Thinkaloud | new every day

Thinkaloud: new on theRubicon
A weekly reflection by Maxwell Ryan

M

ost people are uninstructed in how to live, and consequently do very poorly. In short, they mess up. Despite their brave exterior, they know - as do those near them - that things are not well at all.

While everyone thinks them brave, they know they are a mass of fears; while others praise their intelligence and industry, they are convinced they are stupid and rather lazy. And should someone mention their goodness, their inner voice reminds them of their faults, their sins and their failures.

It seems a hopeless situation, one that is not really cured by the first cup of coffee or by the sight of the sun peeping through heavy clouds - though these things help.

Those who know anything at all about God’s work in this world realize that He has not abandoned the human race to its folly. Nor does He - with perverse humour — merely saddle us with questions which have no answers.

On the contrary, God has promised to give us just what we need at the beginning of each day. It is not an extra shot of energy (though we could do with that); it is not a good feeling about the future (though that is important). What God has promised to give us — each one of us, mind you - is His compassions.

“His what?” you say.

That’s right - His compassions! The Bible verse which contains this promise is tucked away in the Old Testament and it says: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him” (Lamentations 3: 22-24, NKJV).

Do you know what compassion is? It is not judgment; it is not anger; it is not banging you over the head for what you haven’t done. Compassion is “pity inclining one to be helpful or merciful.” It is God telling you, at the beginning of each day, that He is helpful and full of mercy towards you.

Of course this knowledge is not based only on the one verse, which is quoted above. It is reinforced many times in the Bible, as one of the themes of the Scriptures, but it comes through plainly and clearly here. No matter what the weather, what the political climate, what your bank account, and even if you got out of the bed on the wrong side and feel like snarling at the world, the first thing to fasten your mind on, the first waking thought must be God’s compassions are new today - and they are for me.

This statement, every morning, creates sensitivity to God and an expectancy of His guidance in daily living. Such a pattern compels us to realize His present love and concern. This is just what people who are uninstructed in how to live need to know. And that, of course, includes each one of us.

Writer: Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell Ryan is a former Editor in Chief in Canada and the UK. In retirement he is a part-time chaplain in a Salvation Army hospital in Winnipeg, Canada, a copy editor of theRubicon and the author of theRubicon series called Resurrected Writers.

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