Who is your neighbor

 

       Drawing - Grand Goave Haiti Nov. 2017

^{Who is your neighbor?  I asked myself this question as I read the below scripture.  Often we think of our neighbors as those that live on our street, cul-de-sac, or just next door.  It is easy to discount those that we do not have regular contact with.  The truth is that God puts "neighbors" in front of each of us every day.  We have the choice to ignore, tear down, or build up each person we come in contact with.  This could be at work, in the park, on the phone, in traffic, at the grocery store, in the airport, at a sporting event, walking down the street, etc....  My prayer today is that I would take the below words to heart and practice kindness, treating others as God has treated me.  I pray that God will continue to expand my neighborhood.}

 <sup>Ephesians 4:25-32

25</sup> Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil. ²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

No Straight Lines

Every journey starts with a destination in mind.   We often place 100% of our focus on arriving at the destination, focusing on the shortest path, and the least amount of inconvenience.  I have found in my walk with God there are no straight lines.  The destination is clear, but I will not reach it until my last breath has expired.   I never know exactly where God will ask me to turn, pause, or even retrace my steps. 

I have applied some of this line of thinking to my daily life.  I commute to work on a mountain bike.  For years I road the same river trail each day as it was the shortest path avoiding roads between my office and my house.  A couple years ago I began to explore alternative routes and found that when I thought in terms of the journey instead of just the destination it opened up all sorts of fantastic trails.  My commute can be as short as 5 miles, but sometimes extends as long as 26.  I find inspiration in Gods creation and riding through the woods each day fills me with awe and wonder. 

My prayer today is that I would be sensitive to the path that God is leading me, I pray that I would not question the route, and that I would be obedient to his gentle nudge.  In Psalm 91 I am reminded that God is not only our guide, but also our protector.

Psalm 91English Standard Version (ESV)

My Refuge and My Fortress

91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge—
¹⁰ no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.

Branching out

 When I sketched this I was thinking specifically about branching out.  Sometimes God gives you the opportunity to do something new.  It can be exciting, scary, and even confusing.  It can be a blank page, or simply joining a different one of his adventures.  It can be born out of Joy, peace,  pain, or even sorrow.   As an artist I enjoy the blank page.  There is so much potential, and I never know what might emerge from my scratches and scribbles.  I start my process without a destination in mind and simply attempt to focus on the direction God is leading.  At times I take a false turn, or jump ahead, but God patiently waits for me to return to the path he has laid out.  My prayer today is that I would be sensitive to the direction he is leading me.  I pray that I will always be open to the next blank page that God is presenting, and I pray that I would rely on him to branch out.

Isaiah 43:18-19

 

“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.