Cody Miller: True Religion



LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

Our religion must find expression in our everyday lives. George Albert Smith

A few things for Friday……

John 9:1-3
1And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him

Lately I have had to take the bus and metro to work. Usually it is because of some car issue, either mine or my husbands. I am usually “put out” by this and I almost always have a bad attitude about it. But, the last time I had an opportunity to ride the bus to work was due to a flat tire, and I was blessed with a moment or two of clarity. I decided to change my attitude and look for opportunities to be a blessing in someone’s life. I really strive to come out of my comfort zone of shyness.
On the bus route I take, there is a young man who is blind, who rides also. He is always well dressed; he carries his guide stick, and lunch and a brief case. I often wonder who cares for him, and do they come to the bus stop at the end of his day? He climbs aboard the bus and pays his fare with little assistance. But, the passengers on the bus seem to care for him, because they make sure he is guided to his seat.
So on this day, I noticed that 2 passengers, a man and a woman were talking about this blind man. They were speaking in French. Apparently they hadn’t seen him in a few days and they wanted to make sure he got a seat on the bus. (I don’t speak French).
So the man got on the bus and the couple made sure he had a seat. They made such a loving fuss over him, but he didn’t seem to acknowledge them, but he said “Thank you”. After we all got off the bus, I saw the man walking toward the Metro terminal, maybe to another bus or train. I wondered who was going to take care of him then; did he expect this help every day?
I prayed in my heart to know how did God take care of the blind. Who keeps them safe? Who makes sure that they don’t step into oncoming traffic? At that point I felt the most amazing feeling of warmth that rose from my heart to my head.
So later that day…... I was sitting exhausted at the bus stop, waiting for the bus. I vaguely noticed a woman and a rather large young man walking toward me. The man sat down, really close to me and the lady started to talk to me. You know, you can see the mouth moving, but not hear the words. She was smiling and gestured toward the young man and I thought I heard her say “Could you please tell him when his bus comes?” Then she said good bye to the young man and disappeared into the crowd. So I wondered if she was talking to me. The young man was still sitting too close, and he was listening to his IPOD and singing. He was blind. So I wondered how to get his attention to ask what bus he rode. A bus pulled up and out of nowhere or maybe in the crowd a man came up to this man and told him his bus was here and guided him to the door. He got on the bus, paid his fare, while still listening to the IPOD and humming.
Somewhere I thought I heard someone laughing, well maybe not laughing but definitely a chuckle. So that’s how it’s done. We are our brother’s keeper.

2. I had a fresh take on this scripture:

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

I wanted to know just who are those widows and orphans. An alternate definition of orphan is one that lacks support, supervision, or care. And the same for the widow is to deprive of anything cherished or needed.
Needless to say, a widow or orphan can be anyone who finds themselves, due to circumstances, in their control or out, to be deprived of support, care, even love and concern.

3 This Sunday the Relief Society lesson is" Living What We Believe, from the life of George Albert Smith." I was really intrigued by this lesson, especially after my last post of power walk scriptures to live by.
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When he was 34 years old, George Albert Smith made a list of resolutions that he called his “personal creed”- 11 ideals that he committed to live by: From the life of George Albert Smith

This one stood out to me:

“I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed”

Sometimes the “sick and afflicted” walk among us every day. They ride the bus to work and depend on the kindness of strangers to make their way home.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE !!!