Forgiveness is...

...a gift you give to yourself - for your own good.

Recently, I read an article on a Vietnamese woman - Kim Phuc Phan Thi - who survived a fatal napalm fire during the Vietnam War in June 8, 1972. During an event, 50 years later, she talked about how she thought she'd never (be able to) forgive the attackers then she said:

"In order to be really free, I had to learn to forgive."

Imagine living for 969 years

Just to make the connection off the bat...today is the 1,000 day since we started this blog...the 969th day was a month ago on May 26, 2012.
While thanking God for how far He has brought (& taken) us, Methuselah came to mind.

Methuselah lived till he was 969 and all the Bible said about him was: "When Methuselah was one hundred eighty-seven, he had a son named Lamech. Methuselah had more children and died at the age of nine hundred sixty-nine. (Gen 5:25 - 27 - CEV) I know from looking at mine that each child is a unique gift from God...and I also know from looking at God that there (must be) & is more to life than having children.

It was a different story for his father - Enoch: "So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not, for God took him [home with Him].(Gen 5: 23-24 - Amplified) Now that definitely one parent who knew that walking with God was more important that having children...and it paid off.

The question I always ask myself is: In receiving God's gift children, what gift can I give back to God? How can I ensure that as I oversee my children learning to "walk" - from when they are toddlers until they are adults - that they learn to walk with God?

Deut 6:6-7 says:  Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you’re at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. (Contemporary English Version)
Barely 10 days ago we celebrated Fathers' Day...and like my husband said on that day (& I've said before), it takes a mother to "make" a father and vice versa and of course the blessing of the Lord. The point is: God expects us not to just walk with Him but to also walk with our children and talk about Him.

God bless.

The way I see it...

Forgiving ourselves and others brings..

 ...the Son and sun back into our world and makes it...

...a brighter and better place for us and others.

What not to do...

I heard part of a radio show. It was interesting that they were talking about Healthy Living and focusing on what not to do. I'm sure if I asked you to guess what was the 1st thing on the "No to do" list you would guess right just like the show host and I did.

First time...

You know there is always a first time of everything...pleasant and unpleasant.

Today is the first time, in our lives, that Beryl and I can't call our earthly fathers to say:

It is still quite a reality check for my whole family and hers too. In my case, even my children are still coming to terms with our loss...in the past couple of months, they have mentioned the need to call him when calling their other grandparents over the weekend and even mistakenly prayed for him then quickly corrected themselves.

As I write this, one thing I'm grateful about is that: we can confidently say that our Dads were "Happy Fathers." Yes - in God's mercy He helped us accomplish things that made our fathers happy and that is one of the best gifts any child can give to their parents.

The other thing, I'm grateful to God for is that in their own way, they deserved the title:

We were blessed with wonderful Dads and personally grateful that they gave their consent for us to get married to the great husbands God gave us. It takes a good father to do the best for his children. To our husbands, who are also fathers, and all the other fathers in the world, we thank God for another opportunity to celebrate you:

For Fathers...

This evening, I was thinking about our Fathers' Day Service coming up tomorrow and wondered what I'd say to all fathers if I had the opportunity to say a thing or 2 to them... then it occurred to me that I do have the opportunity to - so here I go...

It's based on these two verses that reverberate for me from our Family month in church:

Prov 14: 26 - Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.* 
So if you want your children to be safe, don't rely on your wife's (or their mother's) relationship with God to "protect" them - though it helps. God expects men to be there as a cover for their family - not just the "head" of his wife which many men seem to dwell on. 

Prov 13:22 - A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up.** Now I particularly like the Amplified rendition of this verse because too many people associate the word "inheritance" with money and the truth is one can have money without virtue and that's not a good thing - see the 2nd half of that verse to understand what I mean. Dear Fathers, with how hard you work to cater for your family, please remember that only a virtuous man's "wealth" and legacy goes beyond one generation. Your relationship with God is your stepping stone and even a guarantee for that because God "has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."*** (Italics, mine)

I know I said I'll say a thing or two but as I typed I decided to add a third thing:

God bless you all fathers; thank you for all you do - we need and love you alot...

Enjoy your day.

Sources:
*New Living Translation
**Amplified Version
***Ps 35:27 - NKJV

Lessons from a dozen

We just celebrated our first "dozen" years in marriage. Looking back, I cannot but thank God for His bountiful mercies and goodness to my husband and I. If His mercies were not new every morning* or if He didn't load us with benefits daily**, who knows where we'd be now. Indeed, it was a time of thinking and thanking.

You know when I think of a dozen, the first thing that comes to my mind is eggs. The more I thought about it, some similarities or shall I say, "lessons from the dozen," come to mind when thinking about marriage.

1. Marriage is fragile and must be handled with care.
2. A good marriage leads to a healthy life - bad marriages, like bad eggs, repel.
3. We must treat our words like eggs, knowing that once spoken can never be put pack in the "shell" - and this one applies to everyone - married or not.

The other thing that comes to mind when I think of the word "dozen" is a dozen roses. While I'm not into flowers - so buy me something else if you want to give me a gift - I took some time to look into the siginficance of a dozen roses. Apparently roses are used to express love and appreciation while the number 12 means a complete cycle - think of the 12 months of the year or 12 "hours" on an analog clock. So I guess a dozen roses show "complete love." 12 reminds Christians of the twelve tribes of Israel, the 12 disciples & apostles and even the 12 foundations & gates in heaven (Rev 21: 19-21).  

Without a doubt, 12 is an important number to God - it indicates completeness of a phase and the beginning of a new "move." My prayer is that as we have started a "new cycle" in our marriage that we will properly position ourselves for the "New Thing" God has promised.

I also pray that you will also partake of the "New Thing" God has promised us all in this year.  

 

 

References:

*It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. (Lam 3:22-23 - Amplified)
**Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! (Ps 68:19 -NKJV)

The Interview

One, young, academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview. The director who did the last interview, made the last decision. The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research. He never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" The youth answered "none". The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old. It was my mother who paid for my school fees.” The director asked, “Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me. " The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands and then see me tomorrow morning."

Need something?

I found this quote interesting:

You can't always get what you want

But if you try sometimes

You just might find

You can get what you need.

-Mick Jagger

Going a step further, I've heard several preachers say that:

If what you have is not enough to meet your need, it is most likely your seed.

The Bible tells us that:

"The rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there without giving water to the earth. This makes plants grow on the earth, and gives seeds to the planter and bread to the eater.

So My Word which goes from My mouth will not return to Me empty. It will do what I want it to do, and will carry out My plan well." (Isaiah 55: 10 - 11 - New Life Version)

God's Word is a seed that always produces a (bountiful) harvest - so if you need something, find what God has said concerning that thing and "sow" it with prayers. Your harvest is guaranteed.

Remember this song:

Read your Bible, pray every day

Pray every day (2ce)

Read your Bible, pray everyday

If you want to grow.

If you want to grow (2ce)

Read your Bible, pray every day

Pray every day (2ce)

Read your Bible, pray every day

If you want to grow.

Growth and prosperity is guaranteed in all areas of life...once it's by the Book of Life.