Thief
August 12
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 Yesterday, I prayed for people facing leukemia, infertility, and an adulterous mate. In each case, the devastating news these people had received was so enormous, all I knew to do was love, listen and leave the burden at the base of the cross.
Laura Story's song "Blessings" was soothing to my soul.
Lo and behold, I opened GodTube today and there was the same song!
Heading outside to sit a spell with Jesus I reached on our bookshelf, among some old books, and just grabbed one. There was not even a title on the cover. The copyright read MCMXLIX.
Inside the title read: My Faith Looks Up.
Pages 70-71 had this to say:
"Suffering teaches us:
To care for others, because they care for us. Until we become ill, many of us do not know the beauty of a friendship, the strength of family affection, the devotion of skilled workers to their tasks. It is said that Jesus bathed the feet of his disciples. I wondered why until I became ill; then I understood the meaning of his words, "That ye love one another." His mere commandment that men should love one another was not sufficient; wise teacher that he was, he knew they would soon forget his words. He knelt and bathed their feet; that they never forget. When we are sick and are bathed and made comfortable, when family and friends are thoughtful of us, then we understand the words, "That ye love one another."
Suffering teaches us:
Qualities of the spirit.
It teaches us patience.
To endure disappointment.
It teaches us to laugh:We laugh that we may not cry, but we laugh.
It teaches us to endure pain by relaxing, by taking deep breaths and waiting for the pain to be replaced with quietness.
It teaches us to use our imaginations; to think of beauty we have known...
Suffering teaches us...
To pray, to turn our minds in wonder to who we are, to why we live, to why we suffer;
To think of God, mysterious, patient, majestic, eternal;
To form words upon our lips and formulate thoughts in our minds."
On those tough days...read Psalm 27.
Remember we need not suffer alone! Much love and caring, coming your way, Boo
