Father,
As I sit here in the late hours of this Thursday evening I find myself feeling weighed down by the events of the week, and trying to release them into Your strong, but gentle hands. You know what to do with them. I do not.
As I reflect on the days I realize that my perspective is blurred and limited. Things that I may consider as good, may not really be so good in Your eyes. Things that I consider as frustrating and discouraging, You may see as just what I need to make me stronger, build my character, and transform me more into Your image.
Even the things that I have done this week...the sermons I have prepared, the conversations I have had, the teaching that I have done, and the materials I have read...may not be as valuable I think; or, perhaps they are more valuable.
Then, when I allow myself to think about what is planned for Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday, I wonder how I will handle what You place in my hands. Will I see the opportunities, then seize it? Will I hear the message between the words that are spoken by those with whom I will converse? Will I treat each person with respect, dignity, gentleness, and kindness? Will I say the things that You want me to say in the way You want it said, and is such a way that those who listen will be encouraged and uplifted?
Father, these are the things I ponder (or perhaps they are simply ramblings) as I reflect on the days which have just passed, and upon the days ahead (should I granted more days). These are the contents of my heart. I surrender them to You. I leave them with You. Should I be granted another day, I pray that You will empower me and reveal Your presence and Your will in whatever may come my way. Into Your hands I commit my words, my actions, my attitudes, and my good intentions.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
We Value Our Freedom
A Norvell Note
Vol. 14 No. 27 July 4, 2011
We value our freedom, don’t we? On this holiday and on other occasions when we discuss freedom we are quick to express how much our freedom means to us. Some say it is our most valuable possession. Some describe it as the secret to happiness. Someone has said that, “Any existence deprived of freedom is a kind of death.” Many have died for the cause of freedom. Many are serving in places where they live with the possibility of death in their efforts to preserve freedom. Many of our children will give their lives for the cause of freedom.
Because of the value we place on freedom, when it is taken from us, or even if it is threatened, we resolve to defend it and protect it at any cost.
Aging accompanied by failing health often produces a fear of what the loss of our freedom will mean. We fear what will happen to us when we can no longer take care of ourselves. Where will we live? Will we be able to provide our own transportation, or will we be forced to depend on someone else to transport us from place to place? Will our life savings last as long as our lives? Ironically, in some cases, our fear of losing our freedom may contribute to the loss of our freedom.
As students confidently march toward the end of their education the quest for freedom intensifies. Complete freedom and independence cannot come soon enough. Often their parents agree. Any resistance to them exercising their freedom is considered cruel, foolish, and totally unfair. For the almost-adult freedom is very valuable.
As couples approach the marriage altar the proverbial cold feet may surface with thoughts of the loss of freedom. Am I really ready to settle down? Am I ready to give up my freedom? Am I willing to limit myself to one partner? Am I willing to share my space? Am I ready to sacrifice the freedoms I enjoy as a single person? When we discovers that our freedoms, as valuable as they are, fade in comparison to the opportunity to share our life with the one we love, we know we are ready for marriage.
Among the disturbing realities of recovering from an accident, illness or surgery are the limitations to our freedom of movement and activity. Our energy is depleted quickly. We need more rest. We are not as free to eat what we normally would. We may not be able to handle our normal workload. We are dependent upon others to help us do what we normally do for ourselves, or must rely completely on others to do what we would normally do for ourselves.
We value our freedom. As our freedoms diminish we grieve; as they increase we rejoice.
Freedom is also important to our Savior. In Luke 4:16-21 He included bringing freedom to the imprisoned as a major component of His mission on earth: Jesus He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (NIV)
We value our freedom for good reason: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NIV) On this holiday remember that in Christ we have the most valuable of all freedoms, and that the greatest who ever lived gave His life so that we can be forgiven and know true freedom.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36, NIV)
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2011. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.
Vol. 14 No. 27 July 4, 2011
We value our freedom, don’t we? On this holiday and on other occasions when we discuss freedom we are quick to express how much our freedom means to us. Some say it is our most valuable possession. Some describe it as the secret to happiness. Someone has said that, “Any existence deprived of freedom is a kind of death.” Many have died for the cause of freedom. Many are serving in places where they live with the possibility of death in their efforts to preserve freedom. Many of our children will give their lives for the cause of freedom.
