Matthew 11:16-19
“What shall I
say about this nation? These people are like children playing, who say to their
little friends, ‘We played wedding and you weren’t happy, so we played funeral
but you weren’t sad.’For John the Baptist doesn’t even drink wine and often
goes without food, and you say, ‘He’s crazy.’ And I, the Messiah, feast and
drink, and you complain that I am ‘a glutton and a drinking man, and hang
around with the worst sort of sinners!’ But brilliant men likeme youJesus' can
justify your every inconsistency!”
Food for thought!
In today's gospel reading Jesus describes some people that are stuck. They just can't get moved; they are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group shouts to the other, ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn't dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn't cry! These people are just stuck in life; nothing moves them; nothing inspires them; joyful songs don't inspire them; and neither do mourning songs.
Yes, sometimes we too get stuck in life, unable to move forward or progress; unable to make a difference, not only in our life but also in the life of those we love. The basic question is do we know what we want, what we need, what we have to do? Do we know what will make us happy and alive and good?
The people in the gospel didn't get inspired by the other children in the park. In fact, they could not get inspired. Why? It is because, as Valorie Burton tells us, “What you say about your life and your circumstances is even more powerful than what others say.” It means, others cannot get you moving if you don't want to move; it means that others cannot inspire you if you are not interested in being inspired. What you say to yourself is far more powerful than what others say to you or about you.
How you tell the story of your challenges, the statements you make about yourself, what you say to yourself about yourself can either propel you forward or hold you back. Describe past challenges as events you have overcome, survived, or thrived in spite of. Refuse to make anyone who hurt you the centerpiece of your story. They do not get a starring role in your story. Give God the starring role. Describe the ways in which God grew you, enlightened you, protected you, or helped you through the situation.
Food for thought!
In today's gospel reading Jesus describes some people that are stuck. They just can't get moved; they are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group shouts to the other, ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn't dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn't cry! These people are just stuck in life; nothing moves them; nothing inspires them; joyful songs don't inspire them; and neither do mourning songs.
Yes, sometimes we too get stuck in life, unable to move forward or progress; unable to make a difference, not only in our life but also in the life of those we love. The basic question is do we know what we want, what we need, what we have to do? Do we know what will make us happy and alive and good?
The people in the gospel didn't get inspired by the other children in the park. In fact, they could not get inspired. Why? It is because, as Valorie Burton tells us, “What you say about your life and your circumstances is even more powerful than what others say.” It means, others cannot get you moving if you don't want to move; it means that others cannot inspire you if you are not interested in being inspired. What you say to yourself is far more powerful than what others say to you or about you.
How you tell the story of your challenges, the statements you make about yourself, what you say to yourself about yourself can either propel you forward or hold you back. Describe past challenges as events you have overcome, survived, or thrived in spite of. Refuse to make anyone who hurt you the centerpiece of your story. They do not get a starring role in your story. Give God the starring role. Describe the ways in which God grew you, enlightened you, protected you, or helped you through the situation.
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