Blog Article – Page 106

December 23, 2008

Taking Advantage To Act Kindly

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He brought me his son’s letter to Santa and asked me to read it. I was so touched I couldn’t speak well. My friend is an inspiration to me and I doubt he knows how much his life touches my own. He is a widower raising his young boy alone and his story is gut wrenching and I know only a tiny fraction about it.

He shared with me how he was going to take his son to a midnight service on Christmas eve and then let him open some gifts when they got home. His son had told him, “daddy I know we can’t afford…..” I could barely meet his eyes as they began to tear. He said his son was so special and sensitive; he was okay with not having much.

As he held his son’s letter to Santa, this father made sure I knew he taught his son all good things come from God. When he looked at me and told me his son also knew God’s goodness flowed through me, I was humbled. There was nothing I could say of any worth. I hugged this man and murmured something about how I hoped he’d have a wonderful evening with his son.

Inside I felt smaller still. Not like I wasn’t worth anything, but like I hadn’t done anything to deserve this man’s sharing of his heart. What he was sharing felt so intimate and personal. I look around my house and see how much I have been given. My heart is joyous. An opportunity has been given to me and I won’t let it pass without taking advantage to do an act of kindness. If I was a conduit than it only seemed right this young man see God’s generous and abundant nature.

December 21, 2008

Seed Pods

They lay on the ground, looking to be finished with their life cycle and at first glance I hadn’t even noticed them. When the light of the sun shone on their browned husks, red sparkles shined like hot embers or miniature stars gone nova in red heat. The red seeds were so beautiful; they really dressed up the whole pod. I was reminded of small Christmas trees or lovely pine cones. I picked a couple up and put them in my pocket. I suspected if I wasn’t in front of a public business I would have gathered all I could find off the ground beneath that odd tree.

I brought them home and sat them on my table. I enjoy picking them up and looking at them closely. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and these seed pods were unlike anything I had seen before. I marveled at their uniqueness. Even though they were of the same species and shared general characteristics, clearly they had different sides to them. One wore itself in a rather pointed manner while the other was more closed up.

The bright red seeds each carried the possibility of new life in them. If they could find good soil to burrow in and be generously watered, they could spring forth life of their own and multiply. Before they could even have that possibility, it was clear they had to die first.

Gazing at these two pods I can’t help but think about how people are akin to these. We burst forth into being; all new, young and fresh only to learn a clock is ticking. The time we have to walk on this earth is limited. We ourselves have so many seeds of love within us. If we are unselfish we can seek out the good soil in others and plant these seeds. If our clock is generous, we may even be able to water them and watch them bring forth new life of their own. To have enough seeds though, we ourselves have to die first. Die to our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our greed, our envy and especially die to our pride. It’s in the dying where we find our seeds multiply on their own and we are unable to help but give these seeds away to all those around us.

Yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I see a beautiful plan and purpose in dying to myself.

(NKJV)Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

(Msg) Rom 8:9 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about.

10 But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells – even though you still experience all the limitations of sin – you yourself experience life on God’s terms. 11 It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s! 12 So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. 13 There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life.

December 18, 2008

Tiny Talk

Tiny talk, I agonize over tiny talk and yet I am surrounded by it! It’s like white noise I can’t ever get far enough away from. When did we become a society of chatterboxes who had nothing to say? Perhaps I am wrong on this but just for giggles during this next week really open your ears to what is being spoken around you and see if you don’t understand what I’m talking about?

…..”I found a dress I like on sale at”….”you know that club in San Francisco where it’s an hour long wait in line”….”man, I’m tired, I should have stayed in bed this morning”….”any thoughts on dinner”……”are you finished with your shopping yet”…..

Anyone long for real conversations? The kind to challenge your thinking? The kind to teach you something new beyond trivia?

December 17, 2008

No Names, No Recognition, No Ability

Shopping is my least liked chore. I’d actually prefer ironing or doing laundry to having to expose myself to the horrors of going from store to store in hopes of finding that “perfect” gift. As a woman I have to say the shopping gene many of my female friends have is not exactly alive and well in my own self.

Listen…..can you hear it? There’s an underlying message we are all meant to hear but I don’t think many are tuning their ears into the right frequency. I missed the beat myself earlier tonight when I started listening instead to the hum of our general public. Instead of giving my available dollars and time to those in real need I was out flowing in the tide of the holiday season. Buy, buy, buy stuff for those who have much already.

It was a reality check when I found myself outside on the cold sidewalk just wanting to go home. My joy factor had begun to register at very low levels. For me, I already know the remedy. I will quietly seek out those who have a real need and meet it. No names on the tag, no recognition, no ability for someone to pay me back in kind.

December 16, 2008

The Important Things

Have you noticed something special this year? For all the economy woe there is an undercurrent. While mainstream media are trying to scream our downfall financially, there is something shining bright in many people. I see hope but it’s not exactly definable. I am seeing people not looking so much at their wallets but at each other. Examining the important things. I myself couldn’t put a finger on it until those very words were dropped into my lap….”the important things” smack in the middle of a conversation.

Finally I could step back and clearly see all that I’d been shown over these many weeks. It’s not what I’m going through but it’s how I’m going to act no matter what I’m going through. “Duh!” Sometimes I just feel as though I’ve been slapped alongside the head with a mighty large bat and etched in its wood are the words, “see the truth yet?” I am pretty sure if I could look closely enough at my skull the imprint is just beneath my hairline.

December 14, 2008

Least Likely Helping Hand

In our own places of comfort or discomfort, are we looking out for just us or is there something deeper in ourselves willing to reach out and help another? A better question to be addressed by our heart….. are we only willing to help those who seem worth helping or are we willing to help someone “least likely”?

December 14, 2008

Humility A Life Lesson

The conversation was rich with details and I loved hearing them all, even those moments of irritation and offense. Without facing these type of issues we become irrelevant to those around us. I can never help others if I can’t understand being offended or getting angry.

Our emotions are strong in these areas and I wonder sometimes if I am as quick with feeling love as I am to feel anger? Ah, the constant walk of learning. With maturity comes a realization we are forever to be students or else we become stagnant as human beings. The minute I say, “I finally know it all” is the moment I need to be smote right there on the spot simply on principle alone that I have not learned the most important lesson of all, “humility”.

December 12, 2008

Something In Profound

Anger throbs in their veins

Beating out a rhythm of death

The hunger for flesh is all consuming

More, more, more

Satisfaction can’t be found

They look for something in profound

The mystery

Already answered

It can’t be that easy

They turn a blind eye

Deaf ears

Drowning, noises, lies

December 12, 2008

Protect Me In The Growing Storm

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“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” Psalm 17:8

All of us want to be special and kept from harm. In these days growing darker, all I can sense is a constant need to stay near my heavenly Father. He will protect me in the growing storm.

December 11, 2008

Bench In The Sun

Moments come and they go so fast, before we realize there was an opportunity to spend our time wisely it can often pass us by. I admit my life is an amazing wonder, especially to myself. I am not rich in a way the world would acknowledge, but in the heavenly realms I have riches too many to count. Recognizing this I must understand the importance of giving. I need to give more, even in understanding wisdom.

I work for an accounting department so I am being given lessons in how money moves the world. Often my phone conversations get quite challenging simply because somebody’s money didn’t go where it was supposed to. I continue to learn from this. Money makes some people so crazy and mean they forget you are just an employee and middle person. One of the most hurtful remarks I hear on my job is “you took my money”. These persons have never met me nor do they understand the nature of a corporate banking system. All they know is my voice is answering a phone so I must be the enemy.

My confession? Well I don’t take offense easily since it rubs against the grain of my integrity. Both of us are losers. I keep trying to grow with every rough call I get taking me down for the count and it’s a humbling job. Therefore I can only thank my heavenly Father for each lesson. I also give myself to understanding the better wisdom with each situation.

In my mind I wonder how easily each of us who simply talk on a phone line anonymously would react if we met, say on a bench in the sun, relaxing together? Knowing who I really work for, I’m pretty sure it’d be a great conversation. The wisdom in this moment is understanding that no matter where I am it should always end up in a great conversation….for my part at least.