Mercy in Your Hands

From Tom Hackim, one of our Emmaus Brothers at Annunciation … "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. My brothers and sisters, sweet is the thought of mercy, but even more so is mercy itself. It is what all men hope for, but unfortunately, not what all men deserve, For while all men wish to receive it, only a few are willing to give it.


How can a man ask himself when he refuses ti give to another? If he expects to receive any mercy in heaven, he should give mercy on earth. Do we all desire to receive mercy? Let us make mercy our patroness now, and she will free us in the world to come. yes, there is mercy in heaven, but the rod to it is paved by our merciful acts on earth. As scripture says: Lord, your mercy is in heaven.

Nothing else needs to be said. It is our acts that create our own mercy … it is we who are the conduits of God’s mercy, and it is He who will reward us for every merciful act. May we fill our days with those acts, so that we will be able to see the mercy that awaits us in heaven …  

You Decide, Not Them

"We have to realize that there will always be critics and naysayers in life.But other people don't have to believe in you ... other people don't set the limits to your life - you do. It's not what others say about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself." ... Joel Osteen 

There’s no question it’s sometimes hard to maintain your belief in yourself at a high level. Disappointments affect us, as do work and personal challenges. Situations that occur leave us wondering. Worry about tomorrow or about others can be a weight on us, too.

But Osteen speaks of the impact that other people have on us, especially in terms of belief. We may all have critics or we may just think we do. Either way, they affect our thoughts and in the worst cases, they may steal our dreams and undercut our goals. It is if and when we allow them to have that much power that we fail ourselves.

You are your best voice. You may ask for counsel or understanding, but clearly you have the ultimate power over your life. And importantly, over your own life limits. Whether a young person striking out to a new location, an adult changing a career path or a retired person finding a new mission, only you can set the limits to your future. And the fact is, God does not set limits. He encourages you to be in charge, but He is there supporting your belief … I pray we all take that responsibility for our own belief seriously. After all, we’re the first ones who can.

Just a Second

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ... William A. Ward

Just a reminder that all it takes is a heavenly glance to thank God for all we have. A moment in time. A pause in the day. A short prayer. Whatever your approach, it is right. Too often we leave prayer for the Sabbath, or for dire times, or for fervent and urgent requests. But every day is a new opportunity to be thankful and only you have the power to decide how that essential gift can be repaid.

Take the time to acknowledge God, today and every day … it is your own gift to Him.

Valuable, Way Better than Rich

Seen in a Facebook post from Nicole Roberts … “I may not be rich but I am valuable.”

Do you know people that chase the dollar? I do. In fact, I think we see this tendency all around us … in advertising, in all the gotta-have technological gadgets that surround us, in our work lives, when we listen to people young and old. People playing the lottery. People that demand more money for what they do. People that are upset they don’t make more money, many perhaps ungrateful even though they may have a good job.

I understand that tendency. But as many of us have heard from our parents, there is more to life than money. A lot more. And this quote says it all.

We are all more valuable than we imagine, than we see. We are valuable to ourselves, to our family and friends, to the world. We are valuable no matter what we offer. Our value is inherent to us, unique. And it has nothing to do with our wealth.

At the end, it is how valuable you are that will determine your legacy. Not money or possessions. Not bank accounts or work success. God provides us with that inherent value … it is up to us to share our value with the world, and in that, become even more valuable every day.

Looking Twice

“I was angered, for I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.” … Chinese Proverb.

When we look at situations, too often we may jump to the wrong conclusions, because it takes time and space to truly identify the “value” of an experience, of a turn in your life, of a road you never expected to take. Looking at a situation from a single vantage point is always dangerous … looking at a situation from only your vantage point is even more dangerous.

I love this proverb because it is a stark way to view your lot in life.

Every day we feel emotion, in the now. Every day we see things a certain way, in the now. Every day we react to situations, in the now. But there is usually much more to the story, much more to every story. We know the saying “put yourself in their shoes” and it is a great way to reconsider any situation … whether you have shoes or not.

Are we happy with our lot in life? If so, we are blessed. But if we are angered, maybe we should look twice and consider another outcome. I pray that we have the strength to consider what others face, when we face our own challenges … 

Two Great Days

A wonderful quote to chew on from John C. Maxwell: "There are two great days in our lives - the day we are born and the day we discover why."

When people ask “What was the greatest day of your life?”, I typically have had a ready response. Usually my greatest days center on my marriage or the birth of my children. Most people do have ready answers, because we have memorable moments that are burned into our life history. But Maxwell looks at our greatest days from an angle I had not considered.

I know he is first and foremost a writer focused on business and leadership. But he is a pastor as well and often his quotes go far beyond business, as this one does. It struck me that the “days” he speaks of are likely not easily remembered … and that is a very different perspective to ponder.

To me, his quote speaks first to the fact that we are children of God, each of us born with a life path like no other. Without that first great day … the day of our birth … there are no more, so I understand well the significance it has. But while we love to celebrate birthdays, does the party or the card or the gift do that first great day enough justice? There is so much more “hidden” in the celebration … the real meaning that God has given our life, by our birth in His image and with His grace.

And then there is the second great day, when we discover our purpose. Not just our passion or the perfect job or an innovation we have brought to the world. No, for me “the day we discover why” is the day we accept Jesus … He is the link between our greatest days. And the One who will be there on our last one …

Get Off Your But

Saw this comment posted by a friend on Twitter and it definitely made me think …

The comment was made in this context: We make excuses every day. The question is what excuses do we need to stop using so we can get off our But and make something important happen. The reality is that there is too often a “But” at the end of many sentences. I could have done that, But. I would have done that, But. I should have done that, But. Too much looking backwards at what we failed to do.

That said, not all Buts are bad. It may be that something better came along and an even greater choice was made. It may be that there was not enough time or space to fulfill a plan. Maybe it was a situation where there was no harm, no foul. Maybe the But meant “not yet” or “not now”, rather than a final no or a final excuse.

What the comment reminded me of is the need to look at ourselves honestly and challenge our Buts, maybe even challenge our Buts off if we can. Life is fleeting and there is precious little time for excuses. One of my best friends would call this the “WishIda” syndrome … as in, wish I’d a done that. If we don’t pay attention to what we’re doing, we will have way too many WishIdas in our lives.

Finally, here’s another thing this comment made me think of: “There but for the grace of God go I” … a saying I think about whenever I see a challenge, a tragedy, a person who has been hurt or is suffering. Even a car accident brings that to my mind. It is the grace of God that keeps me whole and living a life through faith … there is no But about that.