Month: July 2025

“I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (Common English Bible)

We are born with a desire to face any challenge, any obstacle, any difficulty on our own. Young children are proof of that when we hear from their mouths, “I do it!” Mastery over the circumstances of life is a healthy, normal desire. No one wants to feel inadequate, weak, or defeated. Many of us may be quick to come alongside another who struggles and help. We want to be there for others. We are inspired by stories of people who lend a hand, who listen and love deeply, or provide guidance for someone who seems to have lost their way. In each of those scenarios, we are the stronger one who comes to the aid of another. These circumstances demonstrate to us that we are adequate, that we are the strong one. Yet, as we are placed in those situations where we must acknowledge our own weaknesses, or own need for help, we feel small, even powerless. We are disappointed in ourselves because we are found to be inadequate.

These are the moments when Paul’s words to the Philippians are helpful. Paul declares that he can do all things! Sounds like a two-year-old child: “I do it!” Except, what flows next from Paul’s thoughts demonstrates a maturity far more developed than a two-year-old: “Through the power of the one who gives me strength.” Paul’s confidence in facing every struggle, every difficulty is “through the power” of another—through the power of Christ. Rather than feeling diminished or ashamed that he is inadequate, Paul boasts that Jesus Christ is mindful of Paul. Jesus, who is, “in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6), humbled himself so that he may dwell among people like Paul, sharing life with Paul, and finally pouring Jesus’ power into Paul for enduring anything life may throw at Paul. That special and empowering relationship with Jesus remains available for each one of us, promises Paul.

An attitude that is often taken among people of faith is that they simply do not understand prayer. They don’t oppose prayer. They simply don’t understand it. Consequently, one of two things is the result: Either they recite brief prayers taught to them as a child over a meal or at bedtime with little expectation of a positive outcome, or they don’t bother to pray at all. Living life with a vital and expectant sense that Jesus is very present is absent. They may go to church. They may have given mental assent to the teachings of the faith. They may even strive to live in a manner that is taught by the faith. But, in all honesty, they feel that they are on their own. Life is to be lived by their own strength and discipline, or they will be defeated. In moments of exhaustion, they may utter to themselves that they can’t do it and that is that. They accept defeat. Those are the moments that they fail to avail themselves of the power that is available to them in Jesus.

There is another attitude that is seen among people of faith. They are the ones who believe Paul. They believe that Jesus is present in their lives, and they set to use the resources of the faith as best as they can—particularly the resource of prayer. They don’t have a greater grasp of how prayer works than anyone else. They simply accept that Paul found prayer to be effective and that is enough for them. Rather than making any scientific inquiry as to the veracity of prayer, they pray. They pray with expectation. They pray, open to hearing from God even if what they hear isn’t what they desired. They pray not because they seek to leverage God’s power for their own purposes but to understand how God seeks to align them with God’s holy purposes for them. They pray, wanting to experience that this great adventure of life is not lived only by their own strength, or wisdom, or personal desire. And as they pray, as they exercise this conversation with God, what they find is strength.

Joy,

“After saying goodbye to them, Jesus went up onto a mountain to pray.” Mark 6:46 (Common English Bible)

Of all the things Jesus taught about prayer, the most powerful lessons were observed from his practice of prayer. Here is a moment when Jesus and his disciples are exhausted. It has been a day of incessant toil. Jesus acknowledges the disciples’ exhaustion; Jesus acknowledges his own exhaustion. In the thirty-first verse of Mark’s sixth chapter, Jesus says to the disciples, “Come by yourselves to a secluded place and rest for a while.” Jesus and his disciples depart in a boat to a deserted place. Their rest would be brief. Many people saw them leaving in the boat and ran ahead, presumably to the other side of the lake, arriving before Jesus and the disciples. Jesus shows compassion to the people and begins to teach them. Late in the day, the disciples urge Jesus to practice self-care: “Send them away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy something to eat for themselves.” (Verse 6:36) Jesus has another idea.

