My life has been hard and painful but because of my growing awareness of my spirit and God, it has transformed into a life of light and love. One encounter took place when I was 14. I was neglected by my single mom who had problems of her own and could not give me the love and nurturing every child deserves. I was pretty much fending for myself and found myself wandering some dark streets around 11 p.m., alone and frightened.
I had no idea where I was and was afraid of being raped—as I had been before—or hurt in some other way. My "friends" had abandoned me and left me to find my own way home. I was miles away with no money. I had my 10-speed bike with me, which I couldn't actually ride (I was intoxicated). Although I was usually pretty self-sufficient and never asked help from anyone, I was feeling very vulnerable. I was afraid. I had a strong feeling that if I didn't get some help soon, I would be in a very bad situation. I prayed. Soon after that, I saw a brightly illuminated, smiling young man emerge from one of the darkened houses on the lonely street. He said, "Hi, I'm Paul." I found his presence calming and beautiful. He said he wanted to help me. That's all I remember. The next thing I knew, I woke up in my bed at home with no idea how I got home or how my bike got home with me. All I know is, I have a warm, glowing feeling every time I think about my angel, Paul. —Anonymous
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When Juan walked up and knocked on one man’s door, it quickly became clear God led him to this home for a specific reason.
"Hello. Super random question. I'm so sorry to bother you," Juan asks right after the man answers the door. "I'm just wondering how much you pay for rent here." "Oh, I'm paying $1,200," the man says. "Cool, let's see here," Juan says as he counts out $1,200 in cash. The man at the door looks completely confused and asks Juan why he is giving him this money. Juan smiles at him and says that he just wants to help him out by paying his next rent payment. The man looks absolutely shocked. And that’s when he reveals God sent Juan as an answer to this man’s prayer for rent money. "You know I've been praying about this," the man says. "I don't have rent money for tomorrow." "Are you serious? Well, there you go," Juan replies. "Now you have it." "Are you an angel?" the man says. "No. I just have a YouTube channel called That Was Epic," explains Juan, "And today we're actually knocking on people's doors and offering them to pay their rent." "I've been praying. I'm in the middle of a job transition and it's been tough for me. I prayed this morning," the man shares with Juan. "I was paying my rent on time, but things have happened wrong the last two months. We moved here four months ago, and things went really bad for me when I got here. The company I work for got sold out, and we were basically left out in the street, literally. Even this morning, I told my nephew, I said ‘You know, the last thing that I could have that I will not give up is hope. That's the last thing I'll give up. I'm going to take this because I know it's God. This is just a thing from the Lord." As the two men say their goodbyes, they share a hug and marvel at how God showed up here. Juan then goes on to bless several others. And his random act of kindness has a huge impact on each and every person. What a beautiful interaction! What an inspiring testimony from Vida! It reminded me of the well-known quote, “Expect miracles, and in Jesus’ name you’ll get them!” Sometimes it takes us putting one foot in front of the other, taking a step of faith, all the while acknowledging the Lord in all our ways, so He can direct our paths to the outcome He has promised. (See Proverbs 3:6.)
