Rodney has a new sweetheart; her name is Tigah, and she does not like me at all. She is two years old and seems to be trained to pull a sled. I just have to control the urge to scream when I peek out the back door and see my beautiful sun-bleached cement porch looking like someone varnished it. I guess for now she still needs to be tied up until Rodney can trust her not to run off. She is going to be moved shortly, but the real nice part is that pets are good for longevity. So I grin and bear it.
I just finished reading Dr. Laura’s The Ten Commandments, the Significance of God’s Laws in Everyday life, and as always, she has inspired me and made me think deeper, and higher, and wider. I was especially motivated by her comments on the tenth commandment, being satisfied with what I have and accepting the challenge to find or create meaning in my life. It’s so easy to be happy because of our enjoyments and possessions, but finding a purpose is sometimes quite challenging. The following poem kind of ‘grew’ out of these thoughts.
You See
If today I passed a stranger
And smiled a friendly smile
Or spoke a kindly word or two
I may have made his day
Or made the world a brighter place
If today I sat beside you
To talk, or laugh, or cry,
Or just listened to your heart
I may have lifted a burden
Or carried it for you
If today I am a mother
With husband, child, and home
Or sibling, in a family
I may have found a purpose
I may have found my own
If today I wiped a teardrop
Or hugged, or kissed someone
Or held a hand or shook it
I may have touched an angel
I may have blessed someone
If today I saw a rainbow
A rose, a fallen leaf
Or caught a glimpse of sunrise
I may have seen The Lord of All
I may have seen His face.
If today I read the word of God
Or breathed a prayer, or sang a song
Or served another with my hands
Then I have worshiped in His temple
And walked on holy ground.
-Nelda Baer
I talked with a dear friend the other day about how complicated and hard life is at times compared to faith. Faith is quite the opposite, and Jesus uses the faith of a child as His prime example of how simple it really is. So I don’t have to be very smart, educated, or wise of this world to have great faith, in fact, I can be rather foolish according to the world’s standards. (1 Cor.1) All I have to do is look at how much my two boys trust me to help, be there, and heal, to see what childlike faith and humility I am to have towards my Father in Heaven.
Rodney and I have just been to Glenway at the funeral of his Aunt; it is a treasure to me that I had the privilege of knowing and loving her. She has given me a real good example of forbearance and patience in much suffering, and a focus on the things that are really important in life. I never heard her complain, or sink into self-pity. She reminded me of a soldier, bravely fighting and holding up the torch. If this light can burn on in my own life, and I can pass it on to my children, and they to theirs, it can burn for eternity.
That's another of the things Dr. Laura talks about in her book, that we parents are the link between God and the next generation. The first 4 commandments have to do with our relationship with God; then there is the one about honouring your parents, and the next 5 are about our relationships with each other. She says there is a special reason for this line-up. Back in Jewish history the parents were admonished again and again by God to tell their children the wonders He preformed, tell them how you were rescued from the hand of Pharaoh, tell them why you are holding this feast. I think it even became a yearly tradition for the oldest son to ask the Father why they are calibrating things like the Passover. Since we also have been rescued from the power of the evil one and Easter and a baptism are coming up in the next few weeks, it is a good time to think of passing on this light of faith to our children.
A missionary from Morocco sent me this wonderfully inspiring quote about that light. Wow! Thanks so much Vicki!
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Marianne Williamson
I just finished reading Dr. Laura’s The Ten Commandments, the Significance of God’s Laws in Everyday life, and as always, she has inspired me and made me think deeper, and higher, and wider. I was especially motivated by her comments on the tenth commandment, being satisfied with what I have and accepting the challenge to find or create meaning in my life. It’s so easy to be happy because of our enjoyments and possessions, but finding a purpose is sometimes quite challenging. The following poem kind of ‘grew’ out of these thoughts.
You See
If today I passed a stranger
And smiled a friendly smile
Or spoke a kindly word or two
I may have made his day
Or made the world a brighter place
If today I sat beside you
To talk, or laugh, or cry,
Or just listened to your heart
I may have lifted a burden
Or carried it for you
If today I am a mother
With husband, child, and home
Or sibling, in a family
I may have found a purpose
I may have found my own
If today I wiped a teardrop
Or hugged, or kissed someone
Or held a hand or shook it
I may have touched an angel
I may have blessed someone
If today I saw a rainbow
A rose, a fallen leaf
Or caught a glimpse of sunrise
I may have seen The Lord of All
I may have seen His face.
If today I read the word of God
Or breathed a prayer, or sang a song
Or served another with my hands
Then I have worshiped in His temple
And walked on holy ground.
-Nelda Baer
I talked with a dear friend the other day about how complicated and hard life is at times compared to faith. Faith is quite the opposite, and Jesus uses the faith of a child as His prime example of how simple it really is. So I don’t have to be very smart, educated, or wise of this world to have great faith, in fact, I can be rather foolish according to the world’s standards. (1 Cor.1) All I have to do is look at how much my two boys trust me to help, be there, and heal, to see what childlike faith and humility I am to have towards my Father in Heaven.
Rodney and I have just been to Glenway at the funeral of his Aunt; it is a treasure to me that I had the privilege of knowing and loving her. She has given me a real good example of forbearance and patience in much suffering, and a focus on the things that are really important in life. I never heard her complain, or sink into self-pity. She reminded me of a soldier, bravely fighting and holding up the torch. If this light can burn on in my own life, and I can pass it on to my children, and they to theirs, it can burn for eternity.
That's another of the things Dr. Laura talks about in her book, that we parents are the link between God and the next generation. The first 4 commandments have to do with our relationship with God; then there is the one about honouring your parents, and the next 5 are about our relationships with each other. She says there is a special reason for this line-up. Back in Jewish history the parents were admonished again and again by God to tell their children the wonders He preformed, tell them how you were rescued from the hand of Pharaoh, tell them why you are holding this feast. I think it even became a yearly tradition for the oldest son to ask the Father why they are calibrating things like the Passover. Since we also have been rescued from the power of the evil one and Easter and a baptism are coming up in the next few weeks, it is a good time to think of passing on this light of faith to our children.
A missionary from Morocco sent me this wonderfully inspiring quote about that light. Wow! Thanks so much Vicki!
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Marianne Williamson
1 comment:
Nel dear, that's a veeery inspiring: Your peom, and the the Morocco missionary's piece!!! :DEB
Post a Comment