VICAR
Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well.
This time of year can be hard for people to stay happy. As the holidays end and We face weeks of hard work before Christmas, as the weather changes for the worse, people tend to get stressed or depressed and get snappy, impatient or quick to judge.
Tolerance, thinking before speaking, is a valuable characteristic.
Voltaire’s prayer for tolerance somewhat encompasses human angst:
O Thou God of all beings, of all worlds, and of all times,
We pray, that the little differences in our clothes,
In our inadequate languages,
In our ridiculous customs,
In our imperfect laws,
In our illogical opinions,
In our ranks and conditions which are so disproportionately important to us
And so meaningless to you,
That these small variations
That distinguish those atoms that we call men, one from another,
May not be signals of hatred and persecution!
But Christians should be more optimistic and empathetic than this and try and bathe in the love of a loving God:
Romans 14:1-4
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgement on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Ephesians 4:2
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love
Life may not be easy right now but try and remain cool. Pray for good things and try and be more understanding of those who are stressed by what they see as bad times. Let us look out for our neighbours and those who are struggling at this time. Reach out of You are in pain.
God Bless You All. Have a lovely Sunday and a blessed week ahead.
Father, I have to thank You for looking beyond my faults and for loving me unconditionally. Forgive me when I fail to love others in the same way. Give me eyes to see the needs of the difficult people in my life, and show me how to meet those needs in a way that pleases You. In Jesus’ name, Amen