22 September 2012

I Live, and the Light Shines!

Grace and peace to you, dear ones!

I know it's been a long time since I posted last.  We've been in process of moving from Seattle to Portland for a month now.  Finally both me and my husband are settling into our new jobs and our two kitties are settling into their new apartment.  We have an office that is in disarray at the moment, but most of the rest of our apartment is quite nice and well put together.

Tonight, not a long post, but a bit of a reflection on Max Brooks' World War Z.  I picked up the book the first year it was published, but was unable to get very far because I had to focus my attention towards my studies.  Now that I have fully graduated, (just waiting for grades to officially post from the summer and then the degree to come in the mail a month or so later!) I now have enough brain energy to focus on this delightful book once more.

This afternoon, while the kiddos I now nanny for took their naps, I came across this quote:
Fear is the most valuable commodity in the universe...turn on the TV [and] what are you seeing?  People selling their products? No. People selling the fear of you having to live without their products... Fear of aging, fear of loneliness, fear of poverty, fear of failure. Fear is the most basic emotion we have. Fear is primal. Fear sells (World War Z, p. 55).
Now, one of my college professors said something similar several years ago.  It is an interesting, and sad, commentary on our lifestyle and society at large, isn't it? 

At the present time, we find ourselves in the midst of the political season. What are we hearing from all sides?  Fear that the other candidate(s) is(are) going to destroy us all and make things worse.  How sad it is that so few ads nowadays have any semblance of hope for a better life!

Where do we find hope, dear ones? 

Isn't hope and love more powerful than fear?  Isn't it true that one tiny candle has enough power to shed light through an entire room?  What can darkness do to a light that is shining brightly?  It can do nothing but flee.

Photo by Trista Wynne

So, dear ones, in this time of uproar where undercurrents of fear and hatred are causing riots all over the globe, I pray that we will all shine as lights in this world.  I pray that we will be beacons of hope and love in a fearful and hate-filled world.  I pray that just as the darkness is scattered by the light, so too will fear, bitterness, envy, hatred and the like be dispersed as the hope that we share in our everyday lives takes root around us.

Scatter seeds of love, faith, hope and joy today, dear ones!  May the harvest of Light be plentiful in the days, weeks and months to come on account of the work we do today!

Shine brightly dear ones!  And may the God of peace, love and light be with you, today and always.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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