Spirit Alive: It Was the Best Day Ever
Spirit Alive is a twice a month blog that looks at different aspects of mission and ministry throughout the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference and beyond.
December 18, 2018
Food for the Soul:
Life Can Be So Good!
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."
Genesis 1:31
"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them."
Isaiah 11: 6
Let me tell you a story about an experience I had during an UMC Volunteer in Mission trip I lead to UMCOR Sager Brown in Louisiana a few years ago. After working at the depot for several days, our group took an afternoon off to visit the nearby Tabasco factory located nearby at Avery Island. This is quite a place, because it is the location that produces nearly all the Tabasco sauce marketed in the United States.
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Wow...that was a powerful pronouncement and was completely unexpected...and it is something I've remembered ever since. This is the best day ever! Who knew?
But what a great insight into life. I don't mean this in some Pollyanna manner...or in terms of the old adage "Every day, in every way, things get better and better." We all know life doesn't work that way...and that it isn't always easy nor is life just or without suffering. It doesn't take much experience to realize this about life! We all carry our wounds, griefs and burdens.
But for me the insight that this little boy shared is this: When life is received as a fresh adventure, as children can often experience things...and when I am open to new insights, perspectives, and am willing to see life as a gift...and when I am able to learn, then the world can truly be an amazing place in which to live. And yes, suddenly the day you are experiencing can become the best day ever!
Some time ago, I read the book Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman. It is a
This is sound advice for our times, especially when so many have lost a sense of compassion and empathy for their neighbors. But as George Dawson reminds us...we can all make a difference in the world, even those of us who seem to have nothing to contribute.
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Let us walk in the light of God's love,
Lowell
Spirit Alive is a twice a month blog and email by Rev. Lowell Greathouse, Mission and Ministry Coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference. It seeks to identify where the spirit is alive in our congregations and communities. Check out past editions, or subscribe to the email list.