Oct 27, 2008 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2008. All rights reserved.
I’ve come a long way, baby! I’m very happy to admit my vote for the next president of the United States will be without regard to race, gender, religion or age. Bias in regard to political party has never been my problem. This may be partly due to my family’s extreme one-sidedness in this respect. So, in my voting career — now some 32 years long — I love being able to say I’ve voted for so-called Independents, Republicans and Democrats.
There was a time, however, when I would have based my vote on race, gender, religion and/or age — for or against. But those days are gone, and I’m wondering: How did I get here?
It occurs to me that perhaps I’ve made some significant headway in my own personal fight against prejudice.
Prejudice can be defined as unreasonable opinions before sufficient knowledge is obtained. It can be irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular race, religion or group, including political party, and any person affiliated with a select party. And prejudice causes someone to judge prematurely, thereby unduly influencing decisions and actions.
I think this is what has caused me to endeavor to keep my viewpoints in check. I don’t want to be prevented from objective consideration of an issue or situation or presidential candidate. And prejudice always distorts and confuses reason and judgment.
Our world is filled with prejudice and intolerance. And it seems to me, if I am to believe global prejudice can be transformed into justice, respect and fairness, I need to begin with eliminating intolerance in my own attitudes, opinions and behavior.
I’ve not always succeeded in my personal fight against prejudice. But I have made progress, and this presidential primary season is proving this to me.
In Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, he instructed, “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21). This sounds like good advice in how to give each presidential candidate his or her due consideration.
I read a poem several years ago that I’ve never forgotten. It was describing a scene featuring Jesus as the guest speaker on a local hillside. The poem was written in first person as if by a person in the audience that day.
As this attendee sat at the event, he criticized the clothes Jesus was wearing, complained about some of the word choices Jesus used, and then starting critiquing everyone else in attendance. He even griped about the weather, saying it was hot, dusty and the sun was in his eyes.
By the end of Jesus’ talk, this person acknowledged that others around him seemed inspired by what Jesus had to say and that some were actually healed, too. And he concluded by saying something I’m often reminded of: “I’m starting to think I might have missed something.”
Indeed! That poor person sitting at the feet of Jesus allowed prejudice to distract him from hearing what no doubt would have been a life-changing message.
Jesus, of course, was met by many prejudices against him during his three-year mission, and he certainly knew the effects of prejudice. He said, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15).
Prejudice closes eyes and ears to the truth in any situation or about any person and can cause us to make careless and flippant decisions.
When I make my presidential selection in November, it will be an informed choice based upon as much information as I can gather and earnest consideration of the motives and merit of each candidate. Whether my candidate of choice wins the election or not, at least I can feel I’ve honored and celebrated this democracy of ours sincerely and completely. And I will support my next president in my daily prayers, whoever he or she may be.
In the meantime, I will keep my heart, eyes and ears as open and attentive as possible as I listen intently to every candidate — without prejudice.
Oct 27, 2008 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2008. All rights reserved.
The desperation in their eyes told me this was not just fun and games. My husband and I were celebrating New Year’s Eve with our daughter and son-in-law. We were all dressed up in our holiday best for a night out on the town. After an elegant and delicious dinner, we decided to do something none of us had ever done before — play the penny slots at one of the nearby casinos.
Immediately upon entering the room, we realized that compared to most of the people there, we were extremely overdressed and our intentions were quite different. I’m not sure how many days some players may have been sitting in the same chairs, desperately feeding the game boxes before them with dollars, hoping for big returns. Their focused and weary eyes told a story of fervent need and longing, but also — hope.
I wouldn’t encourage a shot-in-the-dark approach for finding the solutions you anxiously seek, but I don’t doubt the value of being hopeful.
This casino scene reminded me of one of the recorded healings of Jesus. I think I’ve referred to this one before, but it’s one that offers many lessons. Like many of the penny slot players longing and waiting for the answer to their financial woes, hundreds of suffering and sick people filled the alcoves around the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9). One of the Gospels explained that the superstitious crowds were waiting for the water to “bubble” and were hoping to be the first to get into the moving waters so they could be healed. Apparently, the people believed they could only be healed at such a time, and only one would be the lucky person.
Jesus approached a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be well, the man explained how he had never been able to be the first one — that he had never had anyone to help him. It was clear this dear man had no idea who he was talking with and also never imagined that healing was possible another way.
