Weekly Meditation - June 21st

www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Weekly Meditation
by Christine White

Psalm 107: 1-3, 23-32
O give thanks to the Lord, who is good;
whose steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those God redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
they saw the deeds of God,
God's wondrous works in the deep.
Who commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to God in their trouble,
and were brought out from their distress;
God made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and God brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank God for God's steadfast love,
and wonderful works to humankind.
Let them extol God in the congregation of the people,
and give praises in the assembly of the elders.


I was blessed to be raised in a home where I always felt safe. Ron was not. For both of us, it is awesome to find a place where we can feel safe as adults, in all our "weirdness". To us that place is MCCGSL. It is our home. It is our home with or without a building, for it is the people who make it a home. Having said that, I want to add YIPPEE!! We're adding a physical addition to our spiritual home!

Our mission statement is to accept, embody and declare God's love for all. Our physical space is not intended to keep people out or to separate us from the people who need to hear of God's love for them, a love that is offered, not in spite of who they are, but because of who they are. God's love is preached by many churches, but often it is a conditional love rather than the unconditional love that is preached and practiced here.

When I was growing up, my youngest sister Kathy had a friend in the neighborhood (I'll call her Debbie) whose mother had a questionable reputation. Many of the other mothers didn't allow their children to play with Debbie. My parents were different. My Dad signed Debbie up for the softball team that he coached, drove her to every practice and game and treated her just like he did his own daughter. Our family went on a family picnic to a swimming pool every Thursday during the summer and Debbie was often included in this outing.

Many times Debbie led my sister Kathy into making poor choices. Kathy was always held accountable for her actions and told that she should use her influence to help Debbie make better choices. Debbie was also held accountable for her poor choices, but the consequences never took her outside of my parents' unconditional love.

Over the years, we lost touch with Debbie. After my Dad, died we received a letter from Debbie. We all cried as we read how the love that she received from my parents made such a difference in her live. She had made a career out of the military and credited my parents with helping her make a success of her life because they believed in her and let her know it.

There are a lot of Debbies in this world. As we accept, embody and declare God's and our love for them, we can make a difference that will change the world!