I loved this post... your warmth in sharing your experiences ... the wisdom of what you have learned ... and the perspective that generates gratitude and recognition of the value of small things. I think everyone should read this post every once in a while. I plan to.
Thank you so much, John! I try so hard to hear Holy Spirit and share His wisdom moving through my pen and keyboard! Blessings on your day, John. I appreciate your kind words so much! Wendy
Well I can relate to some of your life experience but I find I have a very different perspective on money. I see it from a different angle. As I read the story of the widows mite I see Jesus making a factual observation not a recommendation. It seems to me that in at least several of the parables Jesus tells he is making a factual observation not recommending a particular behaviour. But then maybe I am one of the outsider crowd who,as he told his disciples when he spoke to them privately,were not supposed to understand " the secrets of the kingdom" LEST THEY BE SAVED.
Jane, I am not a theologian. I am a humble former Prodigal who fled God and His Son for many years. I came back in deep distress and sorrow. Only the mercy of God and His persistence in calling and calling and calling me back, saved me from being destroyed. The Bible is a complex and coded book. You access the understanding by prayer and hanging out with God. The Parables of Christ were His methods of teaching, to make complex ideas and concepts somewhat easier to understand. I absolutely think Christ spoke lovingly of the struggles of the poor in relation to the Widow’s Mite and her giving our of her poverty. The Prodigal is my own life story. Christ’s presence there was to SAVE all those who would recognize Him and to humbly repent and turn away. That is why He came to earth, as God in human form, to be a conduit for the suffering, the brokenhearted of the world to access God directly, not through a priest or formality, but directly to Him. Keep seeking, keep digging, keep asking God what this means! This is not blind faith, this is learn by doing and asking and digging and repenting. Bless you and thank you for at least reading my new writing piece
I appreciate,indeed LOVE a lot of what you write but the fact I don't agree on all points doesn't mean Im against,it means I'm not a clone! Please don't be upset by my more cynical frame of mind. God made me two. He enjoys the occasional Cosmic Joke. In the Prodigal story I'm the boring Older Brother. He's not comforted by the indubitable fact that he's going to inherit the lot one day. He knows he's boring,has no charisma,no one wants to have sex with him,and HE wants a Party thrown for Him but he knows No One loves him that much!!!!
Jane, good morning! Thank you for your comments and indeed, I did not think you were a "clone". God certainly does not mind us having doubts and questions. After all, that is why He sent Holy Spirit to be our Teacher and daily guide in all the questions of the world. I do not have all the answers for the whole world!! I spent 35 years as a Prodigal myself and am intimately acquainted with the actions of the younger son. I paid a very steep price for my rebellion and I would not go back to those bad old days for all the money in the world. Narrow path for me, despite the difficult times. Not one person I know, who is following God and His Son, is not a work in progress! We keep going day by day ,some days stumbling, some on top of the mountain, some in the bottom of the valley. Blessings to you, Jane!!
I loved this post... your warmth in sharing your experiences ... the wisdom of what you have learned ... and the perspective that generates gratitude and recognition of the value of small things. I think everyone should read this post every once in a while. I plan to.
Thank you so much, John! I try so hard to hear Holy Spirit and share His wisdom moving through my pen and keyboard! Blessings on your day, John. I appreciate your kind words so much! Wendy
Well I can relate to some of your life experience but I find I have a very different perspective on money. I see it from a different angle. As I read the story of the widows mite I see Jesus making a factual observation not a recommendation. It seems to me that in at least several of the parables Jesus tells he is making a factual observation not recommending a particular behaviour. But then maybe I am one of the outsider crowd who,as he told his disciples when he spoke to them privately,were not supposed to understand " the secrets of the kingdom" LEST THEY BE SAVED.
Jane, I am not a theologian. I am a humble former Prodigal who fled God and His Son for many years. I came back in deep distress and sorrow. Only the mercy of God and His persistence in calling and calling and calling me back, saved me from being destroyed. The Bible is a complex and coded book. You access the understanding by prayer and hanging out with God. The Parables of Christ were His methods of teaching, to make complex ideas and concepts somewhat easier to understand. I absolutely think Christ spoke lovingly of the struggles of the poor in relation to the Widow’s Mite and her giving our of her poverty. The Prodigal is my own life story. Christ’s presence there was to SAVE all those who would recognize Him and to humbly repent and turn away. That is why He came to earth, as God in human form, to be a conduit for the suffering, the brokenhearted of the world to access God directly, not through a priest or formality, but directly to Him. Keep seeking, keep digging, keep asking God what this means! This is not blind faith, this is learn by doing and asking and digging and repenting. Bless you and thank you for at least reading my new writing piece
I appreciate,indeed LOVE a lot of what you write but the fact I don't agree on all points doesn't mean Im against,it means I'm not a clone! Please don't be upset by my more cynical frame of mind. God made me two. He enjoys the occasional Cosmic Joke. In the Prodigal story I'm the boring Older Brother. He's not comforted by the indubitable fact that he's going to inherit the lot one day. He knows he's boring,has no charisma,no one wants to have sex with him,and HE wants a Party thrown for Him but he knows No One loves him that much!!!!
Jane, good morning! Thank you for your comments and indeed, I did not think you were a "clone". God certainly does not mind us having doubts and questions. After all, that is why He sent Holy Spirit to be our Teacher and daily guide in all the questions of the world. I do not have all the answers for the whole world!! I spent 35 years as a Prodigal myself and am intimately acquainted with the actions of the younger son. I paid a very steep price for my rebellion and I would not go back to those bad old days for all the money in the world. Narrow path for me, despite the difficult times. Not one person I know, who is following God and His Son, is not a work in progress! We keep going day by day ,some days stumbling, some on top of the mountain, some in the bottom of the valley. Blessings to you, Jane!!