Jesus knew that God loves His children very much. He knew that God makes His children perfect, able, active and strong. So Jesus told the man, “Get up. Take your bedroll. Start walking.” And the man who had not walked for 38 years must have felt the divine energy of Spirit which impelled Jesus’ instructions, because he immediately did exactly what Jesus told him he could do.
Where are you looking for healing, strength, relief, answers, supply or peace of mind? Perhaps many of us would say we place our hopes in a person, a place or a thing. No doubt, most of us leave no stone unturned when we’re desperately searching for some help.
My question is: Why do we often turn to God as a last resort? Whether I’ve turned to God first or last, however, I’ve never not felt the divine energy of Spirit healing me, enlightening me, guiding me, inspiring me, encouraging me.
The familiar Bible verse “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8) has given impetus to my prayers. Although it may sound like a conditional statement — it’s not. It’s really a promise assuring us that when we do turn to God, we will find He is already right where we are with a healing solution readily at hand. And for me, it also means the more I understand my spiritual selfhood as a child of God and the nature of God as omnipotent good, I’m discovering a present, powerful defense for battling any foe and conquering any challenge.
There have been times when I’ve struggled with desperation, especially if I felt I wasn’t getting my most-wanted answer quickly enough. In these moments, I’ve found it helpful to pause and appreciate any progress I’ve made, and to cherish and reflect on any spiritual insight I’ve gleaned — however small I may think it is. I was recently reminded that God has “legions” of ideas and insights for His children to help us continue to grow and progress on our life journeys.
Jesus once said God could give him 12 legions of angels if he needed them (Matthew 26:53). In biblical times, a legion would have been a division of between 3,000 and 6, 000 men in the Roman army — an army trained for combat. In my weak and doubt-filled moments, I’ve found strength in being reminded that God can and will send me “legions” of angel messages whenever I need them. And these potent messages will reveal exactly what I need to overcome any obstacle as well as arrive exactly when needed.
Then, my desperation is replaced with great expectation. And my upward journey continues with calm resolve and reassured hope. And so can yours, as you turn to God for help!
Oct 27, 2008 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2008. All rights reserved.
Some might say the search for someone or something to blame is a popular pastime in America. When our heralded football team loses, we spend hours assigning blame and pointing fingers at who was at fault and how and why they were wrong. When anything is awry in our country, the usual fall guy is the president. And when our own life goes haywire, we look for relief in our anguish by either trying to find a scapegoat for our misfortunes or by indulging in self-blame. Regardless, looking for blame is generally a way to distract attention from the real cause to a problem, and it prevents us from searching for and finding solutions.In my own life, I’ve slowly but surely learned that successful answers are not found in blaming ourselves — or anyone or anything else — but in bettering ourselves. And while the objective to achieve this will certainly include fixing a problem, this is not the same as fixating on a problem.
To better ourselves begins by looking in the mirror for self-reflection. But in which mirror does one look? In the mirror that focuses on human error, mistakes, opinion, faults and bad judgment? Or in the mirror that shows us our spiritual selfhood — the divine image and likeness of our Creator, reflecting innocence, honesty, strength, wisdom and all the qualities derived from our Father?
Yes, it turns out all we need to better ourselves is readily at hand. Our spiritual birthright is God-given dominion to overcome any hurdle, along with a vast resource of qualities that enhance our abilities and capabilities — with infinite potential and promise, I might add. If we’re not utilizing our innate spiritual resources, it could be that we haven’t discovered them yet or we’ve forgotten we have them. This happened to me.
For the past 10 years, I’ve been steadily putting on body weight. After changing to larger pant sizes four times, I was feeling pretty miserable. How did this happen to me, I bemoaned? I blamed my job for making me sit too much. I blamed my husband’s sweet tooth. I blamed Blue Bell for selling 3 gallons of ice cream for $10. There was no end to the list of who or what was at fault for my fatness — or so I thought.
Years of blame didn’t lower the scales!
Finally, four months ago, I reached a pinnacle moment in my dismay. It was a fresh read of Daniel in the lion’s den that helped me tip the scales in the other direction. (Daniel, Chapter 6)
King Darius had 120 princes governing his kingdom with three presidents presiding. Darius appointed Daniel as one of these presidents. The more Darius recognized and appreciated Daniel’s exemplary talents and trustworthy character, the more jealous the other presidents and princes became. They conspired to find a way to get rid of Daniel and in so doing, persuaded King Darius to make a decree that would restrict prayers to God for 30 days. Although Daniel knew of the decree, he remained faithful and steadfast in his daily prayers. Darius didn’t seem to realize that his new law would put his favored president in peril. The penalty for disobedience was to be thrown into a den of lions. As soon as the other presidents caught Daniel in prayer, they pushed Darius into reluctantly enforcing the penalty. The morning after Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, however, he was found alive and safe.
