Essence Of Family I ran into a stranger as he passed by. “Oh, excuse me please” was my reply. He said, “Please excuse me too; wasn’t even watching for you.” We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye. But at home a different story is told, how we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my daughter stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked her down. “Move out of the way,” I said with a frown. She walked away, her little heart broken. I didn’t realize how harshly I’d spoken. While I lay awake in bed, God’s still small voice came to me and said “While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Look on the kitchen floor, you’ll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers she brought for you. She picked them herself, pink, yellow and blue. She stood quietly not to spoil the surprise, And you never saw the tears in her eyes.” By this time, I felt very small and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her bed; “Wake up, little girl, wake up,” I said. “Are
What Do You Carry? An elephant and a dog became pregnant at the same time. Three months later, the dog gave birth to six puppies. Six months after that the dog was pregnant again, and nine months on, it gave birth to another dozen puppies. The pattern continued. In the eighteenth month, the dog approached the elephant questioning, “Are you sure you are pregnant? We became pregnant on the same date, I have given birth three times to a dozen puppies and they are now grown to become big dogs, yet you are still pregnant. What’s going on?” The elephant replied, “There is something I want you to understand. What I am carrying is not a puppy, but an elephant. I only give birth to one in two years. When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it. When my baby crosses the road, humans stop and watch in admiration, what I carry draws attention. So what I’m carrying is mighty and great.” Don’t lose faith when you see others receive answers to their prayers. Don’t be envious of the testimony of others. If you haven’t received your own blessings, don’t despair. Say to yourself, “My time is coming, and when it hits the surface of the earth, people shall stand still in admiration.” Author Unknown Meditation: Wait on
Who is Happy? A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied with life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.” He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colours. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colours, but the peacock has multiple colours.” The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.” The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and
Lessons from the Hen 1. She first lays enough eggs before sitting on them: GOOD PLANNING. 2. When she starts sitting on her eggs, she minimizes movement: DISCIPLINE. 3. She physically loses weight while sitting on her eggs due to decreased feeding: SACRIFICE and SELF DENIAL. 4. She can sit on eggs from another hen: INDISCRIMINATE and GENEROUS. 5. She sits on her eggs for 21 days, patiently waiting and even if they don’t hatch she will still lay eggs again: FAITH, HOPE and COURAGE. 6. She detects unfertilized eggs and rolls them out: SENSITIVE and DISCERNING. 7. She abandons the rotten eggs and starts caring for the hatched chicks even if it is only one: WISE, CONSCIOUS and REALISTIC. 8. No one can touch her chick: PROTECTIVE LOVE. 9. She gathers all her Chicks together: UNITY of PURPOSE. 10. She doesn’t abandon her chicks before they mature: MENTORING. — Author Unknown Meditation: Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise – Proverbs 6:6 You will succeed because Jesus loves You! Also read: Devotional Purpose: Sent to Enrich the Poor Inspirational How to Make the World A Better Place Testimonies I Don’t Have Foot Ulcers Anymore! God Surprised Me With a Gift
Happiness Mother’s Day is a recent memory. Like most moms, I was treated to a day where I could do whatever I want. I was Queen of the remote control. The lunch menu detailed the food that I wanted, and I didn’t have to cook it. My daughter, young as she is, made several Mother’s Day cards at school, church, and home with various scrapbooking adornments, which she proudly presented to me and begged that I select my favorite one. The sun was shining, and the day was happy. There are times in our lives where things may not seem happy or joyous at all. Events happen and steal our joy. How do you recover from this? Where are you getting your joy? I must confess, life is not all roses. One of my six-year-old daughter’s favorite sayings is, “It’s not fair”. She is learning that life isn’t fair at times. What would life be like if we had everything we wanted? King Solomon in the Bible had it all: power, fame, fortune, and wisdom. Yet, he put his happiness in temporal things and became very unhappy. Have you ever said to yourself, I will be really happy when I get that new car? How long does this happiness last? Or what about an accomplishment you have achieved. The next
