Some pests are big; others are little but are more persistent. Take the lowly mosquito, for instance. They’re already swirling about, just waiting for that opportunity to get onto your bare arm on a late spring day. But there are certain plants that help to repel them – lavender, rosemary, sage, to name a few – better than chemicals, for sure.
Small pests also draw the attention of governments as well. Yesterday, June 4, was the anniversary of the brutal crackdown on democracy in Tiananmen Square. Before Hong Kong was handed over to Xi and his brutal dictatorship, hundreds of thousands came out to remember the massacre that took place. Now, just wearing black on June 4 gets you arrested.
The fear of dictators and autocrats spreads about. Look at us here during the sure to be crowded field of presidential candidates. Will any of this new field speak to opening democracy to all or just ways of limiting what we can read or learn? The difference may only be in the degree. Fear of change does funny things to people – and candidates.
Prayer for the Day
Sovereign God, vaster than our minds can fathom,
Yet as intimate as love itself, open us to you;
Forgive us, we pray, when we forget whose we are;
Subsuming you to other things and ideals.
Infuse us with your redeeming grace giving us strength and spirit,
So we live with courage and not fear.
In the name of the One who is our model for living,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.
- Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist (1817/1818-1895)
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
- Maya Angelou, American poet and writer (1928-2014)
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;
With my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare your steadfast love is established forever;
Your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
Psalm 89: 1-2