What Inspires Me Today - April 24

 Paying Forward

On my way in to the office today I was thinking about many things that today's inspiration moment could be about. I guess I should be thankful that there are a lot of things surrounding me from which I can draw inspiration today. I'm going to settle on a moment from my weekend Quiet Time / Devotional.

Now before we get too into it, I don't journal the way I used to, which means I also don't spend a lot of time doing devotionals or Bible Study on a regular basis. There are different reasons for that - another time... but this weekend I landed in Matthew and the parable of the man who was forgiven of his debt and then refused to forgive someone who was indebted to him.

He, of course, was UNforgiven of his debt in the parable...

The lesson is clear... in faith, we have an obligation to bring to the world the mercy and grace that has been given to us. Any good thing that comes to us, we better the world around us by passing the power of that goodness on. A kind word, a forgiveness, a joy... 

I think the same happens on the opposite... we darken our world when we pass on any bad thing... anger, malice, resentment...  

This feel like a very trite message today.  It has a little bit of "that's been done before-ness" to it. I don't like being trite or banal, or cliche... but sometimes it helps to be reminded of the simple truth that we have an impact on our immedate world... and that has an impact back to us. 

We don't live in silos and we are not obligated to walk alone.

How much better the walk and our day is when we share some good along the way.

First Things: The magic of people

Last night I attended a memorial gathering for an old friend of mine from my early days in Detroit.

There are people you meet who, for good reasons, linger with you for the rest of your life. There is a magic about them that resonates with the universe and adjusts our molecules and energies in just the right way to change us for the better, if even we only spend a very short time with them. Chase Chapman was one of those people. My friend Andy Swan was another. Both of them were bright stars, snuffed out too soon.

We laugh, we smile, we talk for a while and then we're off to our own worlds. Before we know it the manufactured stuff of living overtakes us and that bill that you can't pay pushes away a caring word, the overdue report squashes a friendly hello, and the actions of an evil world pauses a confident gait.

We are more than those things. People like Chase and Andy, and countless others buoy us to be better... to not let those manufactured things pull us away from the magic of people, of living, of each other.

First Things: Redemption

This morning, my daily devotional talked about an old Christian Poem.

The poem was about the crucifixion of Christ - as told by the cross itself, the tree that was cut down to make the cross on which Christ was nailed. The poem reflects on the idea that Adam & Eve ate from a tree and in so doing condemned mankind, but this tree that became the cross would be the tree on which all mankind would be redeemed.

I get emotional when I think about the idea of redemption, especially when it comes to being an instrument or a vessel for good.  The Bible is full of parables and stories of how God uses imperfect people to accomplish great things. Jacob tricked his brother Esau, yet God chose Jacob to build the Hebrew nation. Zachheaus (sp?) was a tax collector who defrauded people out of money, but the story of his hospitality to Christ is sung throughout Sunday schools around the world. Peter denied Christ and then became the rock of the Christian Church - and Paul killed many Christians before he was called by God to be a part of the foundations of faith. And there are many many more stories.

The Biblical message is clear - no matter what you have done in your past, no matter what your history, redemption is real. You can make a choice for a positive impact, you can change the world. If you feel that you are worthless, so have countless others before you.  If you feel that your baggage is too heavy, it is no more than what others have born. If you feel powerless, you have the power to change the future.

Redemption is freely available if you choose to take hold of its open hand.

First Things: Be The Good

This weekend ended on a sad note for many in my circle of friends as a dear family lost their mother.

It reminds me that in the midst of this bizarre and often difficult world, what matters most is the mark we leave on someone's heart.

On my Facebook Page this weekend an old high school acquaintance left a scathing, judgmental, hate-filled comment on a post that was followed by an equally hateful comment from a current friend which lead me to take down the post and step away.

No matter what the circumstances are in your life, to an issue, in a conversation or in a battle, you can be the good that someone needs.


Be the good for a world in need.
Be the light that shines in the dark.
Be the hope that seeks to be found.