Peace Be With Us All

“The works that God gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify that God has sent me.”
John 5:36

Wasn’t it just yesterday that I wrote about the peace with which I begin each day? Though I’m grateful that God’s peace stays with me much of the time, this is sometimes not the case. Today, I’m more than impatient with a few of my fellow humans. Though I believe God loves us just as we are, I’m having a little trouble following God’s good example. I just watched a news report which I wish I’d missed. Those featured seem to have forgotten that we’re all God’s people. I shouldn’t have allowed these few to distract me from the remarkable good that is being accomplished by so many these days. Yet, I did!

Determined to change my attitude, I ran upstairs to take another peek out of the window which inspires my morning talks with God. Before I said a word, childhood memories regarding some of Jesus’ contemporaries filled me up. Before I could ask the point of all of this, the eleven-year-old I used to be came to mind. She was extremely impatient with the Pharisees who had no use for Jesus. This younger me was convinced that Jesus’ words and works had come from a loving God and she wondered why it was so difficult for the Pharisees to see this.

As I consider my current frustration, I acknowledge that times haven’t changed much. I’d revived my eleven-year-old frustration. I’d also lost the peace that resides not only beyond that window, but also deep within me. With that, I’m renewing my resolve to find that peace once again. I’ll pray for those who’d frustrated me so. I’ll also do what I can to bring peace to my little corner of this world.

Good and Patient God, help me to do just that!

©2020 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

Love One Another

Love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
From John 15:12-13

I admit to lots of anger over the suffering of so many around us. Whether they are my own family and friends nearby or children stricken by illness half a world away, I find it difficult to accept that there’s nothing I can do to help. You see, I’m convinced that we can alleviate some of this world’s suffering if we begin from an inclusive and loving perspective. This isn’t wishful thinking on my part. This is practical thinking.

When we support minimum-wage workers who’ve been laid-off due to the pandemic, we invest in a workforce who will be up and ready to help reopen our economy. When a local restaurant secures a loan to keep employees on the payroll to cook and do carry-outs, we secure one of the staples of our community. When the local barber receives a grant to cover the rent until he can reopen his shop, another neighborhood staple breathes in new life. When we support food pantries and other agencies who reach out to the least among us, we plant seeds of hope along the way.

What a different world this would be if we set aside our own agendas for the good of others! Truly, when we put the suffering ahead of ourselves, we amass goodness for ourselves as well. What a different world this would be if we did lay down our lives for one another. What a different world this would be…

Loving God, you gift us all with the ability to make this world a better place. Help us to realize our potential and to make a positive mark as only we can. And, please dear God, forgive my impatience as I hone my own positive mark-making skills.

©2020 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

Look Past The Dust

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:38

While cleaning up after we completed our holiday decorating, I noticed a cobweb in the corner of the living room just above our Christmas Tree. Because we display a village and crèche beneath the tree, it was impossible for me to reach and remove that pesky string of dust. I tried everything, including extending a broom handle in its direction. Nothing worked. Though I was tempted to brood about this mini-eyesore, I decided to use my effort a bit more constructively…

There are many cobwebs in my life. They serve as small reminders of annoyances of every sort and size which usually remain out of sight. Occasionally, when I’m having a bad day or not feeling my best, I allow these “mini-eyesores” to monopolize my attention. Though dozens of blessings surround me, I overlook them in order to focus upon one annoying cobweb or another. Though I can’t reach that pesky cobweb which still reigns over my Christmas Tree, I can reach inside to dispel the cobwebs within me.

On that first Christmas, there was likely a cobweb or two in the cave that housed the Holy Family. I’m quite certain that if those cobwebs were there, Mary and Joseph never noticed them. They had a far greater blessing to attend to and so do I!

Loving God, give me eyes that see the good around me and give me a heart which forgives the rest.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

Love… Just Love!

