“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.” ~Psalm 67, verse 1.

This is the benediction spoken near the end of service every week. These are the words that have me bowing my head in thankfulness while determined to chase away doubt, remembering the purpose and meaning of Easter.

 Faith, as defined by Webster is 1) an allegiance to duty ora person, 2) belief and trust in and loyalty to God; belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion; a firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust.

In a sad observation of how many aisles are devoted to ‘self-help’ and how many ads are placed or broadcasting ‘the perfect cure’ to buy, how often or how easy is it for us to ignore the most significant support there is?

In re-reading the story of Jonah, it is amazing to see that while we may believe we’re entitled to be on one course of action, to have a certain item or position or reward or what have you, God is the one who knows what is in store for us. This is not to say that we lack free will or that we no longer have to worry about using things such as common sense or reasoning. Whatever trials come our way, there is a purpose, a way out, a possible redirection towards what we have turned away from.

I am sure there have been plenty of times where we have suffered the ‘silent treatment’ from someone close by. That silence, that moment of someone’s back being turned towards us hurts. There are options of how to deal with that, and we can only pray that we have or will choose the right one. It is easy to curse the driver who cut us off or the person who soured our day, or even the dropped item that strikes our toe. When was the last time one has given a compliment, a word of forgiveness or support or a blessing?

May it come easy to you. It is a reminder needed daily for me.