Daniel proclaimed that his innocence had kept him safe. It occurred to me that he could have spent his hours in the lions’ den blaming others for his plight — his jealous peers, an unfair law, a mistake made by his king. But, instead, he remained focused on his spiritual innocence and was protected and blessed accordingly.
Suddenly I realized that I needed to shift my view from weight-gain blame to my own spiritual innocence, along with the many other qualities that God gives each of his children. This radical turn took me in a direction that caused radical changes in my perception, attitude and behavior — and consequently led me to radical results.
These results have included not only losing over 30 pounds — so far — but also the emergence of a happier, more confident, energized, revitalized, active “me.” Daniel’s prayers affirming his innocence freed him from paying an unfair penalty. So too, an understanding of our own spiritual innocence and selfhood brings freedom to each of us — freedom from self-condemnation, self-will, self-righteousness, self-justification and self-ignorance. These are some of the many self-isms that trap us into the blame game.
Before I ever lost a pound, I felt lighter and happier. I discovered that I had the ability to practice commitment, balance, discipline, restraint and reason with my eating habits, as well as an openness and freshness to try new and healthier foods. And I found the more I learned about my God-given qualities, the more joy and fun I had in putting these qualities into life practice in every aspect of my daily life — including walking and exercise, house-cleaning, my spiritual studies and more.
You too, my friend, have the God-given power to change your behavior, modify your attitude and shift your perception from looking to blame to finding the better “you” that God knows, loves and blesses.
Oct 27, 2008 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2008. All rights reserved.
Recently I was compelled to read again Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” address. I’ve been pondering Dr. King’s words ” … even though we face the difficulties of today or tomorrow, I still have a dream.” And I found myself asking, “Do I still have a dream?”In the days of my youth, dreaming was so very easy. Where would I travel? Whom would I marry? Would I have children? What would I accomplish in my life? The future seemed bright and boundless — an adventure I could hardly wait to begin and one I never imagined ending.
Now that I’ve arrived at what many call midlife, I’m finding it difficult to dream and envision the course for the rest of my life. I graduated from college. Met the man of my dreams. Raised our daughter. Experienced the family I had longed for. And I’ve learned some lessons along the way — lessons that I’ve been sharing with you for a few years now.
Then a verse in Proverbs caught my attention. I think perhaps it’s warning us about the loss of dreams, purpose and goals when the author wrote, “Where there is no vision, the people perish. … ” (Proverbs 29:18)
I’m not sure why I’ve been ambivalent or uncertain about my continued purpose. The objective of our lifework surely never reaches a conclusion at some particular age. It would seem as long as we live, there is a good fight to be fought — lessons to learn, things to accomplish and experience. It seems to me that the very essence of life includes motive, purpose and pursuit.
Just this week I’ve realized that maybe part of my problem is thinking that the source of my dreams and vision is up to me to muster up and create. This is not so, according to many a biblical writer. Paul says each of us is called with a divine purpose (2 Timothy 1:9). It’s so comforting to know that if I’m in a quandary about what’s next for my life, I can look to God to guide me. I know He always has a purpose for each of us and a vision of how we are to reach that purpose. The Eternal knows nothing of age. To the Divine, we are timeless with endless capacity, ability and holy purpose.
I feel assured that even though I may feel stuck right now, my prayerful inquiry will result in spiritual vision that will lift me out of the muck and mire and into the higher realms of human potential and possibility. I’ve been taught that spiritual vision can unself mortal purpose and give us nobler aims and ambitions. And it points us up the path that gives steadiness to revolve and brings success to our endeavor — our goals and dreams. All good reasons for seeking divine guidance.
Dr. King seemed to understand something about the freedom to have a dream, to follow a dream and achieve it. He said to “always march ahead” and spoke of “soul force” being needed to conquer anything that would try to slow or stop our forward steps.
I’m beginning to see that soul force is born from the desire to do the divine will. This force of strength and inspiration acknowledges and affirms that the divine will for our life is good, unending and filled with purpose and progress.
