Does your God love you more?

As the year winds down and we're looking up the barrel of a new one, perhaps we could consider a new effort, a different chain of thought, a change in perspective. We've become so polarized, judgemental, stupidly blind to how others might feel. Let us, instead, be slow to pass judgement. We should allow increased brotherhood to brighten our lives and those with whom we cross paths.

When we encounter someone whose circumstances have left them in an undesirable place, perhaps we need to extend the helping hand, leaving our judgement behind.  For how does a critical thought or word lift anyone out of despair? 

Does your God love you more than your downtrodden brother? 

Politics seem to blind us to anything on which we might see eye to eye. This new year, perhaps we could change our focus. Rather than working to change our brother's foundational beliefs, let us work together on those efforts on which we already agree. Rather than holding so strongly to the 2% separating us, we could embrace the other ninety-eight.

Does your God love you more than your brother standing on the other side of the isle?

What separates you from your neighbor? What biases prevent you from accepting another human as your equal? What do you suppose puts you on a pedestal? Perhaps this year we could put those things aside and accept that we are all made of the same dirt. Our molecules are exactly the same. 

Whether you embrace an ancient God or modern technology and science, perhaps you should realize more fully that your God doesn't respect you or hold you in higher esteem than he does your brother. Perhaps we should take greater care to do the same.

Because I have been given much,
I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty Lord,
Each day I live;
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed
By thy good care;
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share;
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
my roof's safe shelter overhead
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by
thy great love dear Lord;
I’ll share thy love again
According to thy word;
I shall give love to those in need,
I’ll show that love by word and deed;
Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed.

Lyrics by Grace Noll Crowell (1936)

Does your God love you more?

The Politics of Saturday Night

Do you live your life based on a weekend philosophy? You know what I mean, don't you? Every morning as you pull yourself out of bed the thought on your mind is "I wish it was Saturday". The struggle is real. Your focus is just to get through the week so you can enjoy the few precious hours the weekend promises. Weekends are great! Weekdays. Not so much. Weekends are PARTY! Weekdays are a grind, work, sludge. Of course, sometimes we can pull off a weeknight party here and there. Until you get old. Then, the pain is real and doing that hurts, making weekdays even more unbearable.

It's not a very good way to live, is it? I mean, if we focus our life's happiness on those two days a week we're missing out on over 70% of what is possible. It's no wonder every time a new year rolls around we're stuck wondering what happened to the time. Why did it go so fast!

In 1990, a movie called Air America was in the theaters. I enjoyed the movie. I've not seen it much since but a scene in the movie struck a cord with me.

Billy Covington: What the f*** are you doing here, man? Do you believe in this war?

Gene Ryack: I used to believe in all these wars.[laughs]

Gene Ryack: See, I had this theory once. I believed in the politics of Saturday night.

Billy Covington: And...?

Gene Ryack: I rated all governments and countries by how good or bad their Saturday nights were... and... I KNEW that Moscow and Peking had to be a stone DRAG at that time of the week. So I was flying for a cause. I was fighting to defend... chicken BBQs and weinee roasts, and Ray Charles songs and drinkin' Southern Comfort till you passed out behind the bar.

Billy Covington: Politics of Saturday Night. I can relate to that theory.

Gene Ryack: Yeah, it's not bad, is it? Just not particularly true, that's all. I hear they party pretty hard in Moscow.

Billy Covington: No need to give up a good theory just because it isn't true.

You know what. Perhaps, there's more to life than what happens between the time we get off work on Friday evening and have to get back to the grind on Monday morning. Perhaps, we could be more fulfilled and happier if our "happy time" isn't confined to 29% of our lives. Perhaps, the weekend should be just an extension of the time we spend pursuing our true ambitions and those things that really do make us happy. Just a thought.