Eucharist to show us how much he loves us, how available he is to us, and how wonderful he is all the time even when we do not remember.

In our parish, as in many others, the Eucharistic ministers are gathered before the altar during this prayer. As we speak to Jesus in prayer, helpful hands take hundreds of hosts, each conveying the fullness of Christ, and distribute them to several ciboria. “Bread, blessed and broken” is prepared for sharing. At the end of this short and beautiful prayer where we ask Jesus for mercy and peace, the Priest elevates the Host, showing us the Lamb of God. “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are they who are called to his supper.” John the Baptizer announced Jesus using words like these. It was the first public acknowledgement of Jesus’ mission. Again, the beauty of that moment is overwhelming as we contemplate the fullness of his Grace. Jesus is right there in front of us. So beautiful. So amazing. Then we all pray together again. As we look up at him in adoration, we pray this beautiful and amazing prayer, a prayer of faith asking to be healed:

“LORD, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.”

Have you ever heard that healing word?

Silence was what I used to hear when that prayer was offered during Mass. I have always believed that somewhere in Heaven or history, somehow in Theology or Doctrine, someone knew that healing word. Each time the faithful uttered that prayer, that word was spiritually given in response. Just as I had forgotten to see how beautiful the mountains are, I had forgotten to listen for his healing word for me. But what would it be?
If, like the Centurion whose words to Jesus are the basis for this prayer, I asked Jesus for healing, what is “the word” he would speak? Would he just look at me, see the weakness of my faith and say, “Yeah, right.”?

I think not. When the Woman from Canaan reminded him that even the dogs get the scraps from the master’s table. He did not withhold his blessing and healing. Jesus knew just what to say to her to give her healing for her daughter as well as for her own distress.

The LORD knows all our needs. He knows all of us by name all of the time. He knows what we want and how much that often differs from what we need. Much has been written and preached about how we offer to do his will and then list our specifications for doing that. All of us can recall at least one instance when we ignored his tender call and ended up stranded in the brambles. If he knows how many sparrows there are in the world, and knows all the names of all the stars, then he must also know the names and places of all the atoms in our bodies. He has created all of us, and each of us is uniquely created. Perhaps, then, the healing word invoked in our prayers at Mass is unique as well.

All of us need healing from the damage caused by sin. Some of us are nursing broken hearts, broken spirits, or broken bodies. Some of us are struggling to help our faith blossom under adverse circumstances. Some of us may be doing just great and know that God is working freely in our lives. “Only say the word, and I shall be healed.”

What do you imagine Jesus would say to you if you asked for healing? For some people, he might say, “Done!” Recall that the prophet Isaiah told us, “by his stripes we were healed.” (Is 53:5) All the healing we will ever need has already been accomplished through Jesus. It may not be manifested in our daily lives in ways that we can test with our senses. It may be something that is done spiritually first, and only gradually shows in the physical world. The healing is complete, nonetheless, in the eyes of God.

We didn’t even have to ask for healing the first time. It was a gift of Grace offered on our behalf to Adam and Eve. When our first parents sought their creator after that, he had another word of healing for them, and for us as well: “Come.” He called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees, promising to walk behind him and be his God. Abram, for his part, promised to walk beside God and be the first of his flock. God called his children out of Egypt, inviting them to follow him as Moses walked beside him. God led them through experiences that healed a whole nation and brought them to spiritual and physical healing in the promised land. When the people forgot the magnanimity of God’s blessings, he called out prophets to chastise and correct them. Finally, he called his Son to come to us and complete what we could not seem to get started. Now his Son calls us to come to the Father through him. He is asking us to get up off the kneeler, as an act of faith, and come to the altar to receive the sacrament which memorializes the reason Jesus came to us as an infant in Bethlehem.

In the Nativity account given to us in Luke’s Gospel, we learn how the angels and shepherds rejoiced. When we are filled with sorrow or doubt, when life seems just too difficult, the word of healing just might be, “REJOICE!” In Philippians 4:4, Paul tells us, “Rejoice in the LORD always; and again I say, rejoice!” We have a hope, a blessing, which the world cannot offer or understand. All of the Saints from Abraham’s time to today have found delight in the promises of God. What great healing there is in joyously accepting the gift of salvation! When we joyfully accept the gift of his love, all heaven joins with us. We receive Jesus’ promise that we can ask in his name, and we will receive so that our joy may be complete (John 16:24). Jesus invites us to follow him joyfully into the Kingdom.

