A Little Thing Called Trust

Abraham was old when he had his only child. The child, he was fully aware, was a gift of the Almighty and Abe knew he had to live as if the child was loaned to him. He was grateful to even have the opportunity to be able to raise a child. Sarah and Abe had everything they needed, but always longed for a child. After all, a child is the only way you can leave a part of you behind. God told him that he will be the father of many nations, but it was a shame that he couldn’t even have a child of his own.

A Tear Stained Letter – 2

Dear Max,

I thought of dropping another letter. Hope you and Rachel are good. Convey my love to the kids. What’s new? How is your business going? When we met last time, you told me that you were planning to go for a vacation in summer. How did that go? I have a few vouchers for some of the finest vacation spots. Let me know and we can plan something together with families. It has been a long time since I saw Rachel, Mark and Daisy! Dana also sends her regards and a big hug for Rachel and the kids!

Boats of Hope

My Sunday school kids and I decided to make small boats of hope and write “Smile, Jesus loves you :)” on each of them so that we could give it to a person who is not smiling or someone close to us.

Once I told them what to write, this seven year old wrote “Smile, Jesus loves me” so I asked him why did he write like that cause my whole idea or lesson for the day was around giving this boat to person who is not smiling.

This young boy’s answer took me by surprise. He told me “My mother is smiling, my father is smiling but I’m not smiling so I

need this”

His honest and innocent answer got me thinking.

How many of us are so innocently honest like this seven year old?

My surprise didn’t end there.

I had the “boat of hope” that I call, which I made so I asked the rest of the class if we could give it to this boy who felt he needed it the most and to my surprise they wanted him to have it.

Do we do this growing up?

Are we sensitive of our feelings as well as the feelings of those around us?

Has growing up changed the way we feel, think and react?

Would you make yourself a boat of hope today?

Why I called it the boat of hope?

Well Noah was one of the only Godly men during the difficult and tough times. God told Noah to build the ark and he didn’t question God or ask for an action report as to why he should build the ark nor did he know why. He just built the ark and slowly he saw the big picture and the why’s and the when’s.

So when you build a boat of hope for yourself it’s a symbol of hope that God is there with you and you are not alone.

So build yourself an ark of hope.

The Waves.

When was the last time you visited the beach?

Well I am taking you back there now; remember the hot windy air on your face, or the cool night breeze, the sound of the waves crashing in intervals that you can’t really predict. Imagine yourself sitting on the shore, looking at the never ending building and crashing of waves, receding and crashing over and over again. The tireless cycle. Now you are lost in thought, thinking of absolutely nothing but the beauty of the waves in front of you. How refreshing was that?

Every time I visit the beach, the waters give me a new perspective on life. My last visit was the most fun-filled experience in my life and yet a very educative one too. It left a learning in my life that I still haven’t forgotten. Playing in the water, I lost my glasses. And I, not predicting an event like that to occur, hadn’t carried an extra pair. I was literally blind for the next twenty four hours.

This taught me to put set of spare glasses anywhere and everywhere I go, not only because I may lose it, but also because I learnt how temporary everything really is.

We think right now that losing that wallet or those pair of glasses is the biggest problem of the day, but it doesn’t really matter in the bigger picture because God is in control. I didn’t get lost when I didn’t have my glasses, but I learned how to let go of the fear of the unknown. It wasn’t a major step but a small start to a big step.

TRUST is a five letter word that holds so much in it. But that is indeed a step closer to not being worried of what goes by and anxious about what is to come next. For it says “ The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do.” Psalm 118:6.

Fear is a liar. If God is there with me, whom should I fear?

A Desire to Kill.

Samantha wanted a teddy. There was this small brown one that she had been eyeing for days! She asked her parents but they didn’t give her a response. A few more days went by before she placed this request again. This time also, her parents were busy. In her restless waiting and her relentless desire, she decided that she was done. It was time to take matter into her own hands! She went to the store and enquired about the price. “$15”, the shopkeeper said. Hopeful, she went back home to open her piggy bank. “1…2…3.. That’s a total of $1 and 24 cents!”, she declared. Determined, she started helping out around the house and even opened a lemonade stand to help her get the money. The only thought that was running through her mind was, ‘I want that brown teddy’.

A few days went by and she still didn’t have the money for the toy. Over a week, she managed to make two extra bucks and a few cents. She even gave up on ice cream to save some quarters. She had collected $5 and 12 cents. Hopeful, she went into the store to buy her teddy. The shopkeeper who had seen this girl before, politely told her that she could not afford the bear she came in for, however, there were other toys she could get for $5. Upset, she went back home. The little thing cried herself to sleep.

Soon she woke up to a gentle, yet familiar nudge. As she opened her eyes, she saw the teddy she had been longing for. ‘Surely this must be a dream’, she thought. But she saw then, her parents handing her a big, brown tear with beady eyes, a shiny nose and a big, red bow! Suddenly, her efforts didn’t seem futile and her joy knew no bounds. Seeing her constant and persistent efforts, her parents bought her the best teddy bear that the store had to offer! Although it was expensive, they knew that their daughter deserved every bit of it.

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We all have a wonderful, provident Heavenly Father who know our every need before we ask Him. He knows the perfect gift, the perfect time, the perfect place and the perfect situation to present it to us. Very often, we get caught up in our desires for what we believe is the best, that we fail to wait on the Father. The Father, who knows best, waits for us to kill our desires to be able to prepare ourselves better for His present. He never gives us anything unless we are ready to accept His will first. But first, we need to be be dead to our desires and patiently wait on Him.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us..

-Ephesians 3:20