“Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” —Genesis 18:14

Sometimes I catch myself saying “can’t” or “couldn’t” or “wasn’t able to” when I really mean “didn’t.” I’ll say that I “wasn’t able to work through my email inbox” when it would be more accurate to say “I did other things instead of working through my email inbox.” Those “other things” may or may not have been more important than the unreplied-to emails, but the point is that it’s not quite right to say that I was incapable of getting to my emails. What I really mean is that I couldn’t get through the emails and do the other things, so I chose to leave emails unread.

The actual can’t/couldn’t/wasn’t able to stuff is in a whole different category. Life has a way, again and again, of reminding us that we have limits. We shortchange rest until we crash and burn. We ignore time with God until we realize we’re running on empty. We overconfidently skip steps until we realize our work is riddled with mistakes. I probably could keep on top of my email inbox, but I genuinely can’t do that and everything else that might be worth doing every single day. Time is limited. Energy is limited. Ability is limited. Of course we can—and should—work to expand our abilities and capacities, but we never stop being limited creatures. We weren’t intended to.

God, of course, doesn’t have the same limits that we have. Still, it’s tempting to think that a problem is too big or too small for God. It’s tempting to think that God might eventually face an obstacle too great to overcome. It’s tempting to think that perhaps we’ve come up against an evil that God can’t defeat.

But it isn’t so. Our faith rests in a God who is always able, who is always free, who is always greater than anything that rises against him or his people. This, of course, does not mean that God will always do the thing we want him to do. But as soon as we imagine that there is something that is too difficult for God, we need to pause and recognize that we’re no longer actually talking about God at all. The true God has met no challenge he cannot overcome.

“Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” Of course not. And that truth is what allows us to face the future with strength and courage, no matter the obstacles we face.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. —James 1:5

When I read today’s verse I was reminded of something that made news during the early stages of the pandemic. Actor John Krasinski put out a call on Twitter asking for people to send him stories over the past week that made them feel good or smile. A few days later he posted the first episode of his series, “Some Good News,” on YouTube.

The show was described in the following way: “his roughly 15-minute [show] included ways the world has celebrated the heroism of the health-care community fighting the coronavirus on the front lines, as well as the incredible ways that people have continued to connect—while staying six feet apart.” The first episode concluded with Krasinski saying, “no matter how tough life can get, there’s always good in the world.”

So what does this have to do with lacking wisdom?

Life will always have challenges. James encourages those who follow Jesus to remember that the end of the story has already been written. Without Jesus, one could look at the challenges of life as evidence of a God who is punitive, or worse yet a God who doesn’t care about us at all.

However, we do have faith in Jesus and that gives us access to a “heavenly wisdom.” Wisdom that reminds us that “no matter how tough life can get, there is always good in the world.” That because the end has already been written, we can face challenges as an opportunity for growth, and perhaps more importantly, we can trust that God is active even when it looks like God isn’t (like when one is living through a pandemic).

So then, may each of us turn to God today and asking for heavenly wisdom that will draw us closer to Him.

Today’s reflection is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.

“It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” —Philippians 2:13

The verses that proceed today’s verse from Philippians are a good lead-in to this verse, as they are about encouraging us to imitate Christ’s humility. Christ was God in human form, yet he did not laud it over people and expect to be waited on, but rather came to model God’s will for the world as a servant—helping, healing, forgiving, and showing love, compassion, and mercy. God worked through Jesus to do his will in the world. In a similar way, God works through us to do the same thing. Every time we show kindness, compassion, and caring, we are doing God’s will in the world. Every time we work from a place of love and love one another, God is working through us. 

I will be one of the first to admit that this can be difficult sometimes, especially if the person you are being asked to love and care about has hurt you or someone close to you. In a case like this, you may need to ask for God’s help so he can enable you to love them. God is there to support us and work through us and enable us when we need it. We only need to ask! Amen.

