Loss & Hope

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7

Today was a “not so great day” for me. Lost two people whom i used to know for a long time. One was dearest to me cos he had a major role in moulding me spiritually. Being far away from home and family, such news can be of real distress. I mean you are talking about those familiar faces whom you have literally grown up with. Those faces fading away one by one had always been one of my deepest fears.

My dad reminded me of this verse which was of much consolation. Death is sure but then hope is another factor that we can have. The hope that we will meet them one day. People may leave us in many ways and as human beings we are bound to have emotional breakdowns and loss of faith but then again that’s why God gave us these verses to keep us going on, to renew our faith. We can still have them within our hearts by emulating their faith and following their spiritual path. Bind those valuable lessons they have passed on to you in your hearts and inculcate within you the undying faith they had. That way we always have them with us.

This dearest person of mine used to tell us as kids that ” when ever you feel afraid or tempted in some way, just say hallelujah in your hearts. Cos satan is scared of those words and it simply drives him away”. It may sound silly but ever since i was a kid i used to do that and surprisingly i still do that. And you know what, it has worked for me every single time. Most often when i get troubled by my thoughts ( some times i wish our minds had an OFF switch !) i practice this and it has helped me a lot. I hope it does to you as well. God bless!

In Times Like These

Times like these happen once in many years or decades. A time where the entire world has to go through something together unlike the other times where a certain group or country has to face it alone. The one positive thing about the latter situation is that when it happens the others are there to offer you with all kinds of help. But now we are in the former situation, where the entire world is going through the same pandemic. Each has to do their own part to help themselves and their country and that is abiding by the rules & regulations set by the authorities. How can we overcome this ? Even if we outrun this current situation, what about the repercussions that are gonna follow. The world economy just took a major hit right on the face and how are we gonna survive that. Such questions remain uncertain to most of us. But we should know that we are bigger than all of that because we know the owner of the entire universe. We don’t just know him, rather we are best friends with Him. Nothing happens without Him knowing and He knows exactly what each of us needs right now during these times. He has already offered His heavenly peace to us and he grants us with his grace abundantly each day. He is going to guide us through this. It may take a while to get back to old normal days but with Him everything is attainable. Let us Straighten up our lives, abolish the old regretful ways and set our eyes on God.

LIFE… IT’S STRANGE

I have often wondered about how certain things in life can take a sudden twist n’ turn and drift you far away from the path that you’ve once thought you’d always be in, forcing you to adapt to a totally different life. I have never understood this (at least i thought so!). You’re dreams, hopes and expectations all shattered in just a matter of few seconds. And eventually when u finally wake up and realize that you cannot rewind ‘life’, that is when new dreams and hopes arise. I know, its very unfair, forcing you to abandon your original dreams and adapt a new one, like a substitute or a replacement. My sister and myself always comforted ourselves during such situations, saying “Ah, this is life” (often forgetting the truth that life is happening exactly how God wants it to be).

Often during these painful twists we tend to forget the fact that God is steering our lives. I know I am exactly where i’m supposed to be – at the right place, at the right time, whether life took a painful drift or not. Maybe the initial path was not where you were supposed be and you were blind enough to realize that. Maybe God had a different plan for you from the beginning, a plan which will make you at your best.  So He had to take charge and yeah sometimes it takes a painful push to bring you into the right lane.

Life seems strange often. Filled with happenings that most of the time cannot be grasped. But there’s a purpose to it, to each and every minute details of it. We wouldn’t always get what is going on, but then again that’s the way how our God works. I guess He knows that the less we know the better 🙂

Hold on! God knows what He is doing!!!!

Heaven’s Grocery Store

I was walking down life’s highway a long time ago. 
One day I saw a sign that read, “Heaven’s Grocery Store”.
As I got a little closer the door came open wide, 
and when I came to myself I was standing inside. 
I saw a host of Angels, they were standing everywhere. 
One handed me a blanket and said, “My Child shop with care”. 
Everything a Christian needs is in that grocery store, 
and all you can’t carry, come back the next day for more.

First, I got some Patience, Love was in the same row. 
Further down was Understanding, needed everywhere you go. 
I got a box or two of Wisdom, a bag or two of Faith, 
I just couldn’t miss the Holy Ghost, it was all over the place. 
I stopped to get some Strength and Courage to help me run this race, 
but then my blanket was getting full, and I remembered I needed Grace.

I didn’t forget Salvation, which like the others was free, 
so I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me. 
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill, 
for I thought I had everything to do my master’s will. 
As I went up the aisle, I saw Prayer and had to put it in, 
for I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin. 
Peace and Joy were plentiful, they were on the last shelf. 
Song and Praises were hanging near, so I just helped myself.

Then I said to the Angel, “How much do I owe”? 
The Angel smiled and said, “Just take them everywhere you go.” 
Again, I politely asked “How much do I really owe?” 
The Angel smiled again and said, “My Child, Jesus Paid Your Bill
A Long Time Ago.”

Ron DeMarco
&
Friend

THE LEGEND OF THE SAND DOLLAR

THE LEGEND OF THE SAND DOLLAR

There’s a pretty little legend
That I would like to tell
Of the birth and death of Jesus
Found in this lowly shell.

If you examine closely,
You’ll see that you find here
Four nail holes and a fifth one
Made by a Roman’s spear.

On one side the Easter lily,
Its center is the star
That appeared unto the shepherds
And led them from afar.

The Christmas poinsettia,
Etched on the other side
Reminds us of His birthday,
Our happy Christmastide.

Now break the center open,
And here you will release
The five white doves awaiting
To spread Good will and peace.

This simple little symbol,
Christ left for you and me
To help us spread His Gospel
Through all eternity.

AND HERE’S ONE THAT WE FOUND OUT AT THE BEACH 🙂

It is so amazing how these little dollars of nature can reveal the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.How much more do we, ‘as his greatest masterpiece’, have to declare out to the world this truth that is hidden to many.

God bless!

IN HIS TIME

This is one of my personal experiences 🙂 For the past one year I’ve been battling with “what others think about me” syndrome. It all started with a silly incident or rather i should say a mere misunderstanding from my side. As usual the thoughts and doubts haunted me badly which all the more made me assume things that in reality didn’t even happen. I prayed to God for an answer so that i can be in peace. Days, weeks, and months passed by, I still didn’t get an answer. At first it was really devastating not to know what exactly had happened but gradually in a years time God taught me many wonderful things. Isaiah 51:12,13 says “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? “ I was worried about what others think about me when i should be worried about what God thinks of me. This verse gave me a lot of courage and strength. In time I really started to care less about the incident and almost forgot about it when yesterday, the 2nd of march I got the answer to it. One year was God’s time of answering me. In fact nothing had really occurred like i had imagined. It was nothing but a mere silly misunderstanding. God gave me the answer in the best possibly way, not through phone or email or Facebook. It was a face to face conversation with the person. In retrospect, I’m glad that He didn’t answer me or i still would have been afflicted by this “what others think about me” syndrome. God has His own ways of answering our prayers and in his own time, something which we humans can never understand. All we have to do is yield to it. That is why the Bible says “He has made everything beautiful in his time”. Sometimes waiting for His answer would seem like ages, but there’s always a purpose to it. Maybe there’s something valuable you need to learn, something which you’ve always ignored or taken lightly. I learned that no matter what others think about you, God still loves you and living a life thinking about what others think of you is not ‘Living your life’, its living somebody else’s life. It what God thinks about that matters and not any mortal man. Live your own life. God bless!!!

HAVE A LITTLE FAITH

An extract from “Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.”

“A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, ‘He sleeps in a storm’.

The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man. Several weeks pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.

Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.

So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed.

He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins.

He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.

And then he understands. ‘He sleeps in a storm’.

My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of ‘I could have, I should have.’ We can sleep in a storm.

And when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.”

YET WILL I PRAISE THEE

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior – Habakkuk 3:17,18

There are time when the fields of life are full of crops, the vineyards of life full of vines and the fig trees of success full of figs. Those are the times we are most grateful to God. Those are the times when our mortal hearts rejoice immensely in God. But will you be able to rejoice in God when your life becomes empty of all the figs and the vines? Will you be able to rejoice in Him when all that you’ve planned doesn’t work as well as it should be? Will you be able to rejoice in him when life takes you in a way often less trodden? This is where your faith in God is put to test. Job is the perfect example from The Bible. Job was a godly man who (in the 21^st century terms) was a millionaire of his times. He was a fine husband and a good father. He was a man who held on to his faith in God despite the tragic calamities and loss he had to face. He lost all his wealth in the blink of an eye. He became childless and helpless. His wife and friends forsake him when their presence and support was needed the most. Yet during those difficult times Job did not forsake God or curse Him. His faith held him up throughout his trial period. That kind of ‘mountain faith’ is what is expected from us by God. That doesn’t come easily. To hold on to your faith in times of full and in times of empty, in times of sickness and in times of health, immense grace of God is required. God’s ways are perfect and because of that we can trust him in all the ways and circumstances that He puts us through. He knows how to mend a ‘broken you’ because He was the one who created you in the first place. All of His plans have a purpose and if you are ready to yield to it then He’ll lift you up in the right time. Let God work through your life. Let Him break you sometimes and let Him mend you sometimes because He’s the one who’s in control of your life. He’s the one who designed every fragment of your life. Yield to Him and let faith hold you up in all the situations of your life. God bless all!!

CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS, CHANGE YOUR WORLD

Change your thoughts and you change your world. A quote by Norman Vincent Peale. Our thoughts defines us. We are what our thoughts are. As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man (proverbs 27:19). We become what we think. Changing one’s thoughts is one of the hardest thing ever but with the help of God that is ‘mission possible’. Man’s heart is so accustomed to develop negative thoughts that he can hardly recognize the positive ones. Let me tell you my own example. I never believed in horoscopes despite the surprising similarities they project. Recently i got to read a page which predicted my future 2012. Well it was not all that pleasant. Then started the paranoid thoughts and i just couldn’t get it out of my mind. I was getting paranoid over a total absurdity which tells about my future (something which only God knows). Let me tell you my whole week was ruined. All my thoughts were about what i have read in that page and then, my thoughts defined me. I had become somebody who had put her trust in man and not God (Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save Psalm 146:3). Then God spoke to me through Isaiah 44:8 ” Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” This really gave me strength and then my eyes opened. No mortal can predict my future. God is the one who designed my entire life and He alone knows my future. I had strength enough to tear those pages from the magazine and burn it in the fire 🙂 This was an example of how my thoughts defined me then. Changing your thoughts means  changing yourself too. A lot of God’s grace is required to fill our minds with thoughts that are desired by Him. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things’ Philippians 4:8.  Pray, meditate, confess, admit, ask God for help and guidance. Do whatever it takes to change your thoughts and see what great change it can bring to your world. Are you sad? Rejoice in the Lord always. God is an ever present help in times of trouble. Are you lost? seek your answers from God. He can guide you to the truth. Free yourselves from the clutches of your negative thoughts.

ANALOGIES OF LIFE

Just few weeks back i heard an uncle trying to teach my nephew a song that starts like “my life is like a car”. And i guess the second line says that “the key is with Jesus” : ) I’ve heard so many analogies of life and a few i’m listing below

• Life is a roller coaster
• Life’s God’s  novel
• Life is like a fine sculpture, it’s all in how you look at it
• Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

 And now life’s like a car, the key is with Jesus 🙂 wow! If my life were like a car what would have happened ? So i decided to personify the car as me. The key that kick starts the car, my life, is with Jesus. He’s the one who kick started my life when he so wonderfully knit me together in my mothers womb. He knew my frame even when i was hidden. He had written the days that were ordained for me  even when there were any. The steering of the car is what changes the course of my life. Whether it is to the right or to the left the steering has to be turned. So i would say the steering is the decision i take in my life. I would rather have Jesus take control of the wheel than make a wrong decision and end up causing an accident. I would call those accidents the “mistakes of my life”. The gear is what allows me to go through different phases of my life. Whether it is through a hilly place or a slope or a gutter, the different gears of my life faith, hope, and love are there to give me strength. Love can conquer anything in this world. Faith and hope are the biggest essentials when the car travels through a not- so- good road. Then there’s the brake and the accelerator. Well sometimes in the speed-way’s of life a halt is necessary. They are the obstacles or trials if faced with the right attitude drives me back to the track. The brake holds me back when the path of life starts to go wrong. The accelerator is what keeps the car going. Once the leg is taken aback from accelerator the car slows down. They are the blessings and joys of life. They are the goals and ambitions of my life. If life is dull its ‘cos i’m not pressing down the accelerator. I would also say that accelerator of the car is the prayer in my life. Prayer is what keeps you going. Stop praying to God and my car slows down. Prayer is what nourishes my soul. And the soul is the car engine. Once my soul’s wounded my car stops moving. My car goes on until my designer decides to use his key to switch it off once and for all. Where will my soul go? My soul will return back to its manufacturer.

 Below is a very beautiful link i came across called the analogies of life. You can read a lot of brilliant comparisons of life here http://;www.facebook.com/pages/Analogies-of-Life/144195912308015

God bless all !!