Because of the value we place on freedom, when it is taken from us, or even if it is threatened, we resolve to defend it and protect it at any cost.
Aging accompanied by failing health often produces a fear of what the loss of our freedom will mean. We fear what will happen to us when we can no longer take care of ourselves. Where will we live? Will we be able to provide our own transportation, or will we be forced to depend on someone else to transport us from place to place? Will our life savings last as long as our lives? Ironically, in some cases, our fear of losing our freedom may contribute to the loss of our freedom.
As students confidently march toward the end of their education the quest for freedom intensifies. Complete freedom and independence cannot come soon enough. Often their parents agree. Any resistance to them exercising their freedom is considered cruel, foolish, and totally unfair. For the almost-adult freedom is very valuable.
As couples approach the marriage altar the proverbial cold feet may surface with thoughts of the loss of freedom. Am I really ready to settle down? Am I ready to give up my freedom? Am I willing to limit myself to one partner? Am I willing to share my space? Am I ready to sacrifice the freedoms I enjoy as a single person? When we discovers that our freedoms, as valuable as they are, fade in comparison to the opportunity to share our life with the one we love, we know we are ready for marriage.
Among the disturbing realities of recovering from an accident, illness or surgery are the limitations to our freedom of movement and activity. Our energy is depleted quickly. We need more rest. We are not as free to eat what we normally would. We may not be able to handle our normal workload. We are dependent upon others to help us do what we normally do for ourselves, or must rely completely on others to do what we would normally do for ourselves.
We value our freedom. As our freedoms diminish we grieve; as they increase we rejoice.
Freedom is also important to our Savior. In Luke 4:16-21 He included bringing freedom to the imprisoned as a major component of His mission on earth: Jesus He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (NIV)
We value our freedom for good reason: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NIV) On this holiday remember that in Christ we have the most valuable of all freedoms, and that the greatest who ever lived gave His life so that we can be forgiven and know true freedom.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36, NIV)
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2011. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.
Monday, June 27, 2011
A Father's Love
A Norvell Note
Vol. 14 No. 26 June 27, 2011
I have seen it from the bleachers during high school football games. His son is on the field, but the father is completely tuned in. Some dads cannot sit still so they pace the sidelines. They often look like they are talking to themselves. They are not. They are talking to their sons. It almost seems as if there is an invisible direct line of communication between the father and the son. A father’s love is deep.
I have seen it in auditoriums as a little girl takes center stage for “her moment” in the school play. When the performance is over and the cast members take their final bows she searches the audience until she sees her Daddy. A smile spreads across her face. For her, there is only one person in the audience. A father’s love is beautiful.
I have seen it in the airport as a soldier moves through the airport searching every face hoping to see his family. The little ones spot him, run into his arms cheering, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” He picks them up, hugs them, kisses them, and tells them he loves them. A father’s love is precious.
I have seen it in the funeral parlor as sons and daughters stand by a casket in disbelief as they stare at their father. They cry. They laugh. They share stories from their childhood. They recall how he helped them through tough times. They reflected on what he taught them about family, about friends, about life, and about God, and how those teachings will live on. A father’s love is enduring.
I have seen it in a child’s hospital room as fever from an unexplained illness has stolen the energy from a toddler. Next to the bed sits a dad relentlessly watching, waiting, and praying. He is attentive, gentle and patient. A father’s love is comforting.
I have seen it from the steps in the front of church buildings. Preparation and decorations are complete. The wedding party is in place. There is a significant pause in the action. The music shatters the silence as the doors in the back open and everyone stands to see the bride. Walking slowly down the aisle is a father and his daughter. She is beaming. He is feverishly fighting back the tears as they reach the front where he stands between his daughter and the man who is about to be her husband. He hopes he can deliver his one line. With all the strength he can muster he whispers, “Her mother and I.” With a hug and a kiss, he releases her. He takes his seat and wipes his tears. A father’s love is sacred.
I have seen it in spiritual gatherings as lives are changed by the realization of the love the Father has for His children. Tears flow. Hearts are broken. Relationships are reconciled. Hope is realized. The Father’s love is everlasting.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3, NIV)
A father’s love is a gift from God. I hope you have, or have had, a father who has loved you, like the Father love him. But, that may not be your story. You may have never known the love of your earthly father, and you may never know what it feels like to love like a father. But you can know the love of the Father in heaven has for you.
