Snip of the Cloak

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
“Why do you listen to those who say,
‘David is trying to harm you’?

David manages to hold respect for Saul
 in spite of the fact that he plotted to have him killed.

He gets close enough to snip a piece of Saul's
cloak without being detected.

Not sure if I had such an enemy that I would want to get that close.
I think I would want to at least wound such a foe.

David was given great wisdom.
It is only by the wisdom and grace of the Spirit
that he did what he did.

He could have become very arrogant and boastful
for his battle winnings,
but he is able to act with humility.

David bows, a gesture of humility.
God was with David and he acted accordingly.
David had pity for Saul because he was not thinking for himself.
Saul was listening to others who were filling
his head with evil thoughts.

One thing we can learn from David is not to retaliate
against our enemies.

Justice belongs to the Lord.

May God bless us to pray
for those who wish harm to come to us.

Peace.

This post today is late thanks to delayed
 traveling in icy winter weather.
Thanks for stopping by this blog.
I do appreciate each visitor.

Jealousy Corrupts

~~~ 1 Samuel 18:6-9;19:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 56 ~~~ Mark 3:7-12 ~~~

...my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?...

Jealousy...
...Saul was jealous of David.

Saul was greatly disturbed by the success David had on the battle field.
He had just slain one of the most feared, Goliath, with one shot.
Saul becomes blinded by his jealousy, but his son Jonathan loves David.
Jonathan admires David as a model warrior...fearless and confident.

Jealousy...
can haunt your soul...

David was the youngest of his father's sons.
He would periodically return home to Bethlehem to care for the sheep.
He was not a trained warrior.
David, sent by his father, went out to bring grain and cheese to his brothers.
They were preparing to enter into battle with the Philistines.

Jealousy...
 can turn you into a monster.

Saul's son, Jonathan, intercedes on behalf of David.

Jealousy...
taints the color of your world.

Saul listens to his son, who not soiled by jealousy,
is thinking more clearly.

Jealousy...
keeps you from experiencing personal joy.

Saul decides to let David live...
at least for now.
Once you let jealousy stake a claim in your heart
it takes dedicated effort to override it.

Jealousy will keep rearing its ugly head stabbing your heart...
filling it with lies and egotistical thoughts.

Jealousy...
is reason enough to shed tears, for your selfishness.

Blessings come in the grace to see the good in others.
In being able to know that another person's success
does not equate to your destruction.

Peace be with you.

Blindness Led to New Sight

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ John 6:52-59 ~~~

 

Jesus gave Saul a resurrection experience...

his sight was restored after three days.

Sometimes God must blind us in order to grab our attention.

Sometimes God must blind us in order

to give us new eyes with which to see the world.

Sometimes God must blind us

because it is the only way to get our attention.

 

During Saul's 'darkness' he abstained from food and drink.

Depriving his physical body in this way allowed him

to be more focused on his experience. 

He was entombed with the presence of God.

His senses were heightened without his sight.

The spirit of God had taken hold of his whole body, mind, and spirit. 

It is difficult to imagine being in that state and not be forever changed...

which indeed Paul was.

After this encounter with the power of God he was a new person....

he was reborn into what God had planned for him to become.

 

I wonder if today God still uses such extreme conversion experiences?

The closest I can imagine is the experiences I often have with music.

 

"...this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."

 

 

When Paul's sight was restored I believe

 the whole world appeared to be brighter to him.

We see things through our internal lens.

If we are filled with darkness

then all that we see will be darkness and evil.

On the other hand if we are filled with the light of Christ

 then we will see the good in the world around us.

 

Notice for yourself; see if your attitude effects

how you see everything around you.

I am reminded of Blessed Mother Teresa,

she had reason to see the darkness around her

 but she chose to see goodness.

She chose to spread compassion and loving kindness to others. 

 

Where are you?

How do you see the world around you?

Does your vision need an overhaul?

Can you see with new eyes?

 

 Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

 

I was blind and now I see.

Easter Blessings!

Beloved and Cherished

Samuel, the one who anointed Saul and David, is now dead. To escape Saul's insanity David flees to the land of the Philistines in refuge. Saul pursues David...visits a soothsayer...and learns of his fate  and of his son Jonathan's as the spirit of Samuel reveals it to him.  The sad story continues like a tragic series of falling dominoes until finally Saul and Jonathan are both killed.

David is now in mourning over the death of Saul and his son. David composes a beautiful elegy for them which he sings. Music brought comfort to Saul when David first came into his service. Now David sins to bring comfort to himself, "...Alas!...how can the warriors have fallen!"

It is striking that in spite of all the times Saul came after David he was still able to hold in his heart affection for him. "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished...", verse 23.

Beloved and Cherished

Beloved and cherished are two of the most beautiful words to me. God calls Jesus his beloved son only twice; once at his baptism and again at the transfiguration. Beloved is a special term of endearment; it means dearly loved. How could David continue to think of Saul as beloved? This is some example of loving your enemies. We have difficulty loving those who reject us for whatever reason, but Saul was activiely trying to kill David.

It is unbelievable to me when a victim of a terrible crime can reach out to the person who harmed them. Without saying the words of forgiveness their actions speak for themselves. The Amish community come to mind first. After the murder of so many in their community. They did not want to harbor hatred in their hearts.

David shows forgiveness to Saul through this beautiful musical tribute. David had several opportunities to kill Saul and each time he turned and removed himself from the  situation.

David can inspire us to walk away from our enemies. David can inspire us to think differently about our enemies. I am not trying to pretend David was perfect because we know he has his flaws as well.

