In Touch With Some Good News

By Betty Miller Buttram
FWIS Contributing Writer

A Baptist woman in a Methodist church attended a Catholic mass during this Christmas season. It did not really matter because the Baptist woman, the Methodist church, and the Catholic church all believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It was a time of hope, faith, and love.

There is a feeling of uncertainty in the neighborhoods in the cities in the United States that we live in. We need to hold on to our faith and trust God. He knows and has a plan. The future ahead of us going into a new year is dense with clouds of uncertainty; fears of diverse cultural environments, disjointed by personal prejudices; self-adulation, the power of control by the greediness of the wealthy, and the worship of false promises from unscrupulous people. These ar just a few of the troubles in the world today. Every nation has its own problems.

As I write this article during the Kwanzaa celebration, I want to point out three of the seven principles of Kwanzaa which can be practiced by all people.

The first principle is about Unity. The people in the neighborhoods in the cities in the United States of America can consider working together for our nation and for each other to calm the fears of some people who have the perceived notions that things have been stolen from them without considering the facts that other people have also contributed to the making of this country.

The second principle of Kwanzaa is about self-determination. All the people in the neighborhoods in the cities in the United States of America can make up their minds to accomplish the goals of peace and harmony to at least try and get along despite all the noises from folks who really do not care about you and yours.

The seventh principle is Imani, which translates to Faith: to believe with all our hearts in people and the right things that can be accomplished as we go unknowing into a new year of uncertainty.

All the seven principles of Kwanzaa are meaningful and thought provoking. We should hold on to the Unity of believing that good will conquer evil; that we should remain steady in working together to accomplish our goals by our self-determination; and we must keep the faith. All that has happened and will happen is in God’s plans.

Whatever we face as we look toward the new year, we can place our hope and trust in God for a peaceful well-being.