My prayer is that the Father’s love will become real to you, that you will embrace His love, and that you will share His love. His love is deeper, more beautiful, more precious, more enduring, more comforting and even more sacred than we can imagine. May you experience the Father’s love today. (Click here for Sarah Sadler’s How Deep A Father's Love For Us.)
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2011. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Prayer For Our Nation
Father, we acknowledge that we are a blessed people. We acknowledge that we are blessed not because of our own righteousness or our own goodness or our own deeds, but because You are good and because You are loving, and because You have chosen to bless us as You bless all people. Thank You for blessing us in all the ways we recognize and in all the ways we may fail to recognize.
Father, we thank You for the freedom we have to express our opinions privately and publicly. We thank You for enabling us to be people with unlimited opportunity for self-improvement. We thank You for presenting us with tremendous potential for doing good. Help us to appreciate these freedoms and not abuse them or take advantage of them simply for our own self-improvement, or to the destruction of others who interfere with our freedom.
Father, forgive us where we have failed to live up to our potential. Where we have taken credit for our accomplishments and failed to give You credit, forgive us. Where we have arrogantly considered ourselves better than all other people on the earth, forgive us. Where we have abused our power and influence, forgive us. Where we have neglected to use our power and influence in ways that would benefit all mankind, forgive us.
Father, help us to be people of integrity. From office of President Obama to the kitchen table of each individual citizen, help us to be people who desire to do what is right, people who can be trusted to do what is right, people who honor our promises, and to be people who are truthful and honest in all our dealings.
Father, help us to be people who respect the rights of all people. Not just the wealthy and powerful. Not just the ones who can repay us. Not just those who are capable of doing us good. All people. Help us to respect the rights of the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, the influential, the successful, those who have failed, and those with little or no influence.
Father, give us wisdom. For President Obama, all who sit in his cabinet, all those who sit in positions of power and authority, all those who have been elected to public office on a national, state, and local level, to all those who aspire to a public office, and to every individual who may cast a vote, we ask for wisdom that comes from You. May Your wisdom fill our hearts, direct our decisions, and guide our steps.
Father, give us hearts of compassion. May our riches and influence be used to help all people regardless of social status, color of skin, religious beliefs, or personal opinions. May our thirst for power and influence never overpower our kind and generous hearts. May we be known as people who genuinely love people.
Father, bring us together. Break down the barriers that exist among us. Racial barriers. Financial barriers. Political barriers. Religious barriers. Social barriers. Help us to reunite as a people who once were committed to these words: "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Father, let us be people who look to You for guidance in all we do. Father, may You bless us as we strive to people who love and honor You.
For this nation I ask these blessings in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2010. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Is Gordon Lightfoot Really 72?
My wife surprised me with tickets to the Gordon Lightfoot concert last Saturday night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. We were both excited. Gordon's music has been part of soundtrack for our dating years and thirty-four year marriage. We were ready for a evening of great music. So, why did it surprise us that he had gotten older? Why were we stunned to hear that his voice in not nearly as silky smooth as it once was? Why did it surprise us that he could not hit the low tones like he did when we saw him thirty-plus years ago?
There has been a wave of deaths in our community recently. Not our members of our congregation, but relatives of our members, and members of our community and fellowship. Seems I've been in funeral homes and memorial services more than anywhere else lately.
The most recent is the passing of Jim Bill McInteer. As a preacher in the Nashville area for many, many years, Brother McInteer has been a breath of fresh air and a positive role model for preachers and christian leaders all over the world.
I remember as a very young and very inexperienced Youth/Associate minister in the mid-1970s picking Jim Bill up at the airport and transporting him to our building where he would speak to a larger group of teenagers. Those few short minutes I was with him in the car proved to be invaluable in my development as he made me feel like I was the greatest minister ever to wear the title. So affirming. So encouraging.
Years later I heard him delivered the eulogy for Clarence Daily's father. I've not heard a more eloquent and touching message before or since. He had an amazing way with words. When I saw him last I was impressed at the strength of his voice, and the clarity of his mind. I was also a bit stunned that he had aged.
