radical acceptance

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

                      Charles Dickens

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”

                      John Holmes

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

                      Maya Angelou

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”

                      John Bunyan

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Many wise people have figured it out

Jesus himself made it clear (Ephesians 4)

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Or as Ram Dass put it, “we are all just walking each other home…”

Unless we aren’t

The sad thing is, that at this moment in history

Far too many are tearing others down, rather than lifting them up

Its endemic

And devastating

Destructive

Painful

We see it every morning in tweets from the White House

It is found in way too many comment section on the Internet

The erosion of other

Is not just a matter of words

It is also a matter of behavior

It happens when people are excluded from a church

When graffiti is sprayed on their house

When their car is vandalized because it wear liberal stickers

It happens when a cross is burned

When a poster is held saying “God hates you”

Hate floats through the air like dust on a hot summer day

It chokes us

And the only antidote, is for us to become people

Who, awake to the presence of the Sacred

Awake to the presence of love

Build other’s up

It is not that hard

I remember a time, when, following in the footsteps of my father

(who really was, mostly, a saint)

I spent my time “improving” my son by pointing out those things I thought

He could do better.

After one ski race, when he had done very well

Ski instructor dad (I really was a level 3 instructor) was ready to correct the errors

And then it hit me

He doesn’t need criticism, he needs praise

And so instead of being a critic

I became his “greatest fan”

I never regretted that move

What would it be like, if those who follow (or say they follow) Jesus

Were to become the greatest fans of other people

Especially the people who have few fans

Those who are diminished, and shamed, by our society

What if, instead of criticizing, distancing, excluding and judging,

 we praised, accepted, included, and loved

It seems to me as if that is exactly how Jesus worked

(Except with the super spiritual, the spiritually smug)

So lets do this

Starting tomorrow

Starting today!

Right now,

This moment

Say something nice

Offer some prayer

Share your affection

Lift someone up

There is no exercise better