As a woman I want to feel cherished. Cherish means to hold dearly, to treat with affection and tenderness. When you cherish someone like a family member you can overlook all sorts of hurts.

Who do you cherish most in your life? Is it your spouse? Your children or grandchildren? Your friends? Some even cherish their home land.

For years songs have been written about the word Cherish. Kool and the Gang had a very popular song titled Cherish, before that the Association and more recently Madonna.

Beloved and Cherished together are the pillars of a lasting relationship. In David's case even if the person wants you dead.



Cherish Moments...Cherish Living

Original photo of a single white daisy.

This kaleidoscope image captures the pure beauty of being cherished and beloved.

                 

Jealousy...the Disease

1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19: 1-7



The book of Samuel continues...This is better than any prime time drama. The plot thickens as today we see jealousy and death wishes unravel  in a few verses.
Saul is jealous of the attention the women are giving David as they sing and dance in celebration of his victory over Goliath. He, as their King, believes he is entitled to their highest praises and acknowledgment. Sound familiar?

We see here a common human short coming; we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. Saul is doing what comes naturally. Within families we even see jealousy among siblings. It is a common dilemma for parents to not show favoritism. Jealousy is usually fueled by fear of loss. The loss can either be perceived or real.

We all want the recognition we think we deserve. Sometimes we begin to spread false accusations others. Sometimes we try to minimize the accomplishments of our competition. When in reality it would be much better if we could support one another...building up the Body of Christ together. We are all one Body, one Body in Christ. Lyric from a great song taken out of scripture.

Back to our drama...Saul shares his death plan for David with his son Jonathan. Jonathan though has developed a fondness for David and now comes to his defense. That's what friends are for, right? Friends come to your aid. Friends stand by you.

Jonathan appeals to his father's better side, reminding him of how he really is pleased with David's service and devotion. We all benefit from friends who will speak on our behalf. This is a reminder to be vigilant as I speak about others. Am I building them up or am I contributing to their surmise?

I sometimes wish I could return to innocence of childhood. Jonathan is looking through the eyes of a child and can see that David is a good person. Jonathan is able to convince Saul to spare David's life.

We have stark contrast between this episode and the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Judas was more than a friend of Jesus; he was one of the apostles. He was well aware of all that Jesus had done for others and yet he went forward with the ultimate betrayal. We can only guess as to what may have motivated Judas to betray Jesus.

So what can we do about jealousy in our own lives? Definitely food for thought. Recognize it, Admit it, Evacuate it from you life...

I recently read this by an American Science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein :

"Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love the greater the jealousy....but in fact they are almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other. Both at once can produce unbearable turmoil."

Saul and Judas were both in great turmoil. Saul was given the blessing to listen to his son; Judas hastily separated and isolated himself from any hope.

I chose this original picture of a male peacock because of it's brilliant tail feathers.

This kaleidoscope image captures some of this brilliance.

What if the other birds were jealous of the peacock's feathers?

I pray for the grace to appreciate more sincerely.

  

The Lord Looks into the Heart

"How long will you grieve...?" 1Samuel 16:1

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path..." Psalm 119:105

"Not as man sees does God see...

the Lord looks into the heart." 1Samuel 16:7

The scriptures are so rich today I can only hope to skim the surface and invite you to return to them in your prayer time.

The story of Samuel continues...he is sad because Saul is not doing well he suffering from depression and can no longer be the King. Samuel must feel like he can fix this since he is anointed by God, but instead God says...move on...I have found another one whom I will anoint to be King.
Having dealt with depression in my own family I know how frustrating it can be; you want to make the person feel better.

Samuel, being a faithful servant does as the Lord asks and finally the seventh and youngest son of Jesse is summoned and anointed as the King. You see God had big plans for David. He was blessed with the gift of playing the harp.

It happens that one day Saul's servants speculate that music will soothe his soul. Music does indeed have healing qualities; more on that later. The Lord's plan begins to unfold; David comes to reside with Saul and plays beautiful music on his harp. Saul quickly becomes fond of David and allows him to remain in his service. We learn much more about David in subsequent verses.

This was young David's humble beginning. Samuel found David because he listened to the words of God, even though he was hesitant. When we listen and act on the word of God ; the path is illuminated for our every step. (Amy Grant sings a lovely song about verse 105 from Psalm 119 which you can find on youtube.)

Psalm 119, the longest of the psalms, dwells on the wonders of the word of God. I like to believe David composed the beautiful Book of Psalms while strumming on his harp. And if he did he most likely sang them to comfort Saul. Even if Saul did not understand the words the melodies would engulf and lift up his spirit.

How do you feel about God being able to look into your heart?

God led Samuel to David, because looking into the heart of David God saw a faithful servant.

God did have great plans for David, which are detailed for us in later chapters.

God has great plans for you too.

Are you willing to allow him to work in you...to use you in ways you never dreamed?

"...the Lord looks into the heart"

I chose this original photo of a solitary man walking on the sunlit path into the woods because when you allow God's word to light your path the possibilities are endless.

This Kaleidoscope image represents, to me, the infinite beauty of the soul as God sees it.

Rejoice and be glad for 'the Lord has done great things for us'. Ps. 126:3