By Vida, I wanted to share a testimony with you of something that happened a couple of months ago. I hope it will be an encouragement for you! I was in Sweden at the time and needed to travel to Switzerland to help out my daughter. This was something that we had planned since the beginning of the year, but now we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and my flight had already been cancelled several times. My daughter really needed my help with her newborn baby, and I was desperate to go. It seemed impossible, as Switzerland at the time was not allowing anyone to enter the country who wasn’t a citizen or resident, and I was neither. I called the Swiss Consulate trying to see if there was anything they could do; they were friendly, but said they could not do anything and it would depend on the decision of the people at the airport. My daughter had gotten some documentation from her local town authority stating that she is a resident and I am her mother. So, I prayed for a miracle and went ahead by faith to the airport. It was such a strange experience; the airport was practically empty, and only two check-in desks were open in the whole airport! So, I went up to the counter to try to check in my bag, and right away the person told me that I can’t travel! I explained my situation and showed the letters I had with me from the Swiss town authority. While the person was going to check with his supervisor about this, I was praying and messaging my family to pray right then. When he came back he still didn’t have any answer for me. He kept making phone calls for quite a while trying to get an answer for me. Finally he said that they had decided that I could travel at my own risk, and if I was not allowed entry into Switzerland, I would have to pay my own ticket back! Well, I had come this far by faith, so I got on the plane, and when I arrived in Switzerland it was the same story—lots of questions, phone calls, people counselling with each other. But finally they said I could enter! Thank You, Jesus! I was so happy, it was such a victory and answer to prayer! “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). The bold red letters glared at us as we crawled along in bumper-to-bumper traffic, maneuvering between potholes and gravelly ditches that had turned what was once smooth pavement into an obstacle course. “UNDER CONSTRUCTION!” Noise, dirt, sweat soaked workers, and clogged roads had been part of our lives since the city began a road-expansion project several months earlier. Traffic had always been notoriously bad in this part of sprawling Bangkok, but it was worse now.
Barricades had gone up, squeezing three-lane traffic into a single lane. The diggers came next, tearing up the asphalt and clunking and shuddering as they worked around the clock. Construction dust covered everything. Our hour long commutes into town took twice as long, while we stalled and chafed in exhaust fumes and dust. “Why do they have to do construction here?” I routinely complained to my dad on our weekly trips to give English lessons at an orphanage near the center of town. “It makes life so inconvenient and confusing for everyone!” Dad, having long ago outgrown the notion that the world existed to cater to him, would glance sympathetically in my direction and say nothing. Eventually I became accustomed to the noise and inconvenience, and Dad and I discovered that the car was a great place to catch up on little bits of each other’s lives that we had missed in the bustle of our busy days. The day finally came when the constant jackhammering stopped, the large yellow machines were hauled away one by one, and the barricades with their redlettered signs and flashing orange lights were carted off to the next construction site. The next week we made our usual trip to the orphanage, and as usual I braced myself for the long ride. A minute or two later Dad maneuvered our pickup onto an entry ramp and suddenly we were racing above the snarl of city traffic below. The newly constructed flyover, with its smooth surface and intersection-free lanes, took us to the orphanage in a record time of fifteen minutes. On the way home, as we once again sped above the clogged streets and honking cars, Dad broke the silence. “Do you still wish they hadn’t done construction here?” “Of course not!” I replied, suddenly realizing that the temporary inconvenience we had lived through was nothing compared to the benefits that would now be enjoyed for years. “Life is full of ‘construction sites,’” Dad said. “Learn to be thankful for them and be patient. God is in the process of turning each one into something better.” “The peace of God is first and foremost peace with God; it is the state of affairs in which God, instead of being against us, is for us. No account of God’s peace which does not start here can do other than mislead.”--J. I. Packer
“What peace can they have who are not at peace with God?”--Matthew Henry “Christ alone can bring lasting peace—peace with God—peace among men and nations—and peace within our hearts.”--Billy Graham “We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.”--Thomas Merton “To be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.”--Martin Luther “To be able to look into God’s face, and know with the knowledge of faith that there is nothing between the soul and Him, is to experience the fullest peace the soul can know. Whatever else pardon may be, it is above all things admission into full fellowship with God.”--Charles H. Brent “When Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples, who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better—His PEACE!”--Matthew Henry “Maintaining peace with God is more important than keeping pace with someone else.”--Andy Stanley “The Bible talks about three kinds of peace. There is peace with God. There’s the peace of God. And there’s peace with each other.”--Rick Warren “After much prayer, careful study and reliance on the Holy Spirit, I have concluded this about Christ’s intercession for us. Jesus died on the cross to purchase peace with God for me—and He is in heaven now to maintain that peace, for me and in me.”--David Wilkerson “Peace comes when there is no cloud between us and God. Peace is the consequence of forgiveness, God’s removal of that which obscures His face and so breaks union with Him.”--Charles H. Brent “No God, no peace; know God, know peace.”--Croft M. Pentz “When you believe that everything happens for good reason and the Lord is always in control, then you can feel peace in any situation.”--Lindsey K. Rietzsch “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”--Attributed to Francis of Assisi “A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all we have to do is to enter into it.”--D. L. Moody “We may have to wait for justice and peace in the world, but we can know God’s forgiveness for our sins on a personal level and be at peace with him right now.”--Brian Johnston Hearing about what God has done for others in their time of need often helps us to have faith that He will take care of us as well.
