I wonder sometimes if a person can fully appreciate, completely realize how blessed they are. We are all likely to face something tough in our lives, but how we endure those hard times shapes us into a better person. How we deal with those trials speaks truly of our faith, endurance, integrity and character. I have had some moments in my life that did not speak well of me. Some of it was due to a desire to rebel, my spirit was tired of the pressure, the expectations placed upon me. Other times, I think I handled better, and some of the people who witnessed my ability to endure hardship or a difficult situation were able to tell me how it effected them. I was given the opportunity to hear what impression I made on their lives which was a direct result of how my behavior spoke for me. In my quiet time today I read how much God desires for us to be wise and faithful with what we have been given. We have a choice, to hide it and selfishly keep it to ourselves or we can be selfless and invest it, build upon it and make wise decisions with it. Our wisdom will bring us abundance as He has promised in His word. It is not in our nature to be giving, but rather to be selfish. Why not choose to be selfless, do something not true to our nature and give out of our own blessing. It is what sets us apart from everyone else. It speaks volumes to the kind of person we need to be.
Joy and Light
Early Tuesday morning January 2, 2024, I got a call that my Mom was slipping away and the family should come. We knew she was not doing well these past couple of weeks as she had developed pneumonia and covid, and she was struggling just to manage breathing. When I arrived, the nurse brought me in to Mom's bedside, and quietly stepped out to give me some time alone with her before my Dad and my brother arrived. I cried like I have never cried before in my life, and went to my knees beside her, resting my hand on her arm. I have no words to describe what it felt like in that moment, the finality and the reality of it. My brain understood she was gone, no longer there. But my heart, regardless of how far gone Mom had been for years now..... my heart was suddenly flooded with the feelings, the sounds, the memories of her across my entire life, rushing through my head in that moment all at once. It felt like time kind of stopped, s...
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