Text:

Through an ancient story, as always, a word for us for the living of each day.

Scripture: Numbers 22 : 22b (“Now he – Balaam – was riding”) – 29.

Reflection:

Today, like Balaam, we are riding a stubborn donkey, trying to get on with our lives. Though we are doing everything we can, we just cannot get this donkey to move along. The donkey simply won’t obey any of our commands. We’re trying all the latest techniques, but every time this donkey gets us off track. Physically crushing us every chance he gets, this donkey just won’t move the way we want him to. We’d like to kill him, but instead, this donkey is killing us. The donkey, of course, is the Novel Corona Virus!

We had four children in elementary school and no money when, with the blessing of all of us, my husband Ralph followed his lifetime dream and enrolled in Medical School. He would be working part-time for the County Health Department. It wouldn’t be easy, but we could manage. We were all excited about this new plan when devastation struck. Ralph was admitted to the hospital not as a student, but as a patient. What were we going to do?

Then, into Ralph’s hospital room swept a well-to-do matriarch from the church calling out in her own theatrical way, “What a wonderful time to think beautiful thoughts!” Impossible, of course, but she saved the day! No, she didn’t proclaim an instant cure for Ralph and she didn’t offer us enough money to get us through. She made us laugh – something we hadn’t been doing much of. We still laugh whenever we think of the remarkable visit of that remarkable woman!

The crisis of today, we certainly cannot laugh off, but the “to think beautiful thoughts” story does give us this special clue. It is a call for us here which says: don’t spend all of your time dwelling upon the negative.

Instead, do whatever you can that is kind and helpful and caring, a positive force for good. This is the very sort of challenge that brings out the best and the worst. May our choice ever be for the best.

Prayer:

God of love and grace, help me this day to live the life you have called me to live, knowing that you are always with me every step of the way.

Focus for the Day:

Accent the positive.