A God Thing

Sometimes we do not know what we are getting ourselves into.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking." - Mark 10:35-38

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus is approached by the brothers James and John who are looking for positions of glory for themselves in Jesus' kingdom.

Jesus tries to warn them that the glory they envision for themselves will not be what they will experience when they choose to follow him.

It is not unusual to find that our vision of how great life could be if only this or that happens is wrong.

What we get when we ask for what we think we want is sometimes quite different than what we expected.

The path to glory in God's kingdom is one of service and sacrifice.  Chances are we will not get a lot of accolades and pats on the back for doing God's work, and it could be tough work at times.  But the rewards are great in other ways.

I have found great pleasure in serving others.  It can be a joy rather than a chore, and when I enjoy what I am doing, it doesn't feel like hard work.  When we are done serving meals each day, we feel good because we spent time with those we serve.

I believe the true path to glory is the path that takes us into the lives of others, the path that joins us together.

And each day, we find other ways to come together, helping each other serving each other.  If you stop by our soup kitchen today, you will see people serving people, and you may be able to tell which are the ones serving and which are being served.

All will be receiving the gift of God's glory.

It's a God thing.

More to come...