God hears our cry

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Psalm 145 verses 8 and 9.

I have not abandoned you. I had decided to wait until the Digicel generator was turned off so the hum is not heard in the background. Alas, it is still going. The electricity isn’t stable enough to power the cell tower. But life must go on.


God hears us
Knowing that God is gracious is important in this very harsh world. So many things happen that disappoints us. Other situations we face make us feel alone forgotten and less than others. The things people say and do particularly if it is aimed at us make us feel bad. But God is gracious and merciful. God loves us no matter how inadequate we are or may seem to others.
Beryl has been particularly hard on us. The home sweet home lamps, the darkness in which we can do nothing. The inconvenience of lack of water or flooding from the leaks and the nonexistent roof. But God is with us. God is gracious and merciful. God steadfast loves abounds.

All through bible we see the sentiment of God’s graciousness and Gods steadfast love. Jonah after he went to Nineveh referred to it. In exodus, when God gave Moses the commandments, the same thing was said. Joel, and Nehemiah says the same thing. Jeremiah in Lamentations 3 repeats it. It is like a mantra or creed to many in the Old Testament. Psalm 86 and 103 says the same thing. It seems to be something we should hold onto. Knowing that God is gracious and merciful helps us understand that God never abandons us.

Hurricane Beryl has left many of us confused or out of sorts. Some of us no roof. Some us still have no electricity or water and it isn’t that we live in some deep rural area, but our locale has its own features which require special attention.

Even when there is no hurricane, we each have situations or nuances in our life that confuse us and cause us to doubt God’s presence with us. We question God sometimes to the point where we quarrel with God. We ask why me? what have I done to deserve this? But God answers “you have done nothing. Life happens. I love you always.” God says as verse 9 I am always showing compassion to you.
Many of us hold onto a vengeful angry and jealous God, because God is also described in that way throughout the bible. But ultimately that is not who God is. John tells us God is love. And since so many have experienced gods love and grace we too can say as the passage says God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. We have done nothing to earn Gods graciousness or favour. It’s not based on our performance or our good deeds. It is just who God is, gracious and loving. God is fully committed to God’s people. Verse 9 says Gods compassion.is over all God made. No one is exempt. Nothing is exempt from God’s love and compassion.
We may be feeling down today. Feeling the stress of post Beryl on top of everything else we have to deal with. Some of us have learnt to compromise, others to compartmentalize our troubles, and so are able to put on a brave face, still others choose not to accept the reality of their situation in order to live a relatively stress free life. But God wants us to come to God, to trust in God’s unfailing love. Verse 15 and 16 of the psalm says the eyes of all look to God and God gives them their food in due season. In other words God provides what we need when we need it. God never abandons us nor leaves us alone. Verse 16 says God opens gods hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing.


There is one requirement in all of this. Look to God always. He will never leave you or abandon you no matter the uncertainty or the difficulty. God walks with you. The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
We have heard this, we know this, we must now just trust God to do God’s work. God hears us and responds, As the strength of God pilots us. The power of God preserves us. The wisdom of God instructs us. The hand of God protects us. The way of God directs us. The shield of God defends us. The host of God guards us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well.

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A Clean Heart and A Renewed Spirit

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12.

This what we all desire. A heart free from sin and guilt. But like David we find that it is not easy to maintain. As humans we do things that we regret. We hurt persons, many times unknowingly. There are other times when we do things even though we know somebody is going to be hurt. Like David when he slept with Bathsheba. Psalm 51 is David’s confession of his sinfulness. He asks God to cleanse his heart, to remove the guilt of his transgressions from him and renew a spirit of care for others in him. He calls it a right spirit.

Renewal of a right spirit acknowledges that sin isn’t just about doing wrong and harming people, it is also has spiritual consequences. It is distancing yourself from God and godly things, therefore breaking your relationship from God.
Not maintaining a relationship with God, not tending our spiritual life causes us to forget who we are to be. It makes it easy for us to break the rules of love and care for others. The psalm says cast me not from your presence. God never abandons us, it is we who abandon God, shutting God out with the darkness of our lives.
As Chaplain at CTC I recall Christians speaking about being demon possessed. I couldn’t understand how one could be filled with holy spirit and yet there was space for the devil to enter. The devil enters when we do not keep refilling our life with God. Just as how we top up our phones we must top up our spirituality. We do so by having daily devotions, reading the Bible daily and asking what is God saying to is through the word through our experiences.


Some questions we need to ask ourselves. What does God want from us and are we just going through the motions.

