May 10
I long for sad things to be untrue one day. I hunger for wrongs to be made right. I thirst for the hurt to be healed and the broken to be fixed. I want decay and death to give way to life and human flourishing. (Gray, Derwin “The Good Life” pg. 97)
Day 76 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Yesterday Russia celebrated their national holiday of “Victory Day,” and paraded their degraded military in front of all their senior political leaders much like Adolf Hitler used to do when Nazi Germany was slaughtering millions in Europe. Click here to read Putin’s ridiculous explanation for why he chose to invade Ukraine.
I apologize for the bit of a break here. I was on streak last week, and then the busyness of the weekend threw off my Saturday post. Our daughter pushed through a quick turn around from a nasty stomach virus last Thursday night to play her last three games of soccer on Saturday. Her team lost every game of the season, and they seemed to thrive keeping “the streak” (as it became known) alive through the whole season. They had some heartbreaking losses, but the last two games were blowouts. After seeing how sick she was just the day before, we were very impressed with her desire to even want to get out on the field.
Sunday we celebrated Mrs. Z as millions across the country sent chocolates, flowers, or made cute gifts for their mothers all over. I attempted to do everything for Mrs. Z, so she could have a nice easy, relaxing day. I got up early, made her one of her favorite breakfasts, got the kids up and moving, somehow managed to feed everyone, and, almost, completely ready. Mrs. Z snuck in and helped brush my son’s teeth while I was getting dressed. In the craziness of that morning, it dawned on me that Mrs. Z does this every single day, sacrificing her mornings to make sure our two kids are well fed, dressed, and out the door to school. Each and every day. She is my hero. The last two days, she has been doing this all alone as I am out of town for work, sitting at a Starbucks, sipping coffee and preparing this post before my work day begins.
I am furthering my development in my career and learning about some of the greatest evils in the state of Georgia. Those words written by Dr. Derwin Gray jumped out at me when I opened Chapter 5, “Happy Are The Hungry and Thirsty.” Chapter 5 of “The Good Life” focuses on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and how if you focus your life on pursuing a righteous life, you will find peace and happiness through that drive for a better world for others.
But what exactly is a righteous life? It is living a life that is morally just, free of sin, and pleasing to God. To hunger and thirst for that means you want the freedom of a righteous life to be the sustenance that keeps you moving, keeps you healthy, that feeds your body, mind, and soul.
The Belonging Co released a new single on Friday with Mrs. Natalie Grant taking the lead vocals. Entitled, “This is Freedom”, it is a great new song to point you to the source of true freedom. Keep working to be the living example of a righteous life to those around you, keep fighting for justice for all, for the hurt to be healed, for the broken to be made complete. What righteous act, big or small, can you do today to make the world a little better of a place?
Common Sense Reborn 