But the freedom to see new dreams and follow those dreams is hampered when one feels bitter about goals never reached or when one is depressed that it is too late or despondent about what to do next.
Certainly we reach crossroads at various times in life. But just because we reach one crossroad, does this mean there is not another road to travel? Hardly!
My daughter recently reminded me about the great-grandmother who gained fame for being the oldest college graduate ever at age 95. In 2007, she received her degree from Fort Hays State University in Kansas — along with her granddaughter, in fact. But that degree was not the end of her dreams. When asked by reporters, she said after college she was planning to get a job on a cruise ship. This dear lady seems to give no thought or worry to the so-called twilight of days!
Her example shows that we, too, must keep on keeping on with our lives — never losing our wonder, desire or expectation. There’s no reason to lose anticipation for life with its many adventures, lessons and rewards. But there are infinite reasons to live our God-endowed life to the fullest. And we find these reasons as our vision is inspired, maintained and directed by our loving Father.
So, we can keep marching ahead, not allowing any fear, opinion, prediction or theory — nor pain or illness – to stop us from achieving our life purpose. And you and I will proclaim, in the words of Dr. King, “I have a dream today.” And then, we will live our dreams.
Oct 24, 2008 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
You say you never vote? Or maybe you’re too busy to take time to vote? Why should you bother? Can one vote really make a difference?
The core of democracy is the right to vote. My vote is my voice. And I am duly aware that as an American woman, my grandmother did not always have the right to vote. August 26, 2006 marked the 86th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution giving women the right to vote. So, I do take that voting right quite seriously. I honor the privilege and duty of voting.
I believe a democracy is only as strong as its citizens’ participation in it. Therefore, I believe that a democracy needs the voice of each citizen. Without the voice of every citizen, a democracy will create a governing body that is not fully representative of the citizenry. Our voice, our votes, contribute toward a democracy functioning effectively.
Still, you may be wondering how your single vote by itself can really matter that much. I have two examples to share that have taught me more about the power of “one.”
You may not take me seriously about the first example, but truly, I learn many lessons from living in the country.
My husband raises cattle, and for years our herd, especially our calves, were plagued by ceaseless attacks from coyotes and packs of wild dogs. There seemed no answer to how to protect them.
In recent years, we noticed that many of our neighboring ranchers had a donkey in the midst of their herds of cattle or sheep. And we learned this addition to their pastures was keeping out unwanted animals. So, this year my husband decided to try this solution.
A few months ago our jenny, affectionately named “Lizzie,” took on the important position of keeping our cattle safe. “Jenny,” by the way, simply means “girl donkey.”
Before Lizzie arrived on the scene, I wondered how in the world one donkey could make a difference among so many cows. But she does. Her presence has brought security and safety to our cows for the first time ever.
Lizzie is fun to watch. Now don’t laugh, but she seems very certain of her mission and purpose in our pasture. She seems confident. She has resolve. She has conviction. And she goes about her business accomplishing her duty. It doesn’t seem to daunt her in the least that she is the only one to tend to so many.
Yes, Lizzie has been teaching me the power that lies in “one.”
Another example that illustrated how each individual can make a difference was shared by our daughter. For a while, she worked as an intern in a U.S. Congressman’s office. Part of her job was processing mail and other communications from constituents. She learned that each phone call, letter and email does count — and gets counted, in fact.
In one case it seemed hopeless that anyone could help an individual who was facing what was clearly an unjust decision. But as it turned out, hundreds of people individually made the effort to let their voices be heard. Because of hundreds of compassionate actions and words, an unjust situation was reversed and corrected. This was not a case of cooperative action of a group. This was individual citizens speaking their mind one by one. But the result was an accumulated landslide of opinion.
I believe every prayer, blessing, kind word or good deed wears away unjust political, racial, social, economic and geographical distinctions. I believe every time we replace deceit with honesty, hatred with love or apathy with compassion we make way for freedom and brotherhood. And in so doing, we combat those suggestions that tell us our voice doesn’t matter, that a situation is beyond hope and that our best efforts are pointless and useless.
Yes, I’m convinced that we each do make a difference in others’ lives — in our family, in our community, in our country and ultimately, in our world. And this also translates into the power of our vote, individually and collectively.
Still don’t think your vote matters? Consider this . . . Your vote could be the one vote that makes the difference and changes the outcome of an election or decision that affects the lives of many (including yourself) for years to come.
