Circles

Circles

In my mind today I am thinking about circles. This is the third week of Lent. This week examine your circles. In my readings today, Jesus expanded His Circles.

My Circles change all the time. I have my nuclear family circle. My church family and friends circle which continues to grow. My student circle helps me stay focused and motivated to God’s plan. Circles are so important in our lives. 

I was listening to my ten minutes of news and heard about the world’s strife: Ukraine, nuclear weapon races, earthquakes and forest fires, tsunamis, and cyclones. Orphans and widows abandoned while armies March to occupy physical space for its natural resources disregarding the humans in the path of destruction. Is this new? Sadly it has been going on since history became recorded. It so depressed me, but then I thought about Circles.

How could one person make any change for these horrific situations? These events popping up across the globe make me, you, and so many feel helpless and defeated. Most of these situations are not in our Circles. God tells us it’s the human condition and there will always be wars, diseases, catastrophic events, poor struggling people, and death on earth. Sounds like we drew the short straw, but your perspective is key. What can we do?

First and foremost Pray for those areas and ask for God’s protection. Pray for the world everyday and its woes. Now back to our immediate and real work, our circles. This is where we get in the middle of the battles God has put in front of us. Here are some examples: abandoned children in our families and little towns, addicted, broken brothers and sisters, donate to non-profit organizations that are on the front-lines of this war against systemic poverty, ask school systems how you can help children with tough home lives, give of your excess, lead others to the light with your life, and pray for strength to do God’s work where you live. Just think if we all took care of our circles and they took care of us. 

God’s kingdom is not on Earth. It is in heaven. We are the ones who are supposed to build-up and protect God’s work on Earth as it is in heaven. It’s a tough job. Start with your circles. Mend them with forgiveness. Grow them with acts of kindness. Show them LOVE: the unconditional kind. Before you know it, your circles will expand and grow. Your circles will change the world. It’s the third week of Lent, grow your circles this week!

Sarah Anderson Alley 

Sal the Circle Gal

Quotes of the Day:

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.

Albert Einstein 

Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.

Albert Schweizer 

The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere.

Empedocles