The Path of Righteousness

Proverbs 4: 18

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter until full day.”

Have you ever sat on a mountain or sea shore and watched the sun rise? There is nothing like it.   The red or orange sun slowly peeks over the horizon, as if it, too, is still sleepy.  

Then, imperceptibly, it creeps higher into the sky, painting the clouds red, orange, yellow and turquoise as it goes, until the entire horizon is filled with God’s beauty.  

The serenity and peace and silence in which all of this happens fills our hearts with awe and quiet.  And our souls are stilled. It is as if the hand of God has touched us.

The lives of Christians are to be like the light of dawn to a world encased in darkness, filling the world with the light, the peace, the love, and the mercy of Christ.

And when people see our lives, they will also see and be filled with the beauty and love of God.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Trust in the Lord

Proverbs 3:5-6

“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,  and do not rely on your own insight. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Years ago I took my dog walking in the woods near our home.  We walked for about an hour before I turned around and began walking back.  I headed in the direction I thought was correct only to find that nothing looked familiar.  I finally admitted to myself that I was lost.   My only recourse was to trust that my dog knew the way.  I stooped down and said, “Let’s go home.”  He led the way at once, and I followed.   After a while, things began to look familiar again and we arrived safely at our house.

In our spiritual lives we often wander off in the wrong direction, trusting in our own sense of direction.  At some point we discover that we are lost, that nothing looks familiar and that we need help to find the way home.  

At these times we are to put our trust in the Lord and let Him lead the way. Soon, the crooked path will become straight, and the way forward will be clear.

And the green grass of home will never look so good.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Faith of the Heart

Proverbs 3: 1-2

“1 My child,  do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; 2 for length of days and years of life and the abundant welfare they will give you.”

One of my favorite books is “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, by Robert Fulghum.  It is Fulghum’s contention that people learn most of what is necessary to live a meaningful life by the time they graduate from kindergarten; that all we really need to know “about how to live, what to do and how to be” was learned by the time we reached the age of six.  Fulghum wrote that wisdom “was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School.”

And to a certain degree this has been true for me.  I left home when I was 18 and, for all practical purposes, I never returned.  But no matter where I was led, what graduate degree I received, or what kind of job I held, it was the teachings I received in my first 18 years at home that guided me in my dealings with other people.  

Christians are God’s children.  At His feet we have learned His ways.  God asks that these teachings not reside on our lips but in our hearts.  If these teachings reside in our hearts, they will be with us throughout our lives, giving us comfort, peace and a sense of God’s presence.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)