The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.
They are more precious than gold…
Psalm 19:10

As I walked the other day, I passed our local school at dismissal. Though I usually avoid this timing, I enjoyed the circus of it all just the same. The kids were well-behaved as they lined up for their buses and I fully appreciated the effort expended by them and their teachers to accomplish this. I wouldn’t trade my teaching career for anything. Still, there were days when I would’ve preferred to be any place other than in my classroom. This usually had little to do with the children. More often than not, it resulted from fatigue, frustration with “the powers that be” or the problems of people I care about. The good news is that my students managed to dispel my frustration in amazing ways.

When the children sensed an uncharacteristic edge in my voice, they were especially quiet and extremely helpful toward me and one another. In an effort not to darken my mood further, a few of them gave “the eye” to their less perceptive classmates who quickly responded. I always noted -and appreciated- this response to my crankiness and I answered it with a quick return to normalcy.

I worked very hard to make my classroom a productive and compassionate place. I realized that I succeeded at some level when the children managed my “off days” so mercifully. It seems to me that God has worked to make this world of ours a productive and compassionate place as well. The best way to let our Loving Creator know that we appreciate this effort is to respond in kind to one another.

Patient God, thank you for our capacity to love. Remind us often that your most pressing request is that we love each other.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

A Lifetime of Second Chances

God created us in God’s image…
God looked at everything God created and found it to be very good.”
From Genesis 1

The treasures I recall from my childhood include our children’s bible. This huge book consisted of cardboard front and back covers which held together several small booklets. A new booklet arrived in the mail every month. Each time, my mom carefully removed the bible’s cardboard cover, inserted the new booklet and then replaced the cover. Afterward, my sisters and I poured over this newest addition where colorful pictures adorned every page. When we were finished, I always returned to the first booklet’s story of Creation, Adam and Eve, the snake and that forbidden tree. Eden looked amazing to me, at least as grand as heaven. “Why,” I often asked myself, “would Adam and Eve turn away from God who gave them so much?”

Life in this troubled world of ours answers that question every day. It’s lucky for us that God never returns the favor when we walk away. God simply watches with great expectations as we feebly do our best to make things right again. God also waits with arms outstretched for our return.

A friend recently shared a story from his childhood which illustrates this point. My friend was about twelve years old when he’d made a mess of a small chore. His ever-patient mom offered him the opportunity to try it again. My friend was so encouraged by his mother’s faith in him that, the second time around, he completed the task perfectly. My friend shared this story to make a point. “You know,” he said, “God gives us all a lifetime of second chances just like my mom!” I couldn’t agree more.

Generous God, thank you for the second and third and twenty-ninth chances which you offer us day in and day out. Give us the wisdom to embrace every opportunity to begin anew.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved

W… Write!

In the beginning was the Word;
the Word was in God’s presence,
and the Word was God.
John 1:1

W is for Write. Many more meaningful words begin with “w”. I’ve cited one above! Still, I chose “write” because this is what I’ve been called to do. In addition to these daily reflections, I’m writing a book. This project is very important to me because it chronicles my relationship with God throughout my life. Perhaps a reader or two will find that this topic has meaning for them as well.

Unfortunately, the writing process has proven to be grueling. I’m grateful that the inspiration has been plentiful and that the words flow freely. The WORD cited in the scripture verse above has been very generous in providing these things. However, I’ve been able to be productive for only an hour or two or three before being interrupted by what I call real life.

These incidences of real life occur with diligent frequency. Each is a worthy cause which certainly deserves my attention. Still, as I respond as best I can, I wonder about my book. I habitually look upward to ask, “Will I ever finish it?” Though I never hear a response, I somehow know that all will unfold in good time.

It occurs to me that I’m always writing something with my attitudes, with the things I say and with my actions. Though I’d like to leave something significant in written form, the truths I share through my daily life will be far more lasting. Just as no book store owner or librarian can predict which books patrons will pick up, I can’t predict who will read the things I write with every breath I take.

So it is that I write my life’s next chapter by tending to the tasks at hand with patience and love. I’ll get back to my manuscript later, too.

Loving God, mold us into words who write of your love as Jesus did.

©2019 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved