MIDWEEK MESSAGE – August 27, 2025

There are usually two or more ways to see the world. Some people are naturally negative, while others are positive, but I think most people fall somewhere in between. It’s not that some things are good and others are bad; instead, it is our perception of things that changes based on circumstances and how we view and judge those circumstances.

Someone once told me that since everything eventually dies, it seemed to them that our purpose in life was simply to be born and then die. I couldn’t help but say that the thought was one of the most depressing I’ve ever heard. I also mentioned that perhaps what’s important is that, although we all die, what really matters and defines the quality of our lives is how we spend our time.

The significance of lives like those of Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t in their deaths, but in what they achieved during their lives. We might not leave a lasting impact on the world like they did, but we can still make a positive difference in the lives of those we know.  

If we have improved others’ lives just by being part of them, then we have not lived in vain. The number of our years doesn’t matter as much as how we spend the time we have. Since we don’t know how many years that will be, we must live a life of integrity, kindness, understanding, compassion, and forgiveness.

We need to recognize the light of God in everyone around us, not just in those we like or love, but also in the people who challenge us. That may not be easy, but they are the true angels God has sent into our lives for our souls’ growth.

Quote of the Week

“The purpose of life is …to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and have lived well.”  

Ralph Waldo Emerson