We often hear evangelists urging us to accept Jesus’ invitation to lay aside our own lives, take up our cross, and follow the Master. Sometimes, though, we are hindered by stubbornly clinging to our own idea of what salvation is. We want to love God, but we limit the amount of Grace we will accept. “I am not worthy to receive you” is part of the prayer quoted above. That is true. In the parable of the Wedding Feast (Mt 22:1-14), the king says, “The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.” Worthiness has absolutely nothing to do with God’s Grace. It should never prevent us from accepting God’s healing of our lives. So very many of us have received the invitation to the Feast and refused to attend because we were not “good” enough. The word of healing in this case might be, “Enter.” How wonderful it is to know hat God loves us so much that his invitation is not based on worthiness, but rather on willingness to enter the feast of his love, the Eucharist!

Still, we must be ready to join in the communion of the Saints gathered around the altar. Coming to the Eucharist unrepentant is merely pretending that we understand the glorious mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is exalting ourselves rather than worshiping God. Though none of us is worthy of God’s unmerited favor, he nonetheless expects us to honestly accept his gift of love. Jesus told us to settle things with our neighbors before we approached the altar. Forgiving each other, and ourselves, is a crucial step in receiving forgiveness. When we complicate our situation by believing God won’t notice that we still have not reconciled our differences with each other and with him, we insult the creator of all good gifts. In this situation, the word of healing could be, “Repent.” There is no limit to the number of times we are allowed to repent just as there is no limit to the number of time that God will lovingly welcome the repentant sinner.

All of us sin because all of us are imperfect. Scripture assures us that the “wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, his Son.” (Rom 6:23) Eternal life is life that is always renewed, always full to overflowing. Healing is God’s way of restoring wholeness to life. God’s healing restores wholeness eternally. How do we get eternal life, eternal wholeness? We believe in the power of God’s love. John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much that he sent us Jesus so that whoever would believe in him would not die but have everlasting life. In Romans 10:9-10, Paul tells us that by believing Jesus is Lord we are justified, and by proclaiming our belief, we are saved. Can we be healed if we do not believe, know with unassailable certainty, that God can and will heal us? How wonderful it would be to hear, “Your faith has made you whole.” And yet, God is so generous that often a single step taken in faith is all it takes. For some of us, then, the healing word is, “Believe.”

Sometimes, though, in our day-to-day journey, our lives seem so ordinary that even a single step seems pointless. Each day is just as unremarkable as the day before, and there is little reason to believe that tomorrow will be any different. That is not the kind of exciting life we envision when we think of “eternal life.” If we are healed by his stripes, shouldn’t our lives be filled with rejoicing? Shouldn’t we be bubbling with faith, hope, and love? If God has loved us and really healed us, how could we possibly be bored? Well, actually, we can’t; but sometimes we forget. Sometimes we listen to that fallen angel’s lies: “God doesn’t always love you. Look what happened to me! One little mistake and ZOOM; right out of Heaven! Yeah, life’s tough all right. He’s probably forgotten about you by now. You know, he’s always more interested in people who ignore him.” Well, of course those are all lies, which is what we’d expect. God never forgets us, remember? “A mother would forget her nursing child before I would forget you.” (Is 49:15) Sometimes the word of healing is as simple as “Remember.” That’s what the Eucharist is all about: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

At other times we are weighed down with burdens we do not understand, pain we cannot endure, hopelessness that swallows all our joy in remembering Jesus or anyone else for that matter. Matthew 11: 28 -30: 28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Sometimes when we hear that we cry out to Jesus, “Your yoke? Your burden! No thank you. I have enough of my own to carry!” In this passage Jesus is telling his listeners they can free themselves of the burden of the law – sin and death – and take up instead a life of obedience to his law of love. When we do that we find it liberating to be free of the effects of sin and free to share the life and love of Christ with him and with everyone. Our burdens are lightened, so “Lighten” can be the healing word for those of us who suffer much. To lighten is to relieve of a burden in whole or in part, to reduce in weight or quantity, to make less wearisome, to become more cheerful, to make light or clear, to make (as a color) lighter. God will lighten every burden, lessen every care, wipe away our tears, and vanquish our despair. For each of these we give to him, he gives us in return Grace beyond our wildest hopes, a gift we cannot earn. Our life work is sharing our life.

When we look at the lives of those who have given their work life to the Master, we can see how that decision brought tremendous change into their lives. Think about what happened to the Apostles, especially Matthew and Peter. Matthew worked as a tax collector. His own people hated Matthew for his collaboration with their oppressors. When Jesus spoke the word of healing to him, it was, “Follow.” This was the same word of healing for Peter. Peter followed Jesus in life, through death, and into Heaven. Countless Saints have found that their lives could only be made completely whole by following Jesus. Many learned that they could follow without a map or even a clearly marked road. They learned to rely on Jesus for everything.