  1. What does God want from you? Verse 16 and 17 says God is not interested in sacrifices. David and the Israelites would atone for their sin by sacrificing an animal) God is not interested in gifts. God cannot be bought. What God wants is a contrite heart. God wants us to acknowledge our sins and to constantly and continuously reach out to God to walk with us so we sin no more. God wants us to be always humble, and gracious, walking in love and fairness. God wants us to have meaningful loving relationships rather than toxic ones where we hurt ourselves and others.
  2. Are we going through the motions of devotion to God rather than delving deep, seeking to live our best lives? Going through the motions is not good enough. It does not cultivate a truly contrite spirit nor does it allow us to be refreshed with the vigor of God’s spirit to do God’s work. We miss the mark totally. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin. There is a need for us as individuals and as a community to live a life of deep prayer and reflection. I implore us to be serious about our spiritual life. To be as serious as we are about our daily work, and our children. Ask we ask God to help us mend our relationships,

I end with a prayer from lectio 365

Father, help us to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way. Jesus, help us to give ourselves away to others, being kind to everyone we meet. Spirit, help us to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all we do and say. Amen.

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Being at Unity with Oneself: Joy & Gratitude in Worship

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” 2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together. Psalm 122:1-3


The 1st verse of this psalm is an opening sentence at the service of the Eucharist. I cannot recall it being used frequently by anyone. But it struck me this morning as I remember that 3rd verse as it is printed in our prayer books says Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity with itself.
At unity with itself. What does that mean? The easy to read version says This is New Jerusalem! The city has been rebuilt as one united city.
I wondered about church and congregations. Are we at unity with ourselves. The infighting, the lack of compromise. Those who believe that they own the church. And I know how that feels. As a congregant I owned my church, but something I never did was decide its my way or the high way. Never imposed my ideas, and if they were rejected, I carried out the other persons ideas as if I had suggested it. That I believe is unity. No problem with the discussion, but once the dust settles and a way forward is decided, all must put hands and hearts so it can work.
David wrote the psalm for the new Jerusalem he had built. He wanted persons to love the city and to be loyal to what it represented to the nation. While church is not a political entity we want the same loyalty to our members. We want people to take pleasure in coming to church. Pleasure does not mean enjoyment for entertainment purposes, but feeling pleased to participate in the wonderful worship services or other activities.
I question how many of us come to church with joy in our hearts. Sometimes I wonder if we have any idea what joy is, as I see many faces burdened by the care of the world. The faces came serious and they left serious, no stopping for pleasantries or fellowship. As church members, this psalm invites to open our hearts to the surprise of the liturgy at every service . To come or go to church expecting excitement. Expecting to discover a new thing, hear a new verse, understand an old song differently and to leave feeling gratified and grateful for another opportunity. It is being at unity with oneself. No second guesses, no supposes, no what ifs, only how is God going to be present with me today?
Jerusalem housed the temple of God in which rested The Ark with the covenant between God and the Jews made an effort to go Jerusalem for the several festivals. It was a joyous time for them. If we read all the psalm it refers to happiness. I was glad when they said unto me, reflects excitement at the journey and what would happen in Jerusalem. One verse says peace is within your walls. Being in Jerusalem is a peaceful experience. There is also gratitude for being able to have the experience of being in Jerusalem.
There is also gratitude in doing God’s work. There is gratitude in being a member of the family of God. If we consider that everything we do is for the honour and glory of God, we can also consider everything we do as worship. if that is true, if we can cultivate that kind of mindset and adopt it, we would be surprised by the joy we feel, the openness we have to new experiences and to experience old things anew. Its not hard to achieve. Its an openness to what God offers. It’s a glow that others see on your face. It isn’t always fun, but it is a unity of purpose knowing others are having the same experience and working in tandem with you, as the strength of God pilots us. For the power of God preserves us. The wisdom of God instructs us. The hand of God protects us. For The way of God directs us. The shield of God will defend us. The host of God will guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well.

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We are all the same

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are… heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:28-29


Today is Emancipation Day.  Our day of remembering that the enslaved ancestors  became free people many moons ago. They were no longer beholden to Bakra Massa, or so they thought as we both find that the struggles they faced then continue to haunt us almost 200 years later.


But in God, with God and through God, we are all the same. Yet we still place ourselves in little pockets, silos, that restrict us, that divide us.  We do not do this or that because of what people will say. We do not allow persons to be themselves. We trample on people’s confidence. We stifle people’s creativity in an effort to maintain who we think we are, what we believe should happen,  or to maintain a situation where we have the upper hand. 

If we stop and think about it, this happens almost anywhere there is a group.  Even in how we treat persons on an individual basis, we see that we do not regard all persons as equals.  We believe that others are not as worthy as ourselves. Others are not as fit as us to enter the kingdom. 


We then must analyse our attitude.  Why is it that we object to a particular person.  Why do we pick on a particular person.  Is there any real reason, or it it that we are protecting something within us.  Is it that we see this person as threatening our authority, our position. And to what end?  Does it really matter. 
Paul says it doesn’t.  We each have the same promise.  We each are worthy of the kingdom.  The thief on the cross would agree.
Ephesians 3 tells us that jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, and we are all  fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.  Jesus in the Gospel of John prayed that we would be all one in him.  Being one with each other or one with God does not mean we are to be clones of each other. It doesn’t mean that we must agree on all things or that there is only one way to worship God or to live out our Godliness.  It means we respect and treat each other as we want to be treated.


Our ancestors fought for freedom to make their own decisions and to live life as they saw fit.  We now need to recognize that we also strive to live life in Christ as we each understand Christ in our own context or perspective.  We are all human beings, different personalities,  different experiences,  and different understandings of life.  God doesn’t call us to be like each other. God calls us to live in the freedom of being heir to God’s promises, remembering that God loves each of us no matter what. That is our commonality, our common heritage.   God cares  for each of us as we have need and looks after each of us as the strength of God pilots us; the power of God preserves us; the wisdom of God instructs us; the hand of God protects us; the way of God directs us; the shield of God will defend us; the host of God will guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well. 

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Embracing Consensus: The Path to Unity and Divine Guidance

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 2 Samuel 5:3

Saul and, David’s bestie Jonathon was gone. Jt was now David’s time to rule Israel. David was anointed as a boy to be King. God used all the years that Saul was king to prepare David for the task of King.  From our vantage point, David got to understudy Saul.  Saul used to suffer from depression and he found comfort when David play. David then was very often in a space where he could hear how decisions were made. The discussions that took place.  David fought in several bathes, so he could lead an army and he would have learned military tactics. So by the time Saul had died, David was ready and able to take on the challenge of king. 

But guess what. There was no voting from what our reading says. There was no dissention and quarrel either They were all agreed.  David became King by a covenant. They did so by consensus. It is the way the world used to be run once up on a time.  Several business deals were made with a handshake. The cheaters and schemers were in the minority.  Remember that is how Matthias was selected to replace Judas. Yes they drew straws, but first they agreed that they would do that. Acts 1 verses 23-25 says they nominated two men, they prayed, then they drew straws.  There was no voting.  There was consensus.

Choosing our leaders by consensus is impractical, but like  the ancient elders, we recognize the need to pray for a ruler who will be choose to be divinely guided, to be fair and to act with integrity. At another level, we can conduct our business by consensus. We can act in our family by consensus.  We can live with our friends by consensus.  Consensus means acting in the interest of the common good.  Having a common sense of roght and wrong. Having a common sense of what is in the best interest of us all.  Consensus keeps harmony and peace alive. It removes the anxiety of always looking over your back, it relieves the unease that someone is out to get you. In consensus we all agree to do God’s bidding. We hear a singular voice and act. We decide together what God is saying through prayer and discernment.  Once the decision is made, we stand by it.  

We are challenged to be on good terms with others. We are challenged to always see the other person’s point of view and to make a compromise. We are challenged to live in harmony.  We are challenged to not second guess ourselves, but to trust God that whatever the outcome of our decision, that God will see us through.  As we seek to do God’s will and to be in agreement with those around us , may the strength of God  pilots us, the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Knowing that with God all is well All will be well All manner of things will be well

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We don’t have to live a lie: Embrace our reality

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. Galatians 6:7

So many of us live a lie and we fool ourselves about our reality. We believe we can fool God too. 

I recently saw a meme someone posted and I don’t remember the details, but the essence of it said, if I post that I am away in a different country and you see me down the road, you too are in that country.  Many live their lives like this, not facing reality and it becomes even worse for persons who have never had to own up to their own short comings.  They live a lie.

Some have dreams and aspirations, but never work towards it. They keep thinking and hoping that by some miracle or stretch of the imagination, what they want will be achieved, but they do not actively do anything to achieve this hope or realization.

Paul speaks to group of gentile Christians who the Jewish Christians are trying to tell them to be circumcised if they are believers. Paul is trying to convince them that we come to God by grace and through Jesus Christ and not through the laws that the Jews must keep.  My reflection does not speak to this, but looks at the verse as an isolated passage. God is not mocked. Whatever you sow you will reap. 

