A People in Exile (Part 2)

Mother Nature has this uncanny tendency to turn upon herself ? undoing with her left hand what she has made with her right. She sends hailstorms to the destruction of her own blossoms. She unleashes a tempest upon the crop that she herself has ripened for the harvest. Lightning splits the trees that she has nurtured and sets the forest aflame.

Nature is no believer in disarmament because the birds prey upon the insects and worms. The glowworm feeds upon the snail. There is no kindness in the seed, no benevolence in the forest ? for everywhere we turn all are in conflict with one another.

There is something inherently illogical and absurd in life. Have you ever thought about the fact that the misfortune of one community makes the fortune of another? The courts as well as law enforcement officers depend upon the lawbreaker and criminal for their livelihood. Doctors depends upon the disabled and sick for their well being. Funeral directors rely upon the bereaved and dead that they might live. Psychiatrists and psychologists need the mentally unstable for their daily bread. Scarcity of bread brings destitution to the poor and high prices to the needy.

So you see, we too, are a people in exile and the exile in which we suffer has relieved us of all else except our pains. Our present day Babylon have locked us from our personality; shut out our freedom. We have been caged from ourselves. And in this struggle to survive, many of us have lost our souls. So we are left with our sorrows and our pains. With these we pay the debt, the price of living. So it is will all people who, like Israel, suffer exile.

Yet, we thank God today, the precious words of Second Isaiah. It is relevant because it has a message for those of us who have found ourselves a long way from home. It seems to be telling us to get our minds together. While we are in a world where everything is seemingly against us; where Mother Nature and living and surviving is a struggle, we get a word from the Lord telling us to wake up, get up and look up.

We must wake up from our spiritual slumber, stupor of despair, state of sluggish dullness. We must get up from of our beds of spiritual bondage, chairs of soothing contentment, couches of hopeless resignation, and stools of bitter complaints. We must look up to the hills from whence cometh our help, to Him who is the author and finisher our faith, to the everlasting promises of God our Father.

We are an exiled people today only because we choose to be. Each man must find the Himalayan peak for himself. God did not make us to sit down on flowery beds of ease; but we are built to climb. God has supplied us with a supernatural power; that spirit within which is able to conquer every danger and every difficulty.

Therefore, we must not resign from life because of our perils. We must not allow ourselves to be listed among those who asked, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land." But we must sing the song of the brave because I have learned that there really is a silver lining behind every dark cloud. Why not press on until you find it? Why not learn how to live in freedom even in the midst of bondage?

The problem with a lot of us is that we suffer from terminal spiritual inertia. The spiritual power God has given us has undergone a critical shortage. We lapse into a state of spiritual bankruptcy. We have no oil in our lamps, no fuel to keep the fire burning.

Be reminded today, that God has given you the power to overcome.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.

no-contract cleaning service Mundelein ..
In The News:

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.
Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.
iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.
Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.
FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.
Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.
Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.
Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.
Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.
Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.
New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.
FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.
New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.
OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.
Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.
New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.
DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.
Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.
Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.
Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.
A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

Lost is a Spiritual Problem

Lost, but you don't know where you're going.Lost is a... Read More

Hard Times Can Be Your Best Time

Do you have a dream, but are waiting for "just... Read More

Dead Man Walking

One of my favorite movies is "The Green Mile". A... Read More

Spirit Guide Communication ? Get the Answers You Seek

There are many energy beings available to assist us in... Read More

No Other gods Before Me

The passenger had to be carried onto the plane and... Read More

Forgiveness Stories Definition Quotes | Power to Forgive Vested with Human Beings

forgiveness stories quotes definition and loveForgiveness is that quality in... Read More

Secrets of Effortless Action

Action dakini gets everything done. When wanting and grasping hold... Read More

Christening and Baptism Favor Ideas

Baptism and christening ceremonies are an important event that signifies... Read More

Heroes and Heroines - Contemplating Conscious Evolution

The myths of man have been with us throughout time.... Read More

A New Beginning

Sometimes showing up for life can seem like a major... Read More

Did You Use Your Sword Today?

It's real easy to look at the physical world around... Read More

Sinners by Choice

God said, "Thou shalt not?" and we continue to tell... Read More

The Ten Commandments Starring Charlton Heston

Last Saturday, the children were down at their grandparent's house... Read More

Why Sit Here Until I Die?

The bible tells a story about four men who sat... Read More

The Star of Bethlehem

It was said that Caesar Augustus one night consulted his... Read More

Accessing Your Spiritual Guidance

For the last 35 years, I have been working with... Read More

Spirit and the Law of Cause and Effect

Most of our troubles are bought about by exercising our... Read More

Spiritual Solution for Tensions and Anxiety

Realisation and repeated memorization of the true knowledge is the... Read More

Mind, in Time and Space

One cannot make a decision in the moment of now.... Read More

Origin of Certain Thoughts (Part II)

Continued from "Origin of Certain Thoughts, Part I"If you haven't... Read More

Choosing Our Parents

There's a Native American belief that before we are born,... Read More

The Divine Self

Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More

A Testimony of an Ex-Mormon

Mormons like to give testimonies. Unlike Mormon testimonies, I will... Read More

Resting in the Son

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my... Read More

KABBALAH OF LOVE: The Secret Power of Ego

The Key to True Love...Do you long for love?Most of... Read More

maid service near Glenview ..