There are so many people hurting in the world today. You can look around and see it for yourself as individuals in the news do horribly insane things to themselves and to others. Recent terrorist attacks (the attempted bombing in New York City/Times Square) and murders and murder-suicides are evidence of the pain our brothers and sisters are in. Our brothers and sisters? Yeah, we don't look at one another as brother and sister, but we all are related. We are just too busy and too beside ourselves with greed, power and selfishness to recognize the genetic bond. In the beginning there was just Adam.... and later there was Eve. They had children - we are the children of the children of the children of the children of the.... well you know it goes pretty far back -- but we are the children. We are God's very special children. We are brothers and sisters, whether we like it or not. Some of us don't like our brothers and sisters born into our immediate families so it must be especially for those of you with sibling issues to love "complete strangers."
Having said all that, my brothers and my sisters, we need to get right. As hurting people (and we all are hurting at some time or another) we need to stop hurting one another. We need to watch what we say, who we use, who we abuse, who we leave behind, and who we play games with - games with the mind.
I know my mission in life and one of the purposes God has set forth for me is to listen to people. I don't have to say a lot - I just need to listen and to encourage others to go on (when the Spirit says "say something"). To be faithful. To not give up. To be patient. To speak up. To keep on holding on. I know this is good advice because this is what God has told me to with the challenges in my life. And I am doing those things. I intend to hurt no one. And those who hurt me are hurting themselves. To the Believers, they know there are consequences. Not from me but from our Father. To those who are not Believers - well their punishment was dictated by their own disbelief. I don't have to fret any of them. I just need to keep on keeping on.