We can’t continue to say one thing and do another yet expect that life will be different. And so many of us live a spiritual lie.  We are partial to the gospel. We believe some things but not everything, we have learned the talk, but we do not walk the walk. We say we are believers but we really are not we are wolves in sheep’s clothing. And the proverb says we can fool some of the people sometimes, but we cant fool all the people all the time.  And God cannot ever be fooled at all, because God knows all things and sees all things.  Psalm 139 verse 3  says God knows the smallest of details about us like when we stand or sit. God knows our thinking.  We cannot hide from God. Talk to Jonah, he will tell you. When we don’t follow in God’s way or do what God leads us to do, we fool ourselves and not God. Not only that others too can see through our mask. 

We reap what we sow! 1 John tells us if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  When we try to be something we are not, we are sinning. We are living falsely and no good can come of it.  We would have sown bad expecting good, and the converse is also true. We would think we are doing good, but in the end we really were doing wrong. The results turned out badly.

Friends we are called to be true to ourselves. To not live a lie but to live in the reality of the moment.  We don’t have to be afraid.  God is not expecting a show. Maybe others are, but not God. God knows who we are and God wants us to be that person, God expects us to be that person. If we recognize our faults, with the help of God we can correct them. We can be better. We do not have to live a lie. God accepts us as we are. If we accept ourselves others who appreciate honesty and integrity who are seeking to be true to themselves will accept us for our honesty and integrity. God accepts us as we are.  Do not be fooled God is not mocked.  God knows when we are being deceitful.  Let us seek to be real, to be true to who we are and who God has called us to be. To not have airs or try to be somebody who we are not. People are not fooled and God is not either.

We can be better holding on to the  strength of God which pilots us and the power of God which preserves us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. With God all is well. All will be well. All manner of things will be well

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Redemption in Juneteenth and World Refugee Day

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Yesterday was the celebration of Juneteenth and today is observed as World Refugee Day. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 when all enslaved people in the state of Texas were freed according to federal law. It became a federal holiday in 2021. World Refugee Day seeks to take the time and acknowledge the plight of 114 million people forced to leave their homes because of wars, violence, natural disasters and even climate change. 114 million people. We look at what has been happening in Gaza in horror, but we can only imagine what that feels like.

This passage is God’s response to what we call the fall of humans in genesis where Adam and Eve ate of the tree of life. The story implies that the serpent is evil. But God made humans good. The story of the fall is one of a struggle between good and evil. In genesis 3 verse 15 the crushing of the serpent’s head says good will prevail over evil. The antagonism, animosity or hate one day must stop. When? I don’t know if there will come a time when there is peace everywhere. It is a redemptive moment. Some say it is a promise that points to Jesus’ victory over Satan. It is a moment that says one day you too can rise over the ills and troubles that beset you. It says one day we will be better able to manage our crime situation. one day we will have it all figured out.

It offers hope in the midst of the darkness that life throws our way the obstacles we meet, the toxic environment in which we have to live.

I refer to Juneteenth and the World Refugee Day, because those are big things that are highlighted around the world. But right here in today’s Jamaica we have similar situations still occurring. The mother who sends her daughter to live with a relative elsewhere because the Don or a relative is set on molesting her. The people who are trafficked, the gardeners and household help who because of their circumstances are treated badly. One very common situation of hurt is the person who lives with the stigma of being the illegitimate child of a married man. I have seen these persons even as adults being excluded and treated differently within families. Then there the many who have no opportunity to speak out, or cannot as their situation could be made worse or others would be hurt. There is a lot of cruelty, and oppression going on around us.

Looking through God’s lens, we must seek to eliminate violence and injustice. It is a part of the mission of the church. Our 1st aim is to proclaim the gospel. However, if the mind and heart is not receptive it cannot happen, an unsettled mind cannot receive the word. Worse yet someone who thinks God has abandoned them will find it difficult to accept that any good will come of their situation. The passage reminds us that, despite the presence of sin in our lives despite the ill treatment we see and may suffer from time to time, God has a plan to restore us to a good place through following in the ways of Christ.

Friends ours is the task live the risen life of Jesus so that we can bring life to others; to be a guiding light to the world. Ours is the task to be faithful witness to God’s Word, so we and all the people’s of the world shall be free. We take seriously these commemorations of Juneteenth and the world Refugee Day as a reminder of who we are to be as persons who free others and who we are not to be – people who constantly keep down others.

We must hold fast to the hope of God’s promise of redemption in our lives and the lives of others. We give up on nobody especially ourselves. We shall overcome the shackles that bind us. We must choose freedom always and not oppression. Psalm 83 says “O God, do not be silent; do not keep still nor hold your peace, O God; For your enemies are in tumult, and those who hate you have lifted up their heads.” God is never silent in God’s action. It is we who do not discern what God is doing. It is we who are afraid of living the risen life and drinking rather than sipping from the cup that Jesus drank from. Sipping of the cup means being one day being free. We are only able as we lean on God.
the strength of God pilot us. May the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. All is well All will be well. All manner of things will be well.