Think about it: In the summer of 1997, we got our daughter Sarah a new twin mattress for her bunk bed. I had taken it upstairs and was trying to get the old one down. Our stairs can be hazardous, so I kept saying to myself, "Kristy, be careful." My husband is disabled and hasn't worked in over four years, and without my income we'd be on the streets. When I was upstairs, I looked out at the happy sight of my three children playing with their German Shepherd, "Sadie," and their daddy keeping a close eye on them. When I started to move the old mattress down the stairs, I slipped and lost my footing, and I began to fall. Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind in that split-second. "What will happen if I break my leg or worse?" I said. "Please, dear God, help me. Send me an angel." Well, I got not just one, but two. I felt two strong, masculine arms grab me and reach under my arms and pull me up, and I felt a second set of hands grab my ankles and push me firmly back on the stairs. Then I looked and, lo and behold, the mattress was at the bottom of the stairs placed neatly and upright against the wall. What a miracle of protection —Kristy
Love that becomes real by actions, love that gives a hand, that is friendly and kind, that walks in another’s shoes and finds a way to help whenever possible. “A real, real need for love” to be shown by acts of kindness toward those who cross our path in the course of a day, or in the virtual communications that have become our new normal in confinement. I sincerely believe that if we all make even a little effort to be courteous, to give words of encouragement, to show social graces, to make contributions, the world’s “climate” would improve, and we would all breathe a little easier. If we would try not to be critical of people, but to see their worth regardless of social condition, appearance, or any other prejudice we may be tempted with, there would be fewer violent reactions and more dialogue, more forgiveness. My friend Margaret was telling me about the serious, cranky man who works where she has a rented parking spot. One morning she was trying to operate her remote control to gain access to the parking lot, but she just couldn’t get it to open the gate. When Margaret asked the parking attendant for help, she received the curt reply: “Lady, you aren’t using the control right.” In the end, Margaret learned how to use the remote control, but she kept thinking about the attitude of the parking attendant. Why did he act the way he did? Did he feel humiliated in front of the people who rented in the building? Had he received unkind treatment? What could it be? Then she remembered the saying “A little bit of love goes a long way.” She decided to take positive action, to learn the attendant’s name and always greet him kindly. “Good morning, Mr. Liborio. How are you?” If she saw something positive that she could comment on, she would mention it. “Oh, you got a new haircut; it looks really good on you.” If he is eating a snack, she says, “Bon appetit!” Through little gestures, she let him know that she was considerate of him as a person. Months passed, and Mr. Liborio began to change. Now he is softer and kinder and even likes to crack jokes with her. “When a person can joke with you, it is a sign of confidence,” Margaret says. Now they enjoy the relationship that has been born between them. He greets her warmly. It is the fruit of courtesy and respect—to make someone feel that they are recognized and valued. It is bringing God’s presence into the little daily details. I propose a Love Campaign to the tune of the song by Juanes and the many other musical artists who motivate us with the message in their music and lyrics. Let’s be kinder, gentler, and more humble with those around us. To think we are better than others is just plain arrogance, as the apostle Paul put it—we should esteem others more than ourselves. (Philippians 2:2–4.) Along with Margaret, I genuinely believe that each bit of kindness, courtesy, and respect we share with others will go a long, long way toward recouping the love that has been lost among us. Everywhere, wherever we go. That we may bring to life these lyrics of Juanes, “It’s time to change in the thoughts of all, hate for love. It’s time to change.” By showing people love, we show them Jesus, who can then work in their lives and motivate them to join us in our love campaign. Together we can help to change this cold, insensitive world into a warmer, more loving place, a little more like heaven. Really, by acting more kindly toward others we can all be Jesus’ representatives who shine with His Spirit of love and prove to others, especially the more skeptical people, that He does exist and He cares for them and wants to lead them in the way of love.
