"Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, ESV)
Lent is a time to be more reflective of our own lives. We rush about so much that we not only do not have time for loved ones, we do not have time for our own selves. So often, we rush. We try to beat the traffic lights. We aim to be first in line. We struggle to shave off a few seconds off the wait. Like the popular saying, "Penny wise, Pound foolish," many of us tend to be very shrewd when it comes to saving a few seconds, but easily waste away hours doing rather mundane and unimportant stuff. Think of the impatient driver that swerves in and out of traffic just to get ahead of all the traffic. Along comes a traffic police who signals the driver to pull over. Not only is he then given a ticket and a hefty fine, he is late for all his appointments. Is that worth it?
What then are the more important things to take note of? Love. Love your neighbour. Love your brother and sister. Do not just say it. Show it. Do not just think of it. Act upon it. Better to do first and then talk later, than to talk about it first, and end up forgetting to do it. When we want to love, it is important to take care of our inner lives. Make sure it has a quiet center. Give yourself time to rest. Allow space for your heart to commune with God. Make it your ambition to be quiet, and to take notice of the more important things in life.
conrade
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