How do I respond? That is becoming my favorite question nowadays. It is a question that I love, because I think it takes a lot of pressure off of me. I do not tend to respond quickly, I try and ask the question first, and then wait for an answer. Hopefully there is time to get that answer, but thankfully, when time is not on my side God seems to be bringing answers even before the questions are asked.
I got a text last night from a friend, and she was heart sick. You see, she saw a pastor on YouTube, speaking to his congregation about the horrific nightclub shooting in Orlando. He had no compassion for the dead or wounded, and he expressed his happiness over their deaths. She texted me because I am her friend and she felt she could trust me. I am glad about that. I am also glad that in the past couple of years I have tried to read, listen, and learn more about Jesus. In doing that, I felt able to speak to her last night, and I hope that she was comforted.
How do I respond? I will always try to ask the question, or see if I have already gotten the answer. Wait what if I don’t know? How do I respond? I guess I am just going to make a default setting, command L. Respond in Love!
Lowest common denominator. Again, this math concept came back to me as I have been listening to the election coverage and heard it being used. I know what you are thinking, politics and math? It was actually Stephen Hawking who used it, and while he was talking about a particular presidential candidate, I actually think about this all the time. It is pretty funny because it is a mathematics term, and I hated math. As I am getting older though, I am finding that math is making its way into my everyday life more often. The best is when I use algebra as an object lesson for my sons. My mother, the math teacher, would be proud. My sons though, are pretty much over it.
Just had to put a math graphic in here for fun.
Back to my point. I find that in a lot of things, people tend to go to the lowest common denominator. Myself included. I always wonder why? Whether it is comedy. Where most jokes nowadays are more hurtful than funny, but everyone laughs. Or it could be politics, where we jump on a bandwagon of the candidate who is talking the loudest, singling out an enemy and promising what they are going to do for you. Or even the church where we pretend to do instead of really doing what we believe, because it is just easier that way. Again why? Maybe we are working, trying to make ends meet? More concerned with getting the kids picked up from daycare than who will be the next councilman, senator or president? Worrying about our weight, health, jobs, spouses and children. Which are all good things to worry about. Too tired at the end of day trying to make life better, that we don’t have the energy to really ask, what makes a better life? Too distracted to ask ourselves, do I really want to live a “lowest common denominator” kind of life?
I know that is a life I really don’t want. Unfortunately, I believe that is a life I have lived too much of already. So I am now trying day by day not to accept that “uncommon” life as my own. It is harder than it looks. I get up, I write, I read my bible, exercise (ok so not every day yet), and I try to be encouraging. Every day I fight the desires to wallow in self-pity, doubt, fear, pride and anger. (Well that was an honest sentence for you) Each day is a new opportunity, and maybe more importantly a different opportunity. So I take strength in the words of Paul, the man who wrote most of the new testament not the Beatle. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” He sounds as confused as I feel many times, but I love his honesty. I take great comfort in the fact that if Paul didn’t have it all down on his own, than I am not doing so bad. My Mom was right when she said, “it’s not what you know, but who you know”, and for that uncommon life, I am counting on Him being my Who.
If you want to check out where Paul said that: Romans 7:15 NIV
Please leave a comment if the post encouraged, challenged or made you think.
Cheryl Mendoza 