Time To Love…

There is an appointed time for everything
and a time for every purpose under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

It was unusual for my husband and me to schedule vacations in January or February. The retired principal and teacher in us tend to reserve the summer months for such activities. Happily, our winter trips to Israel could not have been better. Each time, the only downside was trying to play “catch-up” with our to-do lists once we returned home. My commitment to share these experiences though these daily reflections added more to my to-do list than I’d expected. When I finally returned to some sense of normalcy, the COVID-19 outbreak became the news of the day every day. Suddenly, I found myself with more time on my hands than I ever expected to have. Though I’d prayed often for a somewhat empty calendar, I wasn’t particularly grateful for my prayer to be answered this way…

It was in the midst of all of this that I recalled one of my favorite scripture passages. It offers the guidance I craved. The words I cite above from Ecclesiastes insist that there is a time for everything. There is time to work and time to rest, time to think and time to write. For me, time has always involved difficult choices. I’ve had to prioritize and reorganize my schedule often. But not just now.

Today, timely decisions revolve around those I’ve been given to love. In the midst of writing and cleaning the house, cooking and reading and exercising a bit, I must also set aside time to reach out. Though I cannot share time in person these days, I can call or text or send emails or cards to let others know that they are loved. Of all of the “purposes under the heavens” which Ecclesiastes speaks of, loving others is the most important.

Loving God, you’ve given us the time to love one another. Help us to use this time well.

©2020 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

Home, Sweet Home

I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
Psalm 118:13

An unexpected April snow drew my eyes to the kitchen window. When I looked through those dancing flakes, I noticed a little bird perched near a hole in our bird house. My feathered friend peered into that hole several times, but didn’t enter. I wondered if he was debating whether or not to move in. I didn’t understand his hesitation because it was quite cold outside. Still, that little bird seemed reluctant to jump into what might be a questionable living situation.

A while later, I returned to the window to see if that bird persisted in his indecision. I sighed a sigh of relief for my feathered friend as he was sitting in the bird house peeking out. I watched for several minutes as his head disappeared and reappeared over and over again. Apparently, he had found his new digs to be suitable shelter from that snow after all.

As I walked away from the window, I considered my own shelter. Actually, it’s my husband’s and mine. Like that little bird, I wondered how this shelter would serve Mike and me for the duration of our stay-at-home response to COVID-19. Fortunately for us, someone has kept an eye on us just as I kept an eye on that little bird. Though I walked away from the window and that bird to tend to this writing and then dinner, God never walks away from watching me. God doesn’t walk away from watching -and loving- any of us. Just as that little bird gave me reason to smile, I’m going to do my best to give God reason to do the same. Will you join me?

Generous God, our lives are an amazing gift. Give me the courage to embrace every opportunity to make the most of my shelter here until I occupy my perfect home with you.

©2020 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

God’s Faith In Us

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is lifeless.
James 2:17

Though these words echo recent posts, I’m impelled to repeat that each of us is uniquely gifted. Because we’re human, we’re all also burdened with a unique variety of frailties. Though I still like to think that God has infused Divine DNA into each one of us, our frailties remain. Nonetheless, in spite of these imperfections, God has placed this world into our hands. I’m quite certain that this is no empty gesture on God’s part. Remember that Divine DNA? God knows better than we do just how capable we actually are.

Today, I challenge myself and anyone else who is open to an important and rewarding adventure. Let’s set aside our worries regarding the woes of the world-at-large and look a bit closer to home. Is there something in our communities, our neighborhoods, our temples, our churches, our workplaces, our organizations or in our own homes which needs our attention? If so, let’s roll up our sleeves and ask, “Is there something I can do to help?”

None of us should ever discount even the smallest opportunity to do good. I’m convinced that our efforts in every case will make a difference somewhere to someone. The more we attend to the opportunities at hand, the better off the entire world will be.

Caring God, I know I’m repeating myself, but please help us to embrace the opportunities large and small which you set before us.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

A Bit of God

Good is the Lord…
From Lamentations 3:25

I can’t help thinking that God is always at work within us. This assertion isn’t of my own making. It’s based upon a commonly held belief that God put creation into motion. You may subscribe to the Big Bang Theory, the seven days outlined in Genesis or something in between which indicates that God fashioned all of this.

I also can’t help thinking that God didn’t create from nothing. I like to think that God began with perhaps a breath or a spark or bit of Divine DNA. I opt for the DNA Theory because this implies that everything which has evolved since carries a bit of God within it. What better reason do we have to cherish and to care for all of creation, especially one another? What better reason does God have to continue to work within us?

So it is that it seems appropriate to take stock of that bit of Divine DNA within ourselves. When we realize that God has actually created something good within each one of us, we can insert that goodness into everything we say and do. The result? We’ll embrace every moment with pep in our steps and the certainty that God is indeed at work within us.

Yes, every new moment brings another opportunity to make good use of God’s DNA. Personally, I think God had this is mind all along…

Loving God, thank you for the gift os your DNA. Help us all to make the most of your presence within us.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

A Time To Tweak…

A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
Ecclesiastes 3:3

Time is a precious gift. Still, I have difficulty dealing with time when it comes Time to Change. Change is tough for me, especially when my established routines seem to be helpful to all concerned. “Why change what’s working?” I ask myself.

The problem is that I don’t always evaluate what “working” actually means to all concerned. Is the status quo simply maintaining my peace of mind or is something positive actually being accomplished? Is adhering to what I’m used to adding to the quality of my life and life around me or is it allowing a musty fog to blur the wonder that’s left to discover? Sometimes, it really is time to change.

Change is difficult for me. Though I don’t like the connotation of “a time to kill”, I will work at tweaking a few of the unnecessary habitual entries in my schedule. I’ll adjust enough to allow myself and those around me some breathing room. Discarding a bit of what I’m used to may bring a bit of peace and healing to my restless soul. It may also bring a welcomed bit of adventure my way!

Loving God, be with me as I let go of my routines and embrace the opportunity which lies in every moment ahead.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

O… Original!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be and favored.
Psalm 128:2

O is for Original. After much reflection, I continue to have difficulty settling on today’s theme. I’m torn between “original” and “opus” because both words describe an extremely important aspect of who we are. You see, each one of us is an original. Even identical twins who are extremely difficult to tell apart physically are very different people in every other way. Still, I cannot dismiss the word “opus” because each of our lives is precisely that. You and I are unique and important works which God has contributed to our human family. Our part in all of this is to contribute our own unique and important work to the mix. Whether we compose or construct or cause things to happen, our opus is vital to the rest of humankind. Whether this work is a lifelong process, a singular effort at a particular moment in time or a combination of the two, our original opus will make an impact upon others in a way that no one else’s work can.

My first reaction to all of this is to feel the weight of the world upon me. Then, I consider my interactions with those I’ve met along the way. I realize that the grandeur or smallness of their actions means little to me. It is their presence and their delivery which changes everything. Each person’s original opus impacts me in some way. The same is true of my own work and yours!

God invites each of us to contribute to this world in some way. God’s hope is that we seize the opportunities before us and make the most of them as only we can. Hmmm… Opportunities… O is for the Opportunities which we embrace to complete our own Original Opus. How about that!

Loving God, be with us as we use our unique talents to love as you do.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved