IS 45:6C-8, 18, 21C-25
PS 85: 9AB AND 10; 11-12, 13-14
LK 7: 18B-23
“I am the Lord,
there is no other…”
With
these eight words at the beginning of today’s first Reading, everything is made
clear. When the Lord is Number One in life,
everything else seems to fall into place.
Dealing with the daily challenges of life can be a little easier knowing
that we are not walking alone. The
little things don’t weigh us down. We
have more patience when dealing with difficult people. The glass is half full rather than half
empty. When we put other material things
before our relationship with God, things soon become out of balance. Work becomes the primary focus and the source
of self-worth. Material possessions
become more important than spiritual well-being. I like to compare finding this balance with
an automobile. When something goes wrong with an automobile, it can throw
everything else off. One low tire messes
up the alignment for the entire vehicle.
Being low on oil impacts the functioning of the engine. Everything is connected, and if one part is
out of balance, the entire car is affected.
I
like to think of Advent as the time to get things back in balance. The weeks before Christmas are spent with
preparations for the holiday. There are
cards to be written, gifts to be purchased and wrapped, decorations to be put
up, cookies to be baked, parties to attend, and on and on. Advent is the time to remind us to pay
attention to our spiritual lives and to find that balance that comes when God
is first and foremost in our lives.
Later in the Reading we are reminded:
“Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there
is no other!” So just in case we didn’t
hear it at the beginning of the Reading, we are reminded again!
May
these remaining days of Advent provide an opportunity to bring balance back
into our lives. When we truly realize
that God is God and place our lives in God’s hands, Christmas will be a time to
celebrate both the birth of our Savior and a renewal of new life within our
hearts. There can be no greater gift.
Cathy Zimmer is the Business Manager for the College of Arts and Sciences.
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