Keeping Perspective
“Why are you cast down, O my soul
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
My help and my God.”
--A song of God’s people
We begin another week, a week where festivity and celebration are the primary theme. The season calls us to merriment and the realities of our work take us to places where folks are not feeling merry at all. At the hospital we have Bereavement Support groups. A few years ago at one of our Bereavement Support group meetings, we were having a routine holiday discussion filled with laughing and appropriate times of silence. One of the grievers in the group did a spin-off on the David Letterman theme of “10 Reasons…” She titles it “Top 10 Reasons Christmas Sucks” and I share it with you to keep things in perspective:
10. Family get-togethers just make it more obvious that someone is missing.
9. Every time you go shopping, you see things your loved one would like.
8. Every ornament and decoration you get out has a memory connected to it.
7. There is one less stocking to be hung.
6. Everywhere you go, you hear the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
5. Your cheeks get chapped when you cry in cold weather.
4. The arrival of Christmas means another New Year is one week away.
3. No matter how good you are, Santa won’t bring you what you really want.
2. None of those “holly jolly” people can understand how you are feeling.
And the #1 reason Christmas sucks is:
Every new holiday is a reminder that life goes on, even if you don’t want it to!
The author of this is a really wonderful person of faith, dealing with the realities of her 21-year-old son’s death in an auto accident on a Thanksgiving Day several years ago. While hopeful about her future, a significant loss has left a lasting impression upon her! May God be with you this week.
--Ben Keckler
12.14.09
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Daily Devotion - Thursday, December 10
Children of the World 2
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
and he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
--A voice of a prophet
The prophet realized that we develop many names for the child that is born. Likewise, we bring many names to this season of the year and each of those names is sacred.
One of the insights the prophet is telling us is that the very essence of God enters into our midst as a child. Sixty-three years ago (December 11, 1946) the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, was founded by people around the world. Children are so important. Today, I want to share the second segment of Marian Wright Edelman’s prayer for children. The words can help to keep us focused on the realities of this season:
“O God of the child prodigy and the child prostitute,
Of the child of rapture and the child of rape,
Of runaway or thrown-away children who struggle
Every day without parent or place or friend or future,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.
“O God of children who can walk and talk and hear
And see and sing and dance and jump and
Play and of children who wish they could
But can’t
Of children who are loved and unloved, wanted and unwanted,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.”
The prayer will conclude tomorrow. Have a meaningful day.
--Ben Keckler
12.10.09
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
and he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
--A voice of a prophet
The prophet realized that we develop many names for the child that is born. Likewise, we bring many names to this season of the year and each of those names is sacred.
One of the insights the prophet is telling us is that the very essence of God enters into our midst as a child. Sixty-three years ago (December 11, 1946) the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, was founded by people around the world. Children are so important. Today, I want to share the second segment of Marian Wright Edelman’s prayer for children. The words can help to keep us focused on the realities of this season:
“O God of the child prodigy and the child prostitute,
Of the child of rapture and the child of rape,
Of runaway or thrown-away children who struggle
Every day without parent or place or friend or future,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.
“O God of children who can walk and talk and hear
And see and sing and dance and jump and
Play and of children who wish they could
But can’t
Of children who are loved and unloved, wanted and unwanted,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.”
The prayer will conclude tomorrow. Have a meaningful day.
--Ben Keckler
12.10.09
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Daily Devotion - Wednesday, December 9
Children of the World
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
--A voice of a prophet
The prophet realized that we develop many names for the child that is born. We bring many names to this season of the year and each of those names is sacred. The insightful prophet is telling us that the very essence of God enters into our midst as a child.
Sixty-three years ago UNICEF was founded (December 11, 1946) and people around the world joined together to form the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. Children are so important. During the rest of this week, I want to share with you excerpts of Marian Wright Edelman’s prayer for children.
“O God of the children of Somalia, Sarajevo, South Africa and South Carolina
Of Albania, Alabama, Bosnia, and Boston,
Of Cracow and Cairo, Chicago and Croatia,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.
“O God of Black and Brown and White and Albino
Children and those all mixed together,
Of children who are rich and poor and in between,
Of children who speak English and Spanish
And Russian and Hmong and languages our ears cannot discern,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.”
--Ben Keckler
12.09.09
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
--A voice of a prophet
The prophet realized that we develop many names for the child that is born. We bring many names to this season of the year and each of those names is sacred. The insightful prophet is telling us that the very essence of God enters into our midst as a child.
Sixty-three years ago UNICEF was founded (December 11, 1946) and people around the world joined together to form the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. Children are so important. During the rest of this week, I want to share with you excerpts of Marian Wright Edelman’s prayer for children.
