I Will Wait

Today is Holy Saturday, the day on which we reflect on the confusion and sorrow Mary and the disciples must have felt after Jesus Christ’s crucifixion that took place just the day before.  Luckily we know what happens next in the story. Jesus is raised from the dead and tells of how He has made a way for us to come to the Father. Then He left again. We are in a similar situation to that of the disciples and Mary: Jesus has left. But at least we know that He is coming back. We are waiting for His second coming.

A group of musicians that I particularly enjoy is Mumford and Sons. For me, listening to their music is almost a form of worship as so many of their songs have religious undertones. Their honesty about the struggles that faith can bring is so refreshing and I am certain that the Holy Spirit is touching lives through their music whether they know it or not. One song in particular that highlights the idea of waiting for Jesus’ return is “I Will Wait.”

It speaks of the days of dust blowing away with the coming of the new Son. I think that is such a beautiful picture. The world will be made new with Christ’s coming. And until then we will kneel down and wait. We can know our ground in Christ. He is our rock and firm foundation. God has forgiven our sins through Jesus sacrifice on the cross and we will not forget that. We ask God to tame our flesh: to keep us from continuing on in our sinful ways, and to instead fix our eyes on Christ and tether our minds to Him, free from the lies of the devil. So I do not know how you intend to spend you Easter, but as for me, I’ll raise my hands, paint my spirit gold, bow my head and feel my heart slow in the presence of the Lord. 

Where's the Horse Meat?!

Recently a lot of people were up in arms over the fact that horse meat had been found in ground beef. I agree, it's a little unsettling because we didn't know it was in there. But, the idea of eating horse meat didn't bother me all that much at all. In my mind eating horse really isn't all that different from eating cow. And if it is different, here is some evidence that thinks it might even prove to be a good kind of different. Just some food for thought. 

Documentaries//Activism

Over the past few months I’ve been watching more and more documentaries. Voluntarily. When you’re a kid you can’t imagine anything more boring than watching a documentary, but lately I’ve found that they really draw me in. Almost too much so. They always stir up something in me.

The most recent documentary I saw was called ‘Sons of the Clouds; the last colony.’ It tells the story of the Sahrawis, a former colony of Spain that has been forcibly controlled by Morocco for the last 38 years. It was so hard to watch these poor people live in refugee camps out in the desert because the land that was their home was taken from them. And those that did still live in their homeland were tortured on a daily basis. I felt like someone had to do something. I felt like I had to do something.

This is the problem I have most of the time when I watch documentaries. It always hits me so hard that these are things that are actually happening in the world. Whether it’s related to human rights, the environment, animal cruelty, or anything else. This is happening in the world and I’m just sitting there on my couch watching it. I feel so utterly helpless and too small to make a change.

Now I don’t know if you ever feel that way too, but I just want to encourage you that there is always something you can do, even if it’s something small. After watching a documentary about where my food comes from I made a point to only buy free-range eggs and meat of which I know that the animal was treated well. It’s something small, but I think it’s making a change.

There are numerous ways to help in any aspect that might draw you. One example of a website that gives you some cool options is called sevenly.org. Every week they support a different charity, so you can choose to contribute on the weeks that you feel passionate about the cause. That’s just one way to make a change.

Just remember that no matter how small you may think your contribution is, it is making a difference. You can change the world you live in. It’s what we’re called to do.