True Friend and Writer

       "It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both." This is the famous quote from Charlotte's Web spoken by Wilbur the pig.

        Charlotte the spider gives insight into what makes for a true friend. "I’m not going to let them kill you. Promises are something I keep," she tells Wilbur. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be blessed with a true friend like that?

        As I thought about the unusual relationship between these two friends I realized that I had someone like Charlotte who does all three. He is my friend, a good writer, and he keeps his promises.

        He is a true friend. He comforts, counsels, and always looks out for me so my enemy doesn’t kill, rob or destroy me.

When he tells me something he keeps his word. Always! “For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God by us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

        My friend is also an author. He wrote sixty-six books. "All scripture is God-breathed..." (2 Timothy 3:16.)  I love to read his books.

Talk about an unusual friendship. My friend created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. The Creator calls me his creation a friend. I am so blessed. Is he your true friend, too?

“I no longer call you servants…I have called you friend.” John 15:15

Selective Hearing

The adorable little boy sitting in a grocery cart at the checkout was about five with chunky cheeks. His pudgy hands covered his ears. His large brown eyes spoke “no” while he shook his head from side to side. “Mama has to take you to the day care.” Head and hands continued to shake back and forth vigorously as his mother spoke.

            “ You’ll get to play with the other children.” Staring straight ahead he continued to shake his head and refused to hear her.

            “Marcus, I have to go to work,” she spoke sternly. His eyes changed from stubbornness to sorrow, and his head shook slower. Tears began to flow.

            “Sugar, if you’re a good boy this week, Mama will take you to Chucky Cheese when I get my paycheck.” He removed his hands, and his smile told everyone that these words he had heard.

            I had just studied the book of Mathew and decided Marcus reminded me of Jesus’ disciples. They also had selective hearing. In Matthew Jesus told his disciples clearly that he was going to die and be raised from the dead in three days. Five times he referenced his death! The disciples were like little boys who refused to hear words they didn’t want to hear.

            However, when the disciples heard they were to be honored and sit upon thrones their hearing improved. This statement, recorded only once in chapter twenty is heard clearly. James and John with their mother’s help connive to get the two best thrones. Jesus’ words about his crucifixion are forgotten and they think only about themselves. I decide that young and old put their hands over their ears to stop words we don’t want to hear.

Scripture: "In this world you will have trouble. 

                  But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NIV

Accidental Prayer

            The whole incident probably took seven minutes. It was already dark when I started to drive home from a church prayer meeting. I stopped and waited for a red light to change. My rear view mirror told me that the car behind me was not going to stop. It hit with a jolt. 

My attitude was not good. I jumped out of my car and walk toward an older gentleman who stepped out of his car. I was anxious to survey the damage to my car. But I looked into his eyes, and I saw a reflection of my own eyes many years earlier.    

            “I’m sorry. I just came from the hospital and was thinking about my wife.” the distraught man explained. 

            Other cars were navigating around as we stood under the streetlights. I touched his arm and started to pray for him. I prayed that he and his wife would feel the love of the Lord, and doctors would have wisdom. I prayed other concerns that I had when my husband was in the hospital. Finally, I prayed, "Lord, keep him safe as he drives home."

            “You’re like an angel,” he whispered. 

            I looked at our undamaged cars, and his rejuvenated face and answered, “No, God wanted to tell you he loves you.”   

Scripture: “He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 (MSG)

I Never Finish Anythi

I saw this in print and it made me laugh. Then I read it again and sighed. There were some very important things in my life that seemed to go forward, hit a brick wall, recover, go forward, hit a brick wall, recover, go forward, and hit a bri… My dreams and desires were unfinished.

I looked up unfinished in my Holy Dictionary and discovered it meant imperfect, undeveloped, deficient, immature, and insufficient and a lot of other words that made me feel worse. Sigh.

But the meaning I hated the most was unprocessed. I hate going through process. It’s like being put into a blender. When it’s done there is nothing that went into the blender that is recognizable. I asked the Lord if there was any other way to finish things without going through process.

And of course He laughed with me and then gave me some verses to consider.

“For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross,” (Hebrews 12) Oh Jesus, I’m so sorry for the process you endured.Thank you.

“Being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” (Phil:6) Oh, it’s your plans for my life?

“Count it pure joy when all kinds of trials come your way…” (James 1:2) Ouch. Count it all joy? Really?

Then He took me to Lazarus’ story in John eleven. “This will not end in death. It is for God’s glory, that I may be glorified through it.” Interesting. He didn’t say death wouldn’t be part of it. He said it would not end in death.

Okay, I choose to continue to continue. I choose to dream again. I will go through the process with as much joy as I can when I feel like I am dying. Who knows? Maybe when I come out of the blender I’ll be a delicious milk shake.

Scripture: “And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:4 (NAS)