Last night, President Obama delivered his State of the Union address. Friends and foes worldwide all sat glued to the television to cheer or to jeer his every word.
Predictably, commentaries on his speech fell sharply along party lines. And, sadly, reactions to his speech simply underscored the fact that our country remains thoroughly divided about where we are and where we are headed.
It would seem to me that the facts should speak for themselves, and therefore we either have made historic strides in the face of historic challenges, or we haven't.
I am amazed at how facts become irrelevant in the face of politics, and instead, feelings about facts are the order of the day.
But, I shouldn't be so amazed by this, because that is how many of us live our personal lives every day. We ignore the facts about the state of our unions, and let our feelings paint a picture that does not fully line up with reality.
What "unions" am I referring to? All of the relationships or "unions" that influence our daily lives. That would include marriages, familial relationships, friendships, even working relationships. Of course, the most important and influential union is the one we have with God.
If we are having trouble or experiencing distance in any of our unions, we should face that reality and begin the critical work of repairing them. The first place to start is in the mirror. Too often we blame everyone else for our difficulties, but forget that we are the common denominator. It can't always be everyone else's fault.
" And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye." (Luke 6:41-42)
Some of our eyes are filled with enough logs to build a community of cabins, yet we constantly look outward to find the source of our problems. Our vision may have been jaded by the distorted images others projected onto us during our developmental years. As a result, some of us may suffer from low self-esteem and negative self images.
Some of us are critical and cynical and see those traits as "charming" while others finds them alarming. We use our tongues to curse, lash out at others and "put them in their place" when, in fact, we are out of place. James reminds us that when we "...bless our Lord and Father...and...curse men....from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." (James 3:9-10)
Friends, let's take the time to honestly reflect on the state of our individual unions. Let's allow God's Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth regarding our part in some of the relationship challenges we face. Let's stop blaming our spouses, our parents, our bosses, and even God when things don't go our way.
If we invest in building ourselves up in our most holy faith, we will yield a much greater return than what we have been getting from "logging" and other "speck"ulative ventures.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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