In my own little world

I was up very early Friday morning, prodded by possibly God to spend some quality time with Him. After doing that, I went on the computer to read the news and joined the night owls in being the first in the U.S. to have learned about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan

The kids and I watched some of the footage from CNN, mostly from the vantage point of a helicopter. It was totally amazing to see what water can do when it leaves its boundaries and how much force it can exert. You might even tempted to think that the footage is really cool until you see a sheet being violently waved from a second story window and realize that someone has been trapped by the water which has become poisonous with all the oil, gas and other chemicals that seeped in from cars, refineries and other places. They are frantically trying to get help. Unfortunately, the helicopter is working for journalists whose job is merely to document their pain and suffering and not actually provide help.


Okay, that last statement was pretty snarky, judgemental and self-righteous. There are probably rules on how much journalists can help out, as much as to prevent a bad situation being made worse by someone without knowledge and skill trying to be helpful as well as to protect their journalistic objectivity (no, really, they are supposed to be objective). I can also be accused of passing people in my car who look like they need help because I am too busy getting through my day or too distrustful of getting scammed/injured/robbed. Fear and busyness are enemies of compassion and love.


So are pre-conceived notions. God is busy at work destroying my pre-conceived notions by giving them a face and a name. He has placed Eric and I in a Bible study with a culturally diverse group of people, which is not our comfort zone. We have highschoolers through grandparents and many different ethnicities. And once a week, we all have dinner together before dining on God's Word. Naturally speaking, I have left the confines of my own little world. And yet, God is showing me, once again that His Holy Spirit creates bonds more powerful than bonds of race because those are bonds of my heavenly family.

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
Romans 12:9-10