Thursday June 16, 2016 

It's a me-me-me culture. You're taught to discover yourself. So you pick a label or two: "I'm crazy, I'm cool, I'm an airhead, I'm a deep thinker, I'm a leader, I'm a follower." Problem is, you are all of those things at one time or another. Who you are in one set of circumstances does not define you. You are divinely complex. God blesses you with many layers of virtue as well as the capacity for temptation and harm. Turn your focus to God and the me-me-me becomes we-we-we.

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I have a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want to him to come and live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help find him somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our own lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He will find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, God doesn't treat us that way. God loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the family, regardless of where we come from or how messed up we are.

Thank you for all your prayers about my son. He is in his thirties. He had/has addictions but since May 1st has quit. He goes to meetings works out and jogs and swims. It's not easy. Please continue pray for Gods strength courage and love to help him in his battle. Your prayers helped him stop May 1st. Thank you May God bless each and all your prayers too.