PASTOR'S
PEN
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
FUMC VISION STATEMENT: God
envisions the Bainbridge First United Methodist Church reaching out to others
by sharing His love, mercy and compassion, which are fueled
by worship and our growing spiritual relationship with Christ.
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Good
Days-Bad Days
Sickness, stress and sleep deprivation
are three things that can really do a number on a person’s disposition. Don’t ask me how I know this. I just do.
Maybe you know it, too. It is
hard to be good when we don’t feel good.
When we feel bad, physically or emotionally, we tend not to handle
things as well as we would on a good day.
Bad days can tempt us to focus inward.
If they persist we can fall into self-pity or become obsessed with
improving our situation. We can become
self-absorbed, self-serving or just plain selfish.
But it does not have to be so. Jesus showed us another way. At the moment of his betrayal to an angry mob
who would take him to a cruel death, he healed the servant of his enemy. On the worst of days, as he was unjustly
arrested and threatened, he responded with compassion. In the midst of his own pain he took notice
of and tended to the pain of another.
Jesus loved in good times and bad.
So feeling bad is not an excuse if we
follow Christ. It is a test. Bad days are a test of character. They show how closely, or not so closely,
we’re following the example of Christ.
They also build character. In his
letter to the Romans Paul calls us not to endure suffering, but to rejoice in
it. For “suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” So the next time things take a turn for the
worse let’s look for ways to serve others.
We can be good even when we feel bad.
Blessings,
Stephen
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UPDATED 1/2/08