“O God of the children of Somalia, Sarajevo, South Africa and South Carolina
Of Albania, Alabama, Bosnia, and Boston,
Of Cracow and Cairo, Chicago and Croatia,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.
“O God of Black and Brown and White and Albino
Children and those all mixed together,
Of children who are rich and poor and in between,
Of children who speak English and Spanish
And Russian and Hmong and languages our ears cannot discern,
Help us to love and respect and protect them all.”
--Ben Keckler
12.09.09
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, December 8
Expectations
“Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
and the glory of God shall be revealed among us.”
--A voice of a prophet
The prophet certainly was filled with great expectations, it seems to me. I would add that we often deal with great expectations—sometimes it is our expectation of others, sometimes it is others’ expectation of us. Here is a little story about great expectations that I like to roll out each year because so many of you have enjoyed it:
On the first day of school, a teacher was glancing over the roll. She noticed a number after each student’s name, such as 154, 136 or 143. “Wow! Look at these IQs,” she thought. “What a terrific class.” The teacher promptly determined to work harder with this class than with any other she ever had.
Throughout the year, she came up with innovative lessons that she thought would challenge the students, because she didn’t want them to get bored with work that was too easy.
Her plan worked! The class outperformed all the other classes that she taught in the usual way. Then, during the last marking period of the year, she discovered what those numbers really were: the locker numbers for each student.
We can make many assessments about this story. Consider it an example of “Great Expectations.” I hope you will have a good day experiencing “Great Expectations” in your life.
--Ben Keckler
12.08.09
“Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
and the glory of God shall be revealed among us.”
--A voice of a prophet
The prophet certainly was filled with great expectations, it seems to me. I would add that we often deal with great expectations—sometimes it is our expectation of others, sometimes it is others’ expectation of us. Here is a little story about great expectations that I like to roll out each year because so many of you have enjoyed it:
On the first day of school, a teacher was glancing over the roll. She noticed a number after each student’s name, such as 154, 136 or 143. “Wow! Look at these IQs,” she thought. “What a terrific class.” The teacher promptly determined to work harder with this class than with any other she ever had.
Throughout the year, she came up with innovative lessons that she thought would challenge the students, because she didn’t want them to get bored with work that was too easy.
Her plan worked! The class outperformed all the other classes that she taught in the usual way. Then, during the last marking period of the year, she discovered what those numbers really were: the locker numbers for each student.
We can make many assessments about this story. Consider it an example of “Great Expectations.” I hope you will have a good day experiencing “Great Expectations” in your life.
--Ben Keckler
12.08.09
Monday, December 7, 2009
Daily Devotion - Monday, December 7
It Will Be Revealed
“Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
and the glory of God shall be revealed among us.”
--A voice of a prophet
These words of hope served to inspire George Handel in the composition of “Messiah”. They need to be shared today as we start a new week of work. At the hospital we have experienced some very demanding days recently. We have had an abundance of people, patients and families, who feel like everything is crashing in on them. Many of them have unloaded on staff and it is only natural that we then feel the pressures of the workplace crashing in on us. It is the rhythm of the season.
The word is clear that the glory of God will be revealed among us. It will be revealed when we are willing to receive the “stuff” that has to be unloaded on us and then release that same “stuff” (plus the other additional “stuff” that comes from receiving another’s “stuff”). It will be revealed when we stand firm in our commitment to deliver the best in the most difficult of situations. It will be revealed when we remain compassionate when compassion is the only straw left.
It’s a new week. The week will be demanding in its own way. May you sense a Holy Presence with you as you reveal the glory of the Lord God in your words, thoughts and deeds.
--Ben Keckler
12.07.09
“Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
and the glory of God shall be revealed among us.”
--A voice of a prophet
These words of hope served to inspire George Handel in the composition of “Messiah”. They need to be shared today as we start a new week of work. At the hospital we have experienced some very demanding days recently. We have had an abundance of people, patients and families, who feel like everything is crashing in on them. Many of them have unloaded on staff and it is only natural that we then feel the pressures of the workplace crashing in on us. It is the rhythm of the season.
The word is clear that the glory of God will be revealed among us. It will be revealed when we are willing to receive the “stuff” that has to be unloaded on us and then release that same “stuff” (plus the other additional “stuff” that comes from receiving another’s “stuff”). It will be revealed when we stand firm in our commitment to deliver the best in the most difficult of situations. It will be revealed when we remain compassionate when compassion is the only straw left.
It’s a new week. The week will be demanding in its own way. May you sense a Holy Presence with you as you reveal the glory of the Lord God in your words, thoughts and deeds.
--Ben Keckler
12.07.09
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