As Twilight descends we thank God for our day of blessings.

As twilight descends we thank God for our day of blessings.

It becomes a time to bend our knees seeking the Lord’s generosity he is so quick to share with each one of us.  Even if the day has been exhausting before we close our eyes, at least picture the heart of Jesus surrounding our senses with a gentle vision of grace.  

We cannot suppose that everything has been of our own initiative where without me nothing would have been completed in the way I envisioned.  Unfortunately, we as simple flesh and blood have a most acute idea of the vocation each one has been assigned to and keeping that in mind most, if not all, of our efforts confine our desires to becoming better with just a personal monetary success.  Of course, without this conviction to achieve our education, physical action, and constant hours of reaching forward to a future for ourselves and our family, we would become an utter failure of our gifts.  

It is not a goal to be better than everyone else or stand alone on any pinnacle of success keeping everybody around lower than ourselves.  We must remember that when God handed us out talents these attributes went to those who would be successful in their vocation in life.  One is sent to care for others, while another is given the gift of physical healing.  And then there are some who are called to a vocation in ministry, a task like every other vocation which comes with a mode of responsibility that must be accounted for personally.  Here is where man gets into trouble, not with his peers, but with God.  Recall a couple of articles ago Jesus told the parable of a man who called in his servants and gave each a sum of money, each according to his ability.  In accounting, when we all stand before Christ in judgment we will have to answer with a positive answer what we did with the allotted wealth that belongs to God.  

Believe it or not, we were not created to just sit under a Julop tree or at the beach absorbing the sunshine with cool southern breezes.  Living the life of Riley sounds like a dream, but very few can find themselves there.  Those that do are not relishing all the distractions that type of living produces.  Our lives require some type of effort, not for personal advancement but for the care of the needy around us.  Those in need are many times our own family members.

Think of the opportunities where any of us have had the occasion to reach out, if only once, for a person who had a personal need and we found the excuse to walk away from their dilemma.  Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan who took care of a man being robbed and beaten while a priest and Levite both on their way to the temple crossed the street in order to avoid this man in dire need.   (Lk 10: 29 - 37).

This is only one existing example of how quickly any of us will search in a second to avoid interrupting our busy schedule.  It takes a moment to say no and a life of regret thinking about how we chose to avoid what God actually guided our footsteps to minister in some fashion.  

Perhaps we all need this lesson of why God presents us an opportunity to be of assistance to another and so doing will have our journey interrupted by time or missing an appointment in order to fulfill a work of charity for a stranger at times.

Do not regret the last minute call or redirection as we were headed towards a primary engagement that suddenly changed.  It may very well be the Lord handing us an appointment that otherwise may have been too disastrous or created an inconvenience for another person.  It is only God taking us to or away from a needless activity for the good of ourselves or to assist someone else.  This is one more gift that we need to be thankful for, before we close our eyes in sleep.

Ralph B. Hathaway