Joel Osteen: Living at Rest

THIS week, this column is about a “Christian” bible-toting pastor, not priest. I’ve written about him before – Joel Osteen, currently one of the world’s most oftlistened to speakers. For starters, I really appreciate that as a speaker, he begins every single one of his sermons with a joke. The jokes are funny and each hit an intended mark.

His 2016 “Living at Rest” sermon deals with the correct way to stay at peace despite all the concerns we have each day. We pick up some valuable lessons; some of us have to relearn them on a regular basis.

Lesson: you can’t please everyone. Neither should we have to nor desire to, methinks. Osteen says something funny about people who are forever looking to you for inspiration, uplifting, positivity. Tell them you are open for a specific number of hours a day for them to look to you. Then, close shop; turn off to work on yourself: your peace, your happiness, your own uplifting.

Lesson: Don’t listen to the news 24/7. Indeed, why do we need to. Indeed and as Osteen himself also says, 24/7 news channels are programmed for people who are not tuned to them 24/7, just for people to tune in once in a while. Indeed, one top-of-the-hour news break is often enough.

Lesson: Any and every concern, personal and otherwise, can and should be turned over to God. God/ess, after all, is the Creator of the Universe, in control of it and other universes, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. We do our best, and God does the rest. Osteen drums this in: “If you remain at rest, God will fight your battles. Turn over to God that and those who would steal your peace.”

This week, let us indeed retreat into ourselves, release to God that which should not be in us nor our worlds. Let us re-enter God’s peace and stay there. Happy Easter to all from that peace.