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Planted by God for God

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

“What shall we say the kingdom of God is like…?   It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mark 4: 30-32

What if we are that mustard seed? Each of us planted to do God’s work. To bring others to God, to grow in such away that others like the birds come and all find comfort – the shade.   Things to note.

This tiny seed that is planted it grows into a huge tree. I imagine not just an oak tree as one translator says, but a guango or cotton tree which are large trees in our neck of the woods. They are not only huge but exist for a long time, proving shade and food for animals. The ripe guango pods are eaten by animals.

If we are the seed, each of us is a different variety because of our uniqueness. We come with our own characteristics, our palm print,  our shy or bold personality, our past, our ethnicity, culture, economic status, and the biggy these days, our sexual orientation. We come wanting to be recognized for who we are and for what we bring in our uniqueness. That is good, as each us is meant to use our gifts to build the kingdom of God. Knowing who we are, is also understanding how to use ourselves and our gifts in the honour and glory of God. 

It also means each of us has the ability to grow to our full potential, like the mustard seed.  Mark 4:24 says the seeds are scattered.  Therefore we God’s people are to be found anywhere and everywhere.

A seed planted takes years to mature.  Some of us will mature before others. A tomato takes 3 months to mature while a hardwood tree takes 20 years or so.  Things take time. 

When a seed is planted it changes,  and so too do we as we grow in kingdom values, as we mature and understand ourselves.  Most of us have done the experiment of putting a corn or pea in a clear container against moist tissue and watch it grow. After 3 or 4 days you can no longer see the seed you planted. Yes you may see remnants (Testa or skin) but the actual seed that was planted no longer exists. It has changed.  We too change as we grow and become members of the kingdom.  Growth isn’t always smooth sailing. But as we grow and remember we are planted for God by God we also remember that the strength of God pilots us. For the power of God preserves us. The wisdom of God instructs us.  The hand of God protects us. For The way of God directs us. The shield of God will defend us. The host of God will guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well. 

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Palm 75

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan
Listening to the psalm on Saturday
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Being our own Best Person

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Hilda Vaughan

For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. Galatians 6:3-4

All must test their work and in doing so they will be pleased with what they have done.  We live in a society where there is constant comparison, and constant competition.  It is always who is better than who. 

Everybody cant win! Why? It is complicated.

This I believe is driven by two main things. A general belief that there isn’t enough of anything for us to benefit – the economics of scarce benefits and secondly  the fact that we fail to realize we are individuals, each with own abilities and what we are good at, the skill we have is not always the skill needed to fix the problem. So at various times varying skills are needed. Most times we do not excel at thing. We each have different gifts which we are called to hone and share.  One day your gift will be the one required. Remember David and his bag of stones and catapult. Who would have thought that a gift like that would have save the nation.

My gift may not be yours.  But whatever my gift is, I must be my best at it and use it for the good of the whole community. Whatever the task is that I have been given I must do it to the best of my ability

Paul says we are only special in our own eyes.  This is not necessarily true, because others who lack the gift or skills we have, will think us special too. But the bigger point is that we do not need to compare ourselves to others. Each of has value. Each of us bring special skills that are required at one time or another.  Look at cooking! Some of us are unable to fry fish, without burning it or breaking it up. But that same person, may not be able to make a nice cake and still the one who makes the cake may not be able to do fancy decorations on top.   We all have our own unique way which when we compare ourselves to others, it makes us miserable, because there will always be some things that others are better at than us.

We live in a world with a hierarchical structure.  Take a school for instance – 1 principal, but 2 vice principals and 5 senior teachers, and 40 teachers.  This is so in many organizations.  This sometimes give the impression that those at the bottom are there because they are unable to carry out any of the higher level other jobs well. Many times for ease of operations we divide up the jobs so that all the objectives can be accomplished.  All of us within that school or organization contribute to the accomplishment of its goals. 

There is a common thinking that for me to survive you cannot.  One must always be showing up or pointing out another person’s deficiency so their achievements can be seen.  Using the Amplified Bible translation of Galatians 6:4, Paul says “But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another.”  

We are called to focus on doing the best we can with the resources we have. When we do, we are pleased, as we did our best and that is all that is being asked for.  The satisfaction with which we work will spill over and others will notice. We are able to be our own best person as: the strength of God pilots us. For the power of God preserves us. The wisdom of God instructs us.  The hand of God protects us. For The way of God directs us. The shield of God will defend us. The host of God will guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well. 

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