That kind of trust seems to come easily to the persons who heroically took up their cross to follow him. Yet, when we read the biographies of these grace-filled children of God, we see that often they, too, struggled with doubt, sin, pain, and sorrow just like we do. How could they have endured so much without trusting that God would make it all come out right in the end? Sometimes it’s easy to believe in God. We know he’s “out there” somewhere. That kind of mystical hopefulness is not very comforting when we need help. Knowing God is there is one thing. Trusting God to be here is something else entirely. If you know God, but don’t necessarily trust him, “TRUST” may be the word of healing for you. That’s especially important if God is asking you to do something that does not make sense in our worldly perspective. As your trust in God deepens, your understanding of the difference between The World and The Kingdom validates your trust.

Because of this, another word of healing often associated with “trust” is “obey.” Jesus commanded us to love one another. We must obey his command. “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” (John 14:23) If we love Jesus, we will want to love each other. Sometimes it seems too simple. Just love Jesus, and you will be empowered to keep his commandments to love each other. The reverse of this also seems simple. Just love others the way Jesus loves them and you will be loving Jesus. Thus, the word “Love” can be a word of healing, too. It is not as simple, though, as “feeling love” for one another. Love is not a feeling. “Like” is a feeling. Love is an action. We must act on our love, not merely express it or feel it. While it is true that loving Jesus and loving others are inseparable, they are inseparable acts, not feelings.

Speaking of feelings, what does it feel like to be whole, to be healed, to be filled with eternal life? How can we ever tell if our prayer to be healed has been answered? Again, the answer is in the Nativity narrative: Peace. The angels carried the message to us from God. The shepherds, the Holy Family, radiated peace. Paul tell us that by rejoicing in the LORD and depending on him, by constantly giving thanks, we will come to know that peace which surpasses understanding. (Phil 4:4-9) In this peace we are able to exalt God under any circumstances. We know that The Word is true. He told us Himself he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)

John begins his gospel by telling us of Jesus’ coming as The Word Incarnate. The name “Jesus”, like the name Joshua, means “the LORD is salvation.” When we know with absolute clarity that Jesus is LORD, we are healed. Jesus may speak one or many words of healing for us in our lives, but if he is Lord of our life, each word he speaks will have the desired effect: We will be healed, made whole in the sight of God. Even if we never hear these words as if spoken out loud, we can be open to their effect by accepting God’s gift of Grace. It is a gift. We cannot buy it with our “good behavior.” It is not for sale. It cannot be a gift unless we accept it.

Without acceptance, a gift is just an offer. If we do not use the gift, its effect is limited. All of us have already been given all the Grace and Love there is. There is more than enough to make completely whole every person that ever lived. It is so beautiful and so huge that sometimes we forget. We do not see the Lamb of God, the Real Presence, elevated before us unless we look through our Father’s eyes and see his Son. We do not hear the healing word if we forget to listen with our heart and spirit. We do not taste and see the goodness of the Lord unless we expect and accept the healing we are promised when we pray, “Only say the word, and I shall be healed.” Whatever word God speaks into your heart at that moment, honor the giver by accepting the gift. And once you’ve accepted it, use it.

A few years ago, I decided I would make an effort to hear that healing word I prayed for during Mass. All during that time, I have found that listening often opens me up to insights that are unexpected. Sometimes a word would come to me, but by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, I could not remember what the word of healing was. I began to write them down. That led to listening to the Mass and the homily with a more discerning ear. God really can speak to us through the persons, places, and things around us. I found that taking notes made a lot of sense. When I go to a class to further my education, or a workshop to learn a new skill, I take notes. I realized that it made sense to take notes while I am in the presence of Jesus, too. What he and his ministers have to say in their words and actions can help me in my pilgrimage. “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock, and the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7)

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” (Revelation 3:20) Jesus opens many doors for us. He also asks us to open the door for him, the door to our hearts. When I was a child we sang a gospel chorus called “Into my heart.” It was a melodic prayer inviting Jesus to come and dwell in our hearts forever. That closeness to him is thrilling. Sometimes the healing word in “Enter.” We can ask Jesus to enter our hearts, and he asks us to enter his joy. In Matthew 25:21, Jesus shows us that our reward for doing his will is to “enter into the joy of your master.” If you received an invitation from the master of all creation, would you ignore it?

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95:7-8) How can we hear except we listen? If “Listen” is your healing word for today, then you know Jesus has spoken healing words to you. Claim them as your own, but share them with the Kingdom. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Everything that is yours is yours to give away. In this case, the healing word might be: “Be thorough!”

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Happy Aloha Friday!! Here are five quick stories to help you start off your weekend with a little more wisdom….

Message Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1. First Important Lesson – Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. Second Important Lesson – Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away… God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.” Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3. Third Important Lesson – Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4. Fourth Important Lesson. – The obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5. Fifth Important Lesson – Giving When it Counts…

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away”? Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

You can do 1 of 2 things: 1. Delete this email, or 2. Forward it to people you care about. I hope that you will choose No. 2

“Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody’s watching.” NOW more than ever – Pass It On…. Be Safe.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.

chick

PS: Happy Birthday Son! I love you!!

