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12/25/2019 Comments

The Importance of Being Content

If I have learned anything this year, it is the importance of being content.
I want to be clear: contentment is not the result of a happy environment. Contentment is being happy regardless of your environment, good or bad.
I am not saying anything new:

Paul mentioned it in his letter to the Philippians.
Inspirational posts on social media say and re-say this a thousand times in different ways

So, why am I repeating it?
Because this year, I learned that if you are content, you become immovable. And if you are immovable, no matter what happens, you are always "living your best life."
This year, I learned that being content means living your best life.
And that's why it bears repeating today, of all days.

This year, I learned that being content means living your best life.

If contentment should not come from your environment (your family, your friends, your wallet, even your emotions), it has to come from somewhere, right?
It has to come from somewhere apart from it all, somewhere more than it all, Someone more than it all.
Y'all, contentment comes from believing in Jesus.
I want you to remember that angels appeared to shepherds in a field at night, telling them to be happy because Jesus has been born.
These were not kings with coffers filled with gold and silver. These were people who were working the dreaded night shift. Their lives did not exactly seem to scream "I am happy and content!"
Yet, they rejoiced at the birth of Jesus.

Y'all, contentment comes from believing in Jesus.

Here's my point: Jesus brings joy and contentment to you, where you are, right now. That's what He wants. That's what He has always wanted.
Y'all, there is a lot to be angry about in this world. There is a lot to be depressed, worried, and anxious about.
But in Jesus, there is a lot to be happy about. Not that when you believe, all your troubles will be solved and you will no longer have to worry a day in your life.
But that when you believe, Jesus will take on those troubles for you and give You His peace so that you will no longer have to worry a day in your life.
So that, whether rich or poor, sick or healthy, famine or plenty, you will be content.
Because Jesus got it all. He is more than it all.
That, y'all, is a reason to celebrate.
Merry Christmas, everyone!

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12/12/2019 Comments

Comparison Prayer

"Let's begin to thank God because we're alive. There are people in the mortuary. There are people who are on the sick bed, who'd like to be here, but they can't. Yet here we are. It's not because we are better than them. It's only by God's grace. Let's just bless His Holy Name..."
Sound familiar?
A friend brought this to my attention the other day. "Why?" she queried. "Why do we have to say thank you while comparing it to those suffering?"
And you know what? She has a point.
However, as with most things in this world, there are pros and there are cons.
Let's examine the cons, shall we?

I-beta-pass-my-neighbor mentality

(1)

(2)

We have an "I-better-pass-my-neighbor" mentality, and to be honest, it hasn't done much for us.
It's like: we would accept mediocrity, as long as we are better than somebody else.
The problem with this mentality is that we could never reach our full potential because we are looking backwards at what is behind, rather than forward to what we could be.

The Butt of the Prayerpoint

(3)

(4)

It's never fun being the butt of the joke:

To be laughed at, but not with,
To be part of the group, but not included,
To be prayed about, but not for.

If it were you, how would you feel?

And now, the pros...

Empathy

Empathy is more than feeling bad for someone. It is to put yourself in the shoes of another, to "vicariously experienc[e] their feelings, thoughts, and experience" (5)
That's what this prayerpoint does.
It reminds the congregration that it could just have easily been them in the hospital.
This prayerpoint is not unlike the Syrian refugees YouTube ads, the feed-the-hungry-African, or the-sponsor-a-child prompts that permeate social media.
By shedding light on the less privileged, these ads remind you that these people are actual people. People with dreams, goals, loved ones, families.
These ads remind you that it could just as easily have been you.

Gratitude

By realizing that there are people who are worse off than you, it makes you grateful for what you have.
This, I think, is the main intent behind those who use this prayerpoint as a call-to-worship. We can get so caught up in wanting more, wanting to be like someone who we think is better than we are (that I-better-pass-my-neighbor mentality at work again).
And this prayerpoint is meant to settle us and make us grateful for what we have.

So...what now? Should we use the prayerpoint or not?

Jeez, y'all, calm down. I am getting there.
You would have to decide that yourself. All that matters to God is your heart.
If you're using the prayerpoint to make yourself feel important, or if using it makes you feel like a jerk, then don't use it.
If, however, using it makes you appreciate what you have and empathize with those who are less privileged, then knock yourself out, with a little caveat: take a minute to pray for those who are less-privileged.
Keep in mind that if God had His way,
"there [w]ould be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession" (Deuteronomy 15:4).
But, alas, sin has stolen what is to be ours.

Citations

Picture (1): https://soyezfleek.com/product/i-beta-pass-my-neighbor-black-tote-bag/
Picture (2): https://www.nairaland.com/1397457/now-iron-clothes-pass-neighbour
Picture (3): https://7esl.com/butt-of-the-joke/
Picture (4): http://www.erraticbeat.com/comics/comic/always-the-butt-of-the-joke/
(5): https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy
Other pictures are from Pixabay.

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