March 13

For today's Forward Day by Day reading, Click Here.

Death. Nice morning thought, ins't it? It's coming for all of us one day. But in the meantime, what do we say and do for others who are facing it now? Just in the last few weeks, several friends have lost love ones...family, friends and in some cases, pets. What's in our bag to meet this gaping need?

There are many appropriate tools to grab, I think. You can use your ears, and listen...be a presence. You can use a pencil, pen or keyboard to share personal words of comfort and love. Or, like people have been doing for centuries, you can reach down deep into your bag and grab some cash to purchase or make comfort food. Sustenance meets needs on so many practical and emotional levels. If you have the time and resources, and/or the cooking skills to make it happen, share the tool of food...no one will be sorry you did.

Time is a little short these days for this old bag. Between the new job and kids' chauffering needs, and our own daily sustenance (not to mention laundry and the likes), I can barely get our own food in a crock pot and serve it up each night. My friends' losses have been weighing on me, and the food tool rose right to the top of my bag yesterday. With a few quick keyboard strikes, I ordered some smoked turkeys for delivery, and got back to my own crick crocking. Fooding somebody in need does not need to take a day's worth of preparation. Somtimes, as I discovered, it just takes five minutes to send someone suffering a little love.

Something in today's reading really stood out to me. And I suppose it's somewhat related to death, or dying to wordly ways. It's about living in the spirit. For some reason, this thought really invigorated me this morning: Romans 8: 1-11: "But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you."

Wow, right! We are so often fooled by the physical appearances and desires of our bodies that we forget who we really are: "in the spirit." It's an intoxicating thought, to be in and of the spirit. Now if we could on apply it more regularly in the work God asks us to do each day.

OK, off to try to live in the Spirit. How does God want you to forgo the flesh and relish in the Spirit? Anyone you know need a little food thrown their way today?