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Couple o’ nuts
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts & sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.

“One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,” said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery.

He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard: “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.”

He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.

“Come here quick,” said the boy, “you won’t believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls.”

The man said, “Beat it kid, can’t you see it’s hard for me to walk.” When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me…”

The old man whispered, “Boy, you’ve been tellin’ the truth. Let’s see if we can see the Lord.” Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything.

The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.

At last they heard, “One for you, one for me. That’s all. Now let’s go get those nuts by the fence and we’ll be done.”

They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the boy on the bike.

Happy Aloha Friday everyone! See you again next week!! Look for me in the moon!

Chick and the MBN

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Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Aloha nui loa. That could be translated “I love you very much.” That would be accurate in spirit, certainly but perhaps is not adequate as a literal translation. Your Aloha Friday card comes today, Thursday, because tomorrow is Good Friday. Perhaps some of you will have the day off. Many of you will not; nonetheless, I want to send you my Easter greeting so that it will arrive before the weekend.

When I was growing up in Denver, our family was active in our home church, Corona Presbyterian. It was in downtown Denver at Eighth and Downing. Our Pastor, Rev. Bob Lutz, led a Sunrise Service every Easter at a nearby park, Cheesman Park. It covers 81 acres, and is situated about a mile and half east of downtown.

The main feature of the park is the wide-open central lawn. It’s surrounded by a band of trees and has three structures. On the west is a small children’s playground, on the north is a rustic gazebo and on the east, the highest point in the park, is a large neoclassical pavilion. The rest of the park is grass. In warm weather the slope down away from the pavilion, which you see pictured here, was a wonderful place to play, to picnic, to sunbathe, and to enjoy a quiet respite from the busy city. It also became a place of worship at least once a year. On the Saturday before Easter, the men of the church, particularly the deacons and elders, would go to the park and set up benches and chairs for the expected crowd which seemed to me to number in the thousands.

It was a wonderful celebration and one which my dad thoroughly enjoyed. When I was invited to participate with him in getting the park ready for the service, it was like a rite of passage and to this day is one of my most cherished memories. I particularly remember on Easter Sunday when we awoke to find about eight inches of snow had fallen and buried the park and all the seating we had worked so hard to set up the day before. The moment we knew, Dad and I sped off toward the park (we lived in University Hills about 20 miles away for downtown Denver), and joined a dozen or so other men who were rushing to clear the snow from the benches and chairs. I recall that this work was done cheerfully and with the expectation that the seats would be filled.

Well, as you might expect, attendance that year was pretty low. Despite the weather, the cold, and the diminished crowd, the spirit of the day was led by The Spirit. Our traditional Easter Greeting was, “The Lord is risen!” and the response was, “He is risen indeed!” That declaration and affirmation really resonated that particular Easter. For years after that, until my dad passed away on the day on his eighty-first birthday, one of us would call the other on Easter morning and say, “The Lord is risen!” And in that instant two hearts, two minds, two souls, two servants lifted hearts, minds, hands, and voices to affirm “He is risen indeed.”

So, today, in anticipation of Easter, I say to you, “The Lord is risen!” and as you read this He will know that you are responding in your heart, in your mind, in your soul “He is risen indeed!”

Romans 8:10-11: [10] But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. [11] And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Happy Easter, Beloved. May the God of Peace and Light bless you richly with faith, wisdom, and determination to live in the Risen Lord.

chick

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Happy Aloha Friday!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heart aches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling

Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Do you think you might have already fulfilled your mission in life? If you’re still alive, the answer is no.

Everybody has to row with the oars they’ve got. Bloom where you’re planted. And don’t forget to tell the people you love how much you love them. I think you already know how much I love you, but I’ll tell you anyway: I love you way so big I can’t get a handle on it.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.

See you next week!
Age Quod Agis
chick

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Happy Aloha Friday everyone! An MBN member sent me this, and it really gave me a jolt of realization – an epiphany of sorts. I realized that most of the time I work way to hard explaining why I am a believer. Sometimes I need to go back to my eight-year-old mindset and remember, “Jesus loves me. What else do I need to know?”

THIS ONE IS FABULOUS!!!
It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista, CA. He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment, to “explain God.” I wonder if any of us could have done as well.

EXPLANATION OF GOD:
“One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.”

“God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.”

“God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.”

“Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.”

“Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.”

“His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.”

“You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.”

“You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy, it’s God!

Don’t skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach to surf or soak in the sun. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until noon anyway.”

“If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.”

“But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.

And…that’s why I believe in God.”

Ah, brothers and sisters, that’s surely fine with God, don’t you think?

How would you answer? Why do you believe in God? This little boy reached deep and found simple and surprising answers that ring true. I invite you to spend a few minutes thinking about how you would write this essay now that you are no longer eight-years-old.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.

chick