Dear Ones,

Soon we are off to Grace and Tom’s  who live in Edmonds, Washington. We are excited as we have waited a long time for this day!  We found a nice motel in Kalispell, Montana, and I got to swim laps in the pool while Al went for a long walk. We went to a Mexican restaurant for supper, which is my favorite. Today’s devotion continues from Henry Nouwen’s book , The Selfless Way of Christ

Downward mobility is not to cause us pain and humiliation but to help us to see God present in all of our life, including struggles. But temptations that try to return to see upward mobility are:

  1. The temptation to be relevant. We want to do something so we can be appreciated by people- to make productivity the basis of our ministry. In many ways we are made to believe that we are what we produce. But instead we need to detach ourselves from the need to be relevant.
  2. The temptation to be spectacular.  We act as if visibility and notoriety are the main criteria of value for what we are doing. Perhaps this is our search for selfhood. Are we insecure, lonely and doubtful when others don’t recognize our work?  The search for the spectacular glitter is an expression of doubt in God’s complete and unconditional acceptance of us. The real basis of all ministry is really the acceptance of us as His beloved children that it so total that we are free from the compulsion to be seen, praised, and admired.
  3. The temptation to be powerful. Our culture is encouraged to seek power and climb to the top for the most influential positions. Power can come in many forms: money, connections, fame, intellectual ability skills etc.  These are all ways to get a sense of security and control. The mystery of our  ministry is that we are called to serve not with power but with powerlessness.  As His followers we are sent into the world vulnerable and weak so we can reach others in their pain.

These temptations stay with us all our lives but we need to recognize them as illusions of our false self.

May we serve others even when our lives remain the same, even when few people offer us praise, and even when we have little or no power. Then we can come to know ourselves as God knows us, as children hidden in God’s love.,

Better get packed up now but do pray for a safe journey for us. When I was driving from  2 a.m. to 4 am. on Tuesday night, I saw over a dozen and half deer along the road that I could have so easily hit.

The bed felt wonderful last night and we are refreshed to start the day. Blessings and love, Judy