“Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat
their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters . . .
Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile . . . “ (Jeremiah
5-7).
Here’s the deal about being in
exile. God wants you to get on with your life and really live! Build houses, plant gardens, and start
families. Your life has not ended just
because your plans may have come crashing down around you. There is much to enjoy, even in the midst of great pain.
Richard Niebuhr’s famous “Prayer
for Serenity” provides a helpful path towards life in the midst of loss.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the
courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting
hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it
is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I
surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and
supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.”
The challenge for today is to
find a way to enjoy one moment at a time—to maybe enjoy just one moment—one small
moment. In the middle of the hurricane, find a breeze of hope—find a small
whiff of peace. And hang on to it with everything you’ve got!
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