Jesus asks his disciples to feed the people. The toil of the day continues. Naturally, the disciples grumble. And who can blame them? They are exhausted. And feeding all the people? The disciples speak to the implausibility of that idea; a meal for everyone would cost eight months’ pay! We remember the story. Jesus takes a few loaves and fish and feeds approximately five thousand. And then there is the clean-up that follows the meal—twelve baskets of leftovers! There is exhaustion upon exhaustion. Each of us has had such days; days that seem to resist coming to an end.

Finally, Jesus calls it a day. Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and go toward Bethsaida. But Jesus doesn’t travel with the disciples. Rather, Jesus dismisses the crowd, stomachs full from a meal miraculously served to them, and Jesus goes up onto a mountain to pray. After that day, one might well assume Jesus’ spirit was depleted. Sleep might be in order. But within Jesus’ heart was another desire, to spend the night in conversation with his Father. Jesus prayed all through the night. Notice, prayer was the habitual practice of Jesus’ daily life—the communing with the one whom Jesus loved, the one who provided Jesus with all the strength, encouragement, and direction Jesus needed.

Exhaustion is one of the things that thwarts and stifles our practice of prayer. But exhaustion had no power at all with Christ. Nor was Jesus at the mercy of an irritable mood or sorrow. Jesus loved God his Father so deeply and passionately that any consideration of not praying was absent from his life. Every day and night brought an opportunity to speak to God, to acknowledge the presence of God; to simply be with God. This is an indictment upon our own failure to pray. Jesus’ practice of prayer is never meant to create guilt in our own failure to pray. Jesus never uses guilt. That isn’t God’s way with those God loves. Love and guilt are incompatible. What Jesus’ practice simply demonstrates is that there is a deficiency in our affection for God. That is where we begin. Not with a stronger resolve to pray or the exercise of greater discipline. We begin by paying sufficient attention to God that our affection for God grows. And as with any relationship, as affection grows, so does our desire to simply be with the other grows. That is when we notice our own movement from exhaustion to prayer.

Joy,

Dr. Doug Hood’s wife, Grace Cameron Hood, B.C.E, wrote the following meditation.

Each year, Holly House participates in a time-honored and universal ministry of churches everywhere. They sponsor a rummage sale. The proceeds of the sale go to the ministry of the church. This is how it works. If you have something that you do not need or want or can’t use anymore, you donate it to the church. The women sort everything. This is a time-consuming and tedious job. Imagine sorting hundreds of donated shirts according to size and price. When the sale happens, the community comes in droves. Someone might see an item and realize that they want it, they need it, or they have a use for it. They pay for it. This is a wonderful system. What becomes one person’s discard, trash, or burden becomes the next person’s treasure. This is recycling at its very best!

What does this have to do with a book on gratitude? One day, I was looking through a table of delicate china teacups at the Holly House that had been donated. I grew up with those multi-color aluminum tumblers (which are now collector’s items), white mismatched mugs, and ‘unbreakable’ Corelle cups. I love china teacups. As I studied the intricate and colorful tea cups, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for what I have. I am grateful for many things. I inherited a lovely set of tea cups decorated with beautiful violets from my grandmother. They are gorgeous. What’s more, I have the entire set, which includes plates, serving bowls, miniature salt and pepper shakers, a matching sugar and creamer set, and finally, small ashtrays for the bridge games my grandmother would host.  What I have is more than I wanted. It is more than I thought I needed. 

My gratitude goes beyond what I have. It speaks to who our God is. God wants us to have more than we can imagine. What God gives us might not be riches or things. God offers us a sense of worth that comes from who God says we are.  We are not unwanted, unneeded, or a burden. I am grateful that with God, we are each precious and valued. That is one important thing to remember about God. All of us are wanted and loved. There is no one on earth that God discards, donates, or sells. We are not a burden that is carried around or hidden away in an attic or basement when interest has died.  None of us are chosen as second best. We all have immense value in God’s eyes. We are all precious and a treasure to God. There is more. When we look at people around us, we need to remember that God values them! We need to treat people around us as if they were precious to God. This changes how we look at the world. As we see the world through the eyes of gratitude, our perspective changes and creates the community that God intended. One of love, acceptance, inclusivity, and care. 

Joy,