I thought I'd better wish you a Happy & Blessed 2020 before January disappears! Where does the time go? I have thought for a while (and others have agreed) that time could be passing quicker as we head towards end times. I know it looks the same when we go by the clock but I'm sure the One who invented time doesn't need clocks! I have heard this said by much younger people than me so it's not just me slowing down, although that has to be taken into account as well!
Christmas seems forever away. I hope you enjoyed celebrating the birth of our Saviour with family and friends, I certainly did. What I have written below certainly makes me be so much more grateful for the life and family I have.
With the anniversary of the holocaust committed at Auschwitz commemorated yesterday it reminded me of something Denise Jordan quoted during a talk last year, found on the body of a child in that dreadful place : "Oh Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the the suffering they have inflicted on us but remember the fruit that we have born thanks to our suffering. Our comradeship, our loyalty, our suffering, our humility, our courage and our greatness of heart, which has grown out of all of this. And when it comes to judgement let this be the fruit that is born of their forgiveness." How fortunate we are to live in relatively peaceful times in this country but all over the world man's inhumanity to man continues. A survivor from the camp actually said "But what have we learnt from it? People are still killing each other".
That letter shows us another way. If we could all put into action what Jesus taught us : " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments", then maybe mankind will stand a chance. Love is the only way. We love because the Father loved us first. That doesn't just mean loving those we like, it means loving the most despicable of humans. Hate has never solved anything. Hate eats us up inside until the victim becomes like the the person committing the atrocity.
So this year I am going to spend more time with my heavenly Father, allowing Him to heal the cracks in my heart until I can actually feel Him loving me completely, unconditionally with passion. Only then can I start to love people the way he loves them without judgement. Nothing unlocks your soul like the revelation of His love. It goes beyond understanding, beyond your performance. It is rooted in what He has done for you, not what you can do for Him. This love is unchanging, never ending and completely undeserved.
