Choosing the Sunny Side
27 July 2022
Hate has 4 letters; so does Love.
Enemies has 7 letters; so does Friends.
Lying has 5 letters, so does Truth.
Negative has 8 letters; so does Positive.
Wrong has 5 letters; so does Right.
Hurt has 4 letters; so does Heal.
What do you emphasize each day?
If you come to worship this Sunday—either in person or online—you’ll hear these words of challenge from St. Paul, from Colossians 3.8-10: “But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.”
As Jesus followers, we’re called to a new way for a new day. It’s like getting rid of those old school clothes from last year that are ripped, faded, and no longer do you justice. Time for some new duds for a new year, but this time in the way you select the wardrobe for your heart and mind.
As the words above demonstrate, life is like a double-edged sword. Each day and circumstance, you can choose the negative or positive side of the blade. When it’s easy to take the low road, can we go high? The old camp song put it this way: “Keep on the sunny side of life!”
Or, as Joshua challenged those about to enter the Promised Land, “choose this day whom you will serve. But for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24.15)
Determined with you to choose the sunny side of life,
Pastor Fritz
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, good morning. As we eat breakfast and catch the news, it’s pretty easy these days to see life through a film of sourness. Empower us to claim the sweetness of our baptism daily. Send your Holy Spirit upon us so we can engage a sometimes-negative environment with your positivity, a sometimes-decaying culture with your renewal. We give you permission to adjust our perceptions in ways that please you. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
