Throughout the Easter Season the daily devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s devotion was written by Pastor Mary Browne.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19
Recently I have been thinking about and playing with the idea of opposites: dark and light, inside and outside, life and death, blessings and curses. When I think in polarities I feel like I have to make a choice between the two because I judge that one pole is good and the other is bad. If I choose light, then darkness is undesirable. If I choose to obey what is on the outside, then I learn to devalue what’s inside. When I only want to receive blessings then I am at odds when something bad, a “curse” happens. And life versus death…um that seems like a no brainer.
What I’ve been pondering over is how to hold these opposites in tension so that both may be accepted as of equal value. For example, when I face the darkness, fear, and sadness inside of me instead of deciding that it is wrong or bad, and then ignoring or pushing it away, I am learning to accept those difficult feelings. When I’ve been able to stay with the “bad” feelings or to allow darkness or death or curses, I’ve learned from those experiences. Paradoxically, my relationship with and my faith in God grew.
God sets before us life and death, blessings and curses. Choosing life may indeed mean that I am accepting of all that life has to bring my way…both the darkness and the light, both blessings and curses, and both life and death.
Prayer: Holy God, In the tension of choosing between what seems like good and what seems like bad, you are there. I trust and believe that there is nothing that can separate me from You. Help me to see all of the experiences of my life through eyes of faith. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
April 26, 2017 at 1:05 am |
When facing darkness, I find it better to enter it, process and move on, into what is usually light.
April 27, 2017 at 5:11 am |
This lesson on dealing with opposites reminds me of this scripture
from Romans 8:38-39 on opposites.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”
April 29, 2017 at 7:36 am |
It is so good to be receiving your messages once again God bless all of you!