At Home with Barb

When you say sacred, what do people think it means? Does the sacred only happen when we are in a place of worship? Do we have to be quiet to be sacred? Apart from the religious aspect of sacredness, the definition in Websters says, “entitled to reverence and respect.”

When we look at that definition, it could apply to much of our day in, day out, lives. Isn’t our being, our living, entitled to respect? When we live sacred lives, aren’t we just giving life the respect and reverence it deserves?

Today many have lost the reverence for life, everyone’s life, and even their own.  Many today dress without respect, they speak irreverently, they live without mind to any convention. They say it is their right. And in a free society, it is. But why do they do it? Just because they can seems like an answer I hear often today. What a silly statement. I do something just because I can. No meaning, nor rhyme or reason, no care for tomorrow, or others. It is selfish and self-serving. And that is a sad statement of our society today.

When I think of living sacred in everyday affairs, I also think that in between the lines of reverence and respect, is taking the time to think about each little thing I attend to in a day. Washing dishes can become a sacred act. You reverence your family, and want them to eat off clean plates. You give thanks for having running fresh water, being healthy enough to stand or even sit at the sink. That is sacred. Taking a walk after dinner becomes so much more enjoyable when not hurried. See the trees, the foliage at your feet, breath in and out, look at how the sunlight dances off the surfaces of the leaves or in a city the glass structures.  That is the sacred too.

Life today has become hurried and haphazard. Mistakes are made because things are done”half fast” or more likely, on fast forward. Is tomorrow, or even the next moment so important, that today this moment is worth giving up?

I was speaking with my best girlfriend who happens to be blind. We were talking about a colleague of hers who wouldn’t rent to a blind person because they might fall off the balcony and cause any number of liabilities. She answered them, that it would be more likely that a seeing person would do that, because a blind person is taught to be more deliberate. And besides she said wouldn’t you want to make your place safe for all?

When we life in tomorrow, we become less observant of what is right in front of us, the now.

Living sacred in every moment allows us to focus, one step at a time, one moment at a time. Living deliberate, sacred lives every moment is at times a difficult thing to do, but the rewards are gratifying and lasting. Your relationships won’t suffer from living sacred, but they might living in the fast lane.

Life is a series of choices and priorities we set for ourselves. If you can’t go sacred cold turkey, set aside a day, an hour, or even this moment to stop, listen and really look. Look to reverence this day, your being, others, and mostly your Creator. You won’t be sorry. It will make you think, it might make you change.

“Impatience is the fool who stands outside the sacred temple.”

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much”, And looking at them Jesus said to them”, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”,  But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave”,  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We live, we love, we grieve, we suffer. Life goes on. We do many stupid selfish things We feel empty, but with God we are full. We feel deserted, but with God we have someone who walks with us. We are tempted, but God knows all about temptation, and He leads us back from the brink.

We are sinners, but God saved us. We are nothing, but with God we will gain eternal life. We are weak, but with God, we have strength enough to move mountains.

We see dimly, but with God, we will see forever clearly to the ends of time. We walk lamely, but God is our crutches. We can’t find the words, But God’s word is forever before us. We live small lives day to day, but with God, we live richly abundantly, to the full.

We lie, but God’s truth is eternal. We sin, but God is spotless. We need God, but God does not “need” us. But thank God, He wants us in relationship with Him, loves us so much He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to ransom us back to The Father.

But for God, we would be lost wandering souls looking for their completion. We would be forever unfilled, and unfulfilled. But with God, our God hole is filled in, and we can fellowship with our Creator/Savior starting our eternal life today!

“But God,” isn’t that the most beautiful, promising, loving statement in the whole of the Book?

“..And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Mt.1:38

Would any of us have done what Christ did for us? It is hard enough for us to deal with our own crosses. It is hard enough to follow in His footsteps let alone lead the way as He did. He died so all of us could find our way to redemption. He asks us to take up our cross, and follow him. He asks us to lead our lives as He did his, guided by the Holy Spirit, talking to the Father every step of the way.

When we accept the Lord’s forgiveness, we should fully immerse ourselves in Him, the Living Water.  Living in this confidence of our forever home, may the mercy of God in Jesus, be glorified in our hearts and reflected in the way we live every day. As He forgave us, so we need to forgive. Giving forgiveness transforms our lives in health and happiness, allowing God’s blessing to shine from us, showing others that forgiveness is possible.

Post Calvary: our lives are in Christ. We now live for him and not ourselves. Because he is fully man, he knows us, the excuses we give as reasons, the weaknesses we wear as banners. Because He is fully God, He is holy, and wants us to be holy also. Being fully known by our creator savior, gives us courage, strength and comfort. Knowing the God of the cross, teaches us humility, compassion, obedience, and most of all, unconditional undying love. For all is nothing without love.

The measure of a man in not the color of his skin,

nor the condition his clothes are in.

It lies far deeper and close to his core;

this place unseen, his character stores.

A place he guards, it is full

of all the things of which he stood

for in this life. The values, loves, his wants and needs,

some came easy, but some with pleads,

for lenience or mercy there,

at times alone his soul laid bare.

When we look for the measure of a man

look not at his face or even his hands,

look instead his treasure there,

look at his heart as truth demands.

To find this measure we all insist,

this man must be like us, but yet we wrest

with the voice screaming from our souls

don’t go with the rest, don’t play the fool,

stand up for character worked and formed

like leather tooled. But character is scorned

if we look only at external means,

to life successful, or so it would seem.

Is success in life relative

to values held, a system believed?

If I have money by the score

but live not faith, I have less not more.

My possessions aid me not in the grave

if miser was my name. No love I gave.

Judge if you must the measure of a man

by how he lives, not what he commands;

if in life he builds up stores

for his future dwelling on heavenly shores,

and this is done successfully,

measure for measure, in heaven he’ll be.

It has really been a while since I have written anything. But now that my grandson, Jacob is out of the hospital and on the mend, I hope to write again regularly. We are truly grateful for Jacob’s continuing recovery. God is truly miraculous. Prayer works. Jacob is living proof of this. As we watch him grow and change, we will know that God has a special purpose He has put aside just for Jacob.