From the Pastor’s Desk

Have you ever read or heard someone say something and you just knew, I mean, you just knew, that it was written or spoken just for your benefit? Well, I am here to tell you that I read the following few paragraphs several years ago, and I knew these words from my friend, the late Rev. Tom Butts, Pastor Emeritus, at Monroeville UMC, and it was meant for my heart to hear. So, I want to share them with you in hopes you may catch a glimpse of yourself. Who knows, maybe you will sit back and, even if for a moment, enjoy life and all the beautiful gifts from God.  ENJOY.
 
“There is an axiom I have seen tested in many people's lives, including my own. I subscribe to it wholeheartedly and recommend it strongly to people who come to me for counsel. It goes like this: "What lies beyond my power also lies beyond my responsibility." My problem is that I keep forgetting that. I find myself stewing and fretting over things I can do nothing about. I often suffer a painful and unreasonable perception of reality, the gravity of which is that if I worry and fret often and intensely enough about something, I positively contribute toward changing it. Have you ever found yourself worrying and fretting about something you have no power over? If you have, welcome to one of the biggest and most debilitating clubs in town.”
 
Several years ago, I publicly fretted over something that was not changing rapidly enough to suit my fancy. One of my more thoughtful friends told me, "Don’t push the river; it runs by itself." Good advice to those of us who tend to fog the atmosphere with criticism and worry about all those things in the world over which we have no control and are not moving at a pace that matches our expectations. Don’t push the river; it runs by itself. This does not mean we should passively ignore the personal and social ills that need attention. It means we should choose our battles carefully and direct our energy creatively toward those situations over which we have some modicum of power and control.”
 
            We do have the opportunity to control some of our actions in life. Again, I turn to something else that Tom wrote in yet another article. He said, “There is a plaque on the wall just outside my home office that suggests a pretty good philosophy regarding success. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote it. Please read it.
 

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

  
See you on Sunday,

Misty