But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy 2 Timothy 3: 1-2
Wow! That sure is a lot to think about! At the same time, it doesn’t take much to look around and feel that we could well be in the “last days,” especially when hearing or watching the daily newscast. There is unrest everywhere - in our homes, our communities and throughout the world. Respect for everything and all stages of life seems to be diminishing and attention has been transferred onto self and the acquisition of things, whether it is money in all its forms, or power. Even Mother Earth seems to be in a state of unrest, protesting the disrespect paid to her; as evidenced by the increased occurrences of seismic activity, volcanic activity and deadly storms in widespread areas of the world. The day before yesterday I had contact with two friends; one of whom was still experiencing after-shocks from the quake that hit California, and another who was under a tornado watch in Florida. Needless to say, despite their nervous humor, they were both feeling the stress of the situation they were in.
When did we come to this? It seems that the lives of others are often callously disregarded and we question just how this came about. When did we begin to not care about the quality of life of the elderly, the homeless, the poor, the starving? How can it be that there is such disrespect for the life of an unborn baby? At what point did we start to be so uncaring and self-absorbed? It is easy to pass blame and judgment onto others, to believe we have no responsibility for any of it, yet in our complacency, we too unwittingly become a part of it.
We are not all political activists, but each of us in our own way can contribute to the well-being of mankind in small ways; within our homes, our circle of family and friends, within our workplaces and in our communities - one life touching another and spreading outward. We can have a voice and give in so many ways, whatever our ability may be. We can exercise our right to vote for those who promote life and liberty, and most importantly, we can constantly pray for the welfare of others.
When we open our eyes to the goodness that is around us, we are compelled to protect from harm all the gifts God has so graciously given to humanity, and we see the meaningful, beautiful work of those who have made it their life’s ambition to do exactly that; people who live their lives God-centered, with love for all mankind and all God’s creation. Hope for a despairing world is renewed time and time again, through the spirit of so many dedicated, giving, caring, simply wonderful people – young and old, who make any day last, with memories of kindness and love; memories that remain etched in our hearts for always.
Open our eyes, dear Lord, open our eyes and show us your way!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson