A Thought about Understanding

I was taught many years ago that understanding is half the battle. This is so true, and so I want to share some thoughts I have on this subject of Understanding. To understand someone is to know them. You cannot truly know someone if you don’t understand them.

We wonder why people in our lives are so hard on us and seem to have little or no mercy; even people in our own family. This quite possibly is the reason why, lack of understanding. I am finding it easier to deal with this in my own life because just knowing that a person does not really understand me, know me, helps me understand why they say and do the things they do towards me. So many times we think that they are being mean to us when in reality they aren’t even aware that they are hurting us or making things difficult for us; so by understanding that about them our reaction will not be of anger but we will be able to have mercy on their ignorance and pray for them.

Remember: It is the Lord that opens the eyes of our understanding, so let us pray and ask the Lord to help us understand the ones He puts in our lives so that we may love them as He loves us and has mercy on us.

I hope this helps someone out there somewhere. It has and is helping me. If we will seek to understand people then it will help us to love them; and isn’t that what we all really want, is just to be loved?

Still Here

I just want everyone to know that I am still here. So much has been happening and there has just not been time to blog.
My son bought a house and it is just so wonderful to be out of the apartment and into a place that has lots of space!
We live on 1.67 acres and it is just gorgeous. I love looking out my window seeing the beauty out there rather than a brick wall.
I am so blessed. We have a dog named Snow and he is very sweet and loving. He is a very good watch dog but I'm sure if you went up and said hello to him, he'd let you right in.
Our neighbors are very nice and these days you just can't put a price on good neighbors.

I could go on and on about this place but this entry is mainly to let you know that I am still here and hope to get to blogging again soon.

Redemption of a childhood tragedy

Have you ever had something from your childhood happen that just devastated you? Well, I’m sure we all have at one time or another. There was one Christmas that there was a toy I really wanted, I'm pretty sure it was Christmas but it could have been my birthday, it's been so long ago. Anyway, I ended up getting that toy and I was so happy, the only problem was that to play with it you needed two people, it just didn't work well with one person.
I can still remember the pain I felt having something that was so much fun and no one to play with me. Occasionally my dad would but that was about it.

I have told this story to my son several times and when I saw this toy once again in the stores, now sold as a "classic" toy, I of course rehashed the old pitiful story. Well, bless his heart, he got it for me this Christmas and with it he said, "Now you have someone to play it with". You have to know this brought tears to my eyes. To this day, for some odd reason, I still really like that toy.

So now you may better understand the title to this entry. Truly that painful time in my childhood has in a way been... Redeemed.

Milk in the cupboard

Back sometime in April a funny thing happened while I was putting away some of the dishes. I opened the cupboard to put away a container; I could have sworn that I saw milk but I shut the cupboard and continued putting the rest of the dishes away. I then had to open the cupboard again to put a measuring cup away, which happened to go in the place that I thought I saw the milk. I really did see milk, a half gallon of milk. This time I had to pay attention because I couldn't put the measuring cup away until I moved the milk. I turned to my son and holding the milk told him he had put the milk in the cupboard not in the refrigerator. He said he didn't do it but since he is the only one that used the milk then he obviously did it. He could not believe he did that. I was just glad there was more in the refrigerator because that stuff was very warm.

All of this reminded me of when I was a kid; I had put the cereal in the refrigerator and the milk in the pantry. Even to this day I'll catch myself doing some of the strangest things, sort of makes you wonder where our minds are when we do such crazy things. So, how many of you have ever put the milk in the cupboard?

The Giggle Stick

How many out there have ever seen and or played with a giggle stick? Well it's a toy that is shaped like a baton, about 8 inches long and makes funny noises when you tip it from side to side. Anyway, I was in a store the other day with my 19 year old son. While we were going down an isle where they sell party items he came across a box of them. He picked one up and got such a kick out of it that he just had to take one home with him. It wouldn't have been so bad except I wasn't done looking around and so for the remainder of the time in the store and all the way home I got to listen to that thing. You know, if you listen to that long enough eventually it makes you at least smile. Now that we are home things have settled down some but every now and then I'll hear the strange sounds of that stick coming from down the hall. They say we never really grow up and I think this is a good example of that.

Bad luck wife

Her husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times...When I got fired; you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side...You know what?" "What dear?" She gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth. "I think you bring me bad luck."

You might find this to be humorous in a way, but just remember no matter how many seemingly bad things may happen to us in our lifetime it isn't because someone brought us "bad luck". Things do happen for a reason and if you are one who truly loves the Lord then you should know that "All Things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28" KJV

A Good Story

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor once again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak, "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast," he began, "when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean." The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

He continued, "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life....to which boy he would throw the other end of the line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threw the line to his son's friend. By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered." By this time, the two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old man's mouth.

"The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us." With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," politely started one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian." "Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see....I was the son's friend."

This story shows us all what life is really all about; and that is Jesus. Our lives should not be about ourselves but about Him. If you know the Lord Jesus, then it really is better to give up your own life to save one that doesn't know Jesus; giving the one that is right now eternally lost a chance to come to know the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ.