Gratitude Day 530

Tues., Nov. 3, 2020

Matthew 55:44 – However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you,^[bf] and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them.

Dear God –

There’s a lot of anxiety about today.

Who will win? Who will lose?

Will the candidate we voted for be the next president? Or not?

Too often, we’ve said that we’re voting the way “God wants us to vote” … when we really don’t know for sure how you would cast Your ballet.

We forget, that for You, it’s not about casting a ballet.

It’s about loving our neighbors.

All of them.

Ones who are a different color than we are.

Ones who are convinced they know better than we do.

Ones who pride themselves in thinking they have to more direct hotline to You.

Ones who have said awful and unfortunate things about those who have a different opinion.

Holy God – challenge me to love the person that I don’t want to love.

The person who has been outspoken and loud to voice an opinion different from my own.

The person who I am convinced is wrong and probably also convinced that I am wrong.

The person who I lose patience with.

Teach me today that I must love all of them, just as they are commanded to love all of me.

It’s so difficult to watch how divided we are as a country.

It’s awful to watch people treat other so poorly … and say they draw upon you for faith.

It’s so disappointing that we’ve lowered ourselves to such abusive behavior to each other … and think it’s OK.

Help me see the “others” as beloved children of You … children who are my neighbors and whom you command me to love.

Why is it so much easier to think of them as enemies?

Oh, that’s right. You command us to love our enemies as well.

No matter what happens today, I pray that Your peace will transcend everything else. Instill within me this same peace so I can radiate Your peace to the world as well. Challenge me to drop all hateful and hurtful things that I’d like to come out of my mouth. Instead, bath my words in grace and patience.

May I sit at Your feet today and remember all the ways Jesus turned the other cheek. Embraced the right thing above the easy thing. Chose to love every single one of his neighbors … when it would have been so easy not to. May Jesus’ example and teaching be what I focus on today.

I need You. Our country needs You. Certainly, our world needs you. May we not let our agendas become bigger than Your vision for our lives, this country and this world. Amen.

For a God who never gives up on us, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – Yes, we desperately want things to turn out the way we’d prefer. If there is one lesson for me today, may it be the reminder that You, God, are bigger than all of what’s going on down here. Amen.

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