“FOR IT IS IN GIVING THAT WE RECEIVE.”
St. Francis of Assisi
As I write this it is white out. It more than likely will not be white on Christmas morning. I am not putting much faith in forecasters this far out. Weather people are well intentioned but with the improvements in technology since 1895, when records were being kept, there has not been any improvement in the forecasting. What a job to be wrong so much and still get paid.
In their defense they now can actually give us a better heads up on tornadoes. Gives us more time to grab the camera and a beer and go out and watch it while yelling at the family to get down stairs.
I was very saddened by an online friend that had shared a cartoon that was supposed to be politically astute. And the point was totally off. And since I am prone to point out things like that (sometimes the discussions go on all day with me not saying anything else) he came back with a statement that showed how he has no faith. What a shame.
Christmas is a time that is supposed to be full of meaning and good will. Many will not share any joy. Many will not see any joy. Some refuse to create joy. What is the point? Faith.
Many do not understand that faith is believing in something that you cannot explain. It is something that is in the heart. Yet people who will not believe in a Creator and Savior have faith in things and do not realize it.
Take a farmer. Hours are spent working ground and working on machinery in order to place a seed in the soil. Then watch it grow for months looking forward to harvesting a crop. When prices are bad and expenses are up they go on and do their job anyway. That is faith.
A rancher waits for months for the livestock to have their little ones. They they take care of them for more months. Then take them to markets that are not guaranteeing a profit. Companies that take the product and make sure that they set their own price. The politicians who get into the process. Yet they still do what they do and hope for the best. That is faith.
People get into aircraft everyday and believe that they will be safely flown to their destination. That everyone of the thousands of people who had a hand in building that airplane were not having a bad day and everything is done right. That is faith.
We can go on and on. Yet we have homelessness, and hunger, and hate, and concern about things that are not really all that important.
Faith is simple as a child. It can be in all of us. It is in all of us. Some just don’t take the time to think about how it can be useful in their everyday life. They do not think about how to make it better for others.
Our Christmas is quieter now than it has been. There are no children to open presents. Our friends that have always come to our table are now gone. Health is not the best. But the joy is still here because of the faith of what is promised.
How sad it is for those who will not live a faith filled life. What joy can they find? What joy can you give?