In 1998, Luke was diagnosed with bone cancer at the tender age of eight. As sometimes happens, he came down with an infection, which meant he had to go to the hospital. He was there for about two weeks, and that's when something remarkable happened.
One evening, Luke's mother was sitting at his bedside quietly praying as he slept. A nurse came into the room to check Luke's temperature, but his mother noted something rather peculiar about her. The nurse was wearing an old-fashioned uniform of the type that would have been common 30 years earlier, in the 1960s. The nurse noticed that Luke's mother had a Bible by the side of his bed. She said that she was a Christian, too, and said she would pray for Luke's healing. Luke's family had never seen this odd nurse before, and they never saw her again in Luke's remaining time at the hospital. "I came out of the hospital fully healed of my infection," says Luke, who was 19 when he told his story. Remarkably, he is now completely free of cancer. "My mom believes this nurse could have been a guardian angel coming down to give my mom some hope," Luke says. "If she wasn't an angel, why would she be wearing 1960s old-fashioned nurse clothing?" (from https://www.liveabout.com/angel-encounters-true-stories-2593644) God often surprises us in how He works. There are many famous musicians who have overcome their seeming handicaps, such as the blind pianists Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder; or consider Itzhak Perlman, the great violin virtuoso who has won numerous awards for his performances, including four Emmys, who said, “I actually wanted to play the violin before I had polio, and then afterwards, there was no reason not to.” He contracted polio at four years of age, which took the use of his legs but spared his hands. He turned this liability around to become his greatest asset.
One of the most extreme examples is that of Leslie Lemke, who was blind, autistic, and had brain damage and cerebral palsy. He couldn’t stand until he was 12 and was 15 before he learned to walk, but through much love from his parents and many miracles he became a great pianist.4 I thought it would be good to hear a firsthand experience on this theme and I remembered my friend Steven Gilb, who is a blind musician and accomplished writer. He told me, “The value of what we have depends on how we use it, no matter how little or much it seems to be at first glance. I can say that I never felt like that seemingly worthless violin, because I have discovered the joy of using whatever talents I have. “I am living proof of the fact that God is able to take seemingly worthless things, such as our most annoying tendencies, and turn them into our best abilities. “I had a love for music since I was a kid; and at two years old, I would beat with my hands on anything I could find. While others thought this was annoying, my parents sensed my interest in music and eventually got me a pair of bongos. Today I play drums, among other instruments, and God uses these gifts for His glory.” These stories should encourage us that if other people could overcome such overwhelming challenges, we can too. Our part is to welcome the Master’s touch in our daily lives so we too can play beautiful music. See part 1 on Oct 18 and part 2 on Oct 21. Hearing about what God has done for others in their time of need often helps us to have faith that He will take care of us as well. Even though you might not be in the same situation as this young girl the principle of God’s supply still applies.
Think about it: It was the day before I was supposed to start my junior year of high school. It was a beautiful day outside but I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to notice. We didn't have much money. Everything I earned I gave to my parents. Just once, I wanted a new dress for the first day of school. I was pacing in my room feeling very depressed. Then I heard a voice say, "Why do you fret so? Remember the lilies of the fields. Are you not more important than they?" I answered, "Yes." Then I felt very peaceful and happy. A few minutes later, I heard a car drive up and a lady talking to my mother. After the car drove off, my mother called me downstairs. The woman had a bag of clothes. She told my mother she had bought them for her daughter but her daughter didn't like them. She was going to throw the dresses away but had an overpowering urge to bring them to our house. We never saw that lady again. In the bag were five dresses. They still had the price tags on them. I'm very short so I was thinking I would have to hem everything. However, the dresses were my size and the right color for my complexion and most surprising, I didn't have to hem them.—Anonymous |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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