1 Corinthians 1:27,28 “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are.”
God’s ways are sometimes topsy turvy. With him, things work differently. The first are last and the last are first. God in heaven becomes a baby on earth. Our life comes through his death. His cross provides our crown. Foolish shame wise. Weak shame strong. His ways are most definitely not our ways.
But thank God his ways aren’t ours. In our sophistication, we’ve learned how to make a living but not how to live; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more acquaintances but fewer friends; we have fancy houses but broken homes. The list goes on…
Topsy turvy… his ways right, our ways wrong.
And when it comes to praying, you might think it reasonable to pray for comfort, peace, joy and wisdom, but this Fransiscan Benediction offers us the total opposite.
May God bless you with discomfort,
At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Lord, I choose – maybe with some hesitation, but convinced it is your will – to embrace this benediction for my life today. Amen!
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