I plan to attend his memorial service tomorrow. Last Saturday I did the service for a 67 year old man, and this coming Friday I'll do the same for an 80-year old wife, mother, and grandmother.
Thoughts of my own mortality have been heightened. I have done even more thinking on these matters than normal and brought one reality clearly into focus: Time is precious.
I've wasted too much time. I spend too much time piddling. There are things that need to be done. People I need to talk to. Words I need to share. Feelings I need to express. Love I need to share.
We've wasted too much time. While we have been arguing over petty issues of opinion and prejudices and preferences, people have been living and dying alone and without hope. People need Jesus, not our opinion. People need our Savior, not our judgments. People need God's Word, not trivia. It's time to get busy with what God has placed us here to do: tell the world about His Son.
Yes, as difficult as it is to accept Gordon Lightfoot is 72, Jim Bill McInteer is gone, and I'm not getting any younger. And, by the way, neither are you. It's time!
There has been a wave of deaths in our community recently. Not our members of our congregation, but relatives of our members, and members of our community and fellowship. Seems I've been in funeral homes and memorial services more than anywhere else lately.
The most recent is the passing of Jim Bill McInteer. As a preacher in the Nashville area for many, many years, Brother McInteer has been a breath of fresh air and a positive role model for preachers and christian leaders all over the world.
I remember as a very young and very inexperienced Youth/Associate minister in the mid-1970s picking Jim Bill up at the airport and transporting him to our building where he would speak to a larger group of teenagers. Those few short minutes I was with him in the car proved to be invaluable in my development as he made me feel like I was the greatest minister ever to wear the title. So affirming. So encouraging.
Years later I heard him delivered the eulogy for Clarence Daily's father. I've not heard a more eloquent and touching message before or since. He had an amazing way with words. When I saw him last I was impressed at the strength of his voice, and the clarity of his mind. I was also a bit stunned that he had aged.
I plan to attend his memorial service tomorrow. Last Saturday I did the service for a 67 year old man, and this coming Friday I'll do the same for an 80-year old wife, mother, and grandmother.
Thoughts of my own mortality have been heightened. I have done even more thinking on these matters than normal and brought one reality clearly into focus: Time is precious.
I've wasted too much time. I spend too much time piddling. There are things that need to be done. People I need to talk to. Words I need to share. Feelings I need to express. Love I need to share.
We've wasted too much time. While we have been arguing over petty issues of opinion and prejudices and preferences, people have been living and dying alone and without hope. People need Jesus, not our opinion. People need our Savior, not our judgments. People need God's Word, not trivia. It's time to get busy with what God has placed us here to do: tell the world about His Son.
Yes, as difficult as it is to accept Gordon Lightfoot is 72, Jim Bill McInteer is gone, and I'm not getting any younger. And, by the way, neither are you. It's time!
Monday, March 8, 2010
A Norvell Note: March 8, 2010
A Simple Phone Call
By: Tom Norvell
Vol. 13 No. 10 | March 8, 2010
Turning fifty-seven recently was a pretty pleasant experience. Nothing traumatic. Nothing extraordinary. Another birthday. It was a very good day.
I received many "Happy Birthday" wishes from friends. Time well spent with my wife. Good conversations with my children. It was a good, quiet birthday. However, one thing did make it a most memorable day.
It came fairly late in the day and caught me completely by surprise. I received a note from a very dear friend asking me for my phone number. Someone wanted to call me. I sent my number and within a few minutes my phone rang (actually it didn't ring,it played a tune). The voice from miles away said, "Hang on, my Dad wants to talk to you."
His voice was slow and deliberate due to a stroke he suffered about eighteen months ago. He could not say much. But, hearing his voice was enough to transport me back through the years with tears in my eyes.
You see, we once spent a considerable amount of time together. During a very important time in my life his family became part of my extended family. His home became my home away from home. He was a mentor. He would become one of the most powerful influences in my life.
Then, stuff happened. Things changed. Our lives went in different directions. Conversations and visits became less frequent and eventually pretty much non-existent. Not because angry words were shared, not because of an argument, and not because our love for one another ceased. Just life.
With the sound of his voice all those years of no communication were erased and we were talking again. Our friendship seemed as strong as it ever. The closeness returned over a 3G network.
How is that possible? How is it that relationships that have lost connection for years can suddenly with one very brief telephone conversation be re-connected as if there had never been a break? What is it that creates a bond between two human beings that can never be broken, no matter what happens, no matter what changes, no matter what?
There's only one explanation. It is God's love. It is the love God has for us, and the love God places in our hearts that enables us to love others and to receive love from other people. John describes it:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:7-21, NIV)
Is there someone you've not talked to in a while? Are you feeling the need to reconnect? Go ahead. Make the call. It may seem like "just a phone call." Make it anyway.
I'm grateful for my call.
Tom
© Copyright 2010 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.
By: Tom Norvell
Vol. 13 No. 10 | March 8, 2010
Turning fifty-seven recently was a pretty pleasant experience. Nothing traumatic. Nothing extraordinary. Another birthday. It was a very good day.
I received many "Happy Birthday" wishes from friends. Time well spent with my wife. Good conversations with my children. It was a good, quiet birthday. However, one thing did make it a most memorable day.
It came fairly late in the day and caught me completely by surprise. I received a note from a very dear friend asking me for my phone number. Someone wanted to call me. I sent my number and within a few minutes my phone rang (actually it didn't ring,it played a tune). The voice from miles away said, "Hang on, my Dad wants to talk to you."
His voice was slow and deliberate due to a stroke he suffered about eighteen months ago. He could not say much. But, hearing his voice was enough to transport me back through the years with tears in my eyes.
You see, we once spent a considerable amount of time together. During a very important time in my life his family became part of my extended family. His home became my home away from home. He was a mentor. He would become one of the most powerful influences in my life.
Then, stuff happened. Things changed. Our lives went in different directions. Conversations and visits became less frequent and eventually pretty much non-existent. Not because angry words were shared, not because of an argument, and not because our love for one another ceased. Just life.
With the sound of his voice all those years of no communication were erased and we were talking again. Our friendship seemed as strong as it ever. The closeness returned over a 3G network.
How is that possible? How is it that relationships that have lost connection for years can suddenly with one very brief telephone conversation be re-connected as if there had never been a break? What is it that creates a bond between two human beings that can never be broken, no matter what happens, no matter what changes, no matter what?
There's only one explanation. It is God's love. It is the love God has for us, and the love God places in our hearts that enables us to love others and to receive love from other people. John describes it:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:7-21, NIV)
Is there someone you've not talked to in a while? Are you feeling the need to reconnect? Go ahead. Make the call. It may seem like "just a phone call." Make it anyway.
I'm grateful for my call.
Tom
© Copyright 2010 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Reflecting On #57
In this week's A Norvell Note I mentioned the value and importance of taking time to "Look At Your Life" and see how God has worked and is working in and through you. So, on this my 57th birthday I'm doing some reflecting, making some observations, and sharing a few conclusions.
First, I've learned that FaceBook is worth any hassle and aggravation one may experience with unwanted status updates and strange postings, or changes in the format of the homepage, in order to experience all the "Happy Birthday" greetings one gets on their birthday. I've never heard from so many people on my birthday in all my 57 years. (I sure hope everyone gets birthday greetings on their birthday. If you've had a birthday and no one said "Happy Birthday" on Facebook, please ignore this paragraph.) Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to offer good wishes.
Second, there are probably worse ways to spend part of your birthday than attending a monthly preachers's meeting. There probably better ways as well.
Third, there may not be anything greater in all of life than loving people and being loved by them. Loving them is the key. Even if they don't love you back there is great value in just loving people. God can take care of giving back. Our part is to love. I know of no stronger emotion than love. I know of no stronger yearning than the desire to tell someone you love that you love them.
Fourth, life is good. Those are not just words on a tee shirt or coffee cup. Life is good. In spite of the pain, the sorrow, the disappointments, the ugliness, and the unloving ways we treat one another, life is good. God is in control. God knows our needs and will always make sure our needs are met. At 57 life is good.
Finally, God has blessed me with a wonderful family. From those who are nearest and dearest to me, to my sister and two brothers (and their families), to long distant cousins and friends who are like family I have been tremendously blessed.
Thank You, Father, for these fifty-seven years and the people who have made them, and continue to help make the good days overshadow the bad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)