“From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever.” —Romans 11:36

My days tend to go much better when I take a little time to write down what I have to do and think about when I’m going to do it. Breaking responsibilities down into manageable chunks and being honest about how much time those chunks will take is a helpful practice that makes it more likely that I’ll (at least somewhat) successfully meet those responsibilities.

Following Jesus faithfully requires a similar approach. Being a disciple is a real thing, made up of real behaviors and actions and thoughts and habits and words. The rubber has to actually hit the road. Abstract Christian-sounding platitudes don’t get the job done.

And yet, at least for me, there’s also the danger that breaking discipleship down into “manageable chunks” makes me lose sight of the fact that this is, ultimately, not about me and my words and actions and behaviors. I mean, it is about those things in part—God cares about how I live.

But this world is not about me. It’s about God.

In today’s verse from the apostle Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome, he encapsulates this so powerfully. As theology professor James Edwards writes, God “is at once creator, sustainer, and goal of creation.” He alone is to be worshiped and glorified. The amazing thing, for us, is that this “creator, sustainer, and goal of creation” gives us a role to play in his creative work.

So may our rubber-hits-the-road lives honor and glorify the One who has given us life in the first place.

A son honors his father. If then I am a father, where is the honor due me? says the Lord. —Malachi 1:6

A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. —Matthew 21:28-29

Today’s readings, among so many others in Scripture, portray God as a parent. In Malachi, the Lord describes himself in such terms, and in Matthew, Jesus uses a parable of fathers and sons to raise questions about humanity’s interactions with God.

How do you feel when you think of God as your heavenly parent?

From what I’ve gathered, the image seems to land differently with each of us. For good or ill, our experiences with our own parents, the examples of parenting we’ve observed, and being parents ourselves, all influence what we feel when we address God as “Father” or “Mother.”

If interactions between parents and children in your life have been marked by warmth, listening, understanding, patience, and forgiveness, thinking of God as your parent may give you deeper insight into God’s goodness. On the other hand, trusting in God’s goodness may be harder for you if these interactions have been marked by coldness, absence, neglect, estrangement, grudges, shame, or abandonment. 

Here are a few ways thinking of God as my heavenly parent is helpful for me:

1. God is personal. God is not a distant being or some inaccessible force. Like a parent, God is present with us. God hears us and speaks to us. God is one with whom you and I can have a relationship. What’s more, like a good parent, God wants that relationship.
2. God is the one I rely on. A child needs care. A good parent provides safety, nourishment, guidance, wisdom, and all the other things a child needs to survive and thrive. When I think of God as a parent, I am reminded of where to turn for the things I need most.
3. God has authority over me. When I remember that I am the child in this relationship, I am humbled. I remember that my best choice is to be obedient. God is not a dictator or a tyrant; God is a loving parent who knows what’s best for me, and whether I understand fully or not, following God’s instructions is my best choice.
4. God loves me because I am God’s. God takes joy in who I am because God made me. God enjoys seeing me grow and develop and make good choices. God’s love is unconditional.

Take a moment to think of an example of what you’d consider bad parenting. Now, just toss that image out the window when you think of God as “Father” or “Mother.” It’s not helpful. Now, take a moment to think of the best parent you know. Then consider this: God’s parenting is a zillion times better than that. God is more loving, more patient, more invested, more capable, wiser, kinder, a better provider, and a better teacher than the best parent you can imagine. 

Ultimately, no single image—even a really powerful one—can capture the fullness of who God is. Because God is bigger than anything we can comprehend, our ways of describing and conceiving of God will always have limits. While these images help us, we have to remember that God is always better, fuller, bigger, deeper, and just more than anything we have experienced or can imagine.  

Even the best people will let us down. We will let people down. God never will. Remember this: before you are anyone else’s, you are God’s child. That’s your first identity. Nothing can change that God wants you to know him, rely on him, and trust his authority. God takes joy in who you are and in who you’re becoming as you seek to follow him.