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‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’ At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30)
"Dime con quien andas, y te diré quien eres." My mom used to say that often; "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are." Sometime this past week, I hooked up the old VHS player and I found the Disney movie Pinocchio and watched it with Nellie and our granddaughter. I had not seen it in years, but remembered its message almost immediately; Who you keep company with will determine who you are.
Jesus, in the above passage, is a bit irked at the condition of humanity as He saw children at play. Kids will often miss a lot of things about life because they're too busy playing or preoccupied with what pleases them. And this generation may be just as bad if not worse. Can we not lift our heads up from our phones long enough to see what is going on around us? The invitation from Jesus still holds, "Keep company with me, learn from me, and become the person the world needs to learn from and be blessed by. The heaviness of life and expectations I can lift from you, and give you rest for your spirit; with me, life becomes a blessing."
We do have a choice. We can keep company with Jesus, or we can stay company with ourselves in ways that please only us. We can learn from Jesus new and wonderful perspectives on life, or we will lose our way following what the world offers.
PRAYER: Loving Father, bless us to be a blessing. Help us to learn to keep company with You through Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can become like Him. This we pray in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Keep company with Jesus today, and all days.
Eradio Valverde
