A Year With God, Day 90 of 366--belated

There have been people in my life that affected me in a profound way.  And it hasn't always been people I've known for years--though there are many of them as well.  Sometimes, all it takes is one moment-- a shared glance, an understanding smile.  I don't think of these people every day, but when something reminds me of that moment, I remember them.

I think of the old lady on the bus once, who gave me a bookmark with a prayer on it.  Or the checker at the grocery store where my sister used to go.  My sister would always go through her line, no matter how long it was.  I think of the time I got so angry at a family get-together that I had to take a long walk, and my cousin's high school friend said he knew that feeling.

I think of the time my roommate had to go the emergency room.  I drove her car over, and while waiting, I hear a lady moaning and crying.  She was so scared, and thought she was all alone, so I went over and held her hand for a while.  She was so thrilled, she asked me if I was an angel.  There is something very moving, and uncomfortable about being mistaken for an angel. 

I think of that moment, not so much with pride, but with the realization that being an 'angel' can require so little effort and mean so much to someone.  Most of the moments I remember like this are about 'angels' who touched my life, but that one time I know I touched someone else's life.

The point of this being that you can show God's love in a moment.  Most times, we do this with a long relationship, but sometimes, it can happen in the blink of an eye.  A smile at the right time can change my outlook for the whole day, so why couldn't my smile do the same for someone else?

I need to watch for opportunities like that, if they can be watched for.  These things are important.



The

A Year With God, Day 89 of 366

Somewhere this week I missed a day on this blog.  I'm not sure how it happened. I thought I had written one every day.  Oh, well.

Today, I found myself wishing I could pass whatever blessings God has in store for me on to someone I loved.  I actually prayed for just that.

And then it occured to me-- maybe God's best blessing would be to bring that person home to be with him.  It is a blessing, when one is living in pain, and anxious about the future.

But I do not want the one I love to leave me just yet.  I guess I am still too human for that. 

I guess instead I should pray for God to give my loved one all the blessing He could wish to bestow on that person, healing and health and joy . . .  Yes, that's a much better prayer.

A Year With God, Day 87 of 366

This weekend I had the priviledge of sharing the last few hours of someone's life.  He was a sweet, kind older man, and in the space of three days I grew to be very fond of him.

I realized again (because I already knew it without really thinking about it) that there is family, and there are relatives, and the two don't always overlap.

I also came to the conclusion that if you have even one person who cares about you when you go, then that is enough.  There doesn't have to be a crowd for there to be love.

And I learned that sometimes the smallest simple gesture is enough to touch someone's heart and make them feel loved and comforted.

It was three days that felt like a week or a month, but I am glad I got the chance to be there.

A Year With God, Day 86 of 366

All of the faucets in my apartment leak.  It's annoying, because I hear the drip . . . drip . . . drip and it distracts me from what I'm doing.  I am always going around trying to turn the knobs tighter to stop it.

It occurred to me that God's love and blessings are like a leaky faucet.  No matter how hard we try to turn it off, a little always leaks through and drips into our lives.  But if we turn the knobs the other way, we'd be drowning in blessings.

Every good and perfect thing is from God, one verse says.  And God wants to give us all the good things he can.  We just have to ask.

A Year With God, Day 85 of 366

I did not realize how tired I was until I got home tonight, and sat down to relax. 

I guess that's what home is-- the place where it's safe to be tired or sick or weak.  Home is the safe haven where we are protected from the world.

And God should be our home.

A Year With God, Day 84 of 366 (belated)

The worst thing a person can do is stop caring.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God, and the second greatest was to love others. 
So if we stop caring, then we break both.

A Year With God, Day 83 of 366

Some people are never satisfied with their life.  Me, I tend to be complacent, and I never want to push my luck by trying to succeed too much.  I am content to just get by.

But that's not necessarily a good thing.  God put me here to be me, and to be me as best as I am able.  Ambition and the drive to succeed are not sins--at least not in and of themselves. 

I think of the Apostle Paul.  He was zealous in everything he did.  And he truly had a heart for God.  He believed at first that Christianity was wrong, and he went after the early church with every resource he could.  And then, when God showed him the error of his ways, he did an about-face and was just as zealous in spreading the gospel--if not more so.

Fighting complacency is a daily battle, and it's a fight I often fail at.  But putting it in writing here is a reminder to myself that it is okay to want more.  I just need to rely on God to show me which more I need to strive for.