Sadness
A church hosted a dinner for area pastors. A mother and her three year old son dropped off food. While the two were there, the pastor came in the kitchen and talked awhile. When they got in their car to leave the son said, “Mama, you make me sad, we have to leave Pastor.” The mother asked her little boy if he wanted to go back and get a hug from him. He said, “No, I just want to be with him.” At the same church two nights later a class prepared for a skit. One little girl’s part was to hang her head and pretend to be sad. A little boy who sat beside her said, “I am glad she is just pretending to be sad, if she were really sad, I would be sad.” The same church, the same week, two incidents when little children spoke words which can speak volumes to adults. How often do we simply want to be around someone and want nothing in return? How often do we sincerely feel the hurts and sadness others feel? I think Jesus would like us to listen to the children. This week go to Jesus simply because you want to be with Him, not wanting anything in return. Also remember He feels our sadness. Lift up your head. Let His joy be your strength this week.
Half Truths
A six year old was caught with his hand in an empty cookie jar. When asked if he ate all the cookies, he said, “I just ate the cookies from the top down.”. Will you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? When telling the whole truth comes to mind, we sometime think of Geroge
A Knot with Oil
During a service at church a call was made for the sick to come be anointed. A mother told her son she was going to take him up front to be anointed with oil. She explained to him quickly that this practice comes from the Bible. When we believe, obey, and become anointed with oil God takes away sickness. Holding her hand the seven year old stood waiting his turn. He watched as the ones before him were touched on the head by the pastor. Seeing no change in any of them he breathed a sigh of relief. When it was his turn, he pulled on his mother’s hand and whispered, “Mom, I really don’t want to become a knot with oil.” Sometime we as adults misunderstand things as well. In the Bible anointing was a common practice and was nothing to be feared. We also complicate, and sometime misunderstand, the phrase, “the anointing.” A very simple explanation of the anointing is special God-granted abilities for us to do what needs to be done for the Kingdom. The gifts placed in us are not simply given for our benefit. We each should not be sitting as “a knot with oil” on a log., but should be using the anointing given for the furtherance of the Kingdom.
Sleepless Nights
A father proudly presented his sixteen year old daughter with the keys to her first car. The car, and the keys, came after many a sleepless night for the father, and many a day of shameless buttering up from the daughter. After a lengthy speech from the father of the responsibilities and rules that come with driving, after a big bear hug of thankfulness from the daughter, she backed out of the driveway, and began the first leg of a journey which would eventually lead to the freedom of her adulthood. As he watched her drive away, the father smiled as he remembered something his father once told him. “A good father is one who keeps pictures in his wallet where he once kept his money.” With a tear in his eye, he also thought being a father involves a lot of holding on and a lot of letting go. In a few weeks the keys that had been given were taken back. Some rules and responsibilities were forgotten. On that sleepless night, the father understood being a good father means keeping your word and being a father when it would be so much easier to be a good friend. On that sleepless night, the daughter was heart broken because she had disappointed her father, her best friend.