by Marie | Jun 24, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
I just wanted to remind you today of how beautiful you are because there is a father of lies who will try to deceive you. He will try to tell you that you are not good enough, not attractive enough, not thin enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, not righteous enough, and that you are simply unimportant to Me. He will try to tell you that you have broken one too many promises, that you have fallen one too many times, that you have lived one too many lies, and that you’ve been going in the wrong direction so long that it is pointless to turn back now. But guess what? YOU DO NOT BELONG TO HIM. HE IS NOT YOUR FATHER. I AM. You see, you are My creation. My workmanship. You have been born of My thought, every part of you placed together by My hands. You have My thumbprint upon you. You are a princess, did you know that? You are My child, the daughter of THE King! I look at you and see a precious, priceless pearl. There is no ocean I would not swim, no mountain I would not climb, no price I would not pay to have you and to be with you and call you my own. I already have. I have
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by Marie | Jun 23, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day, the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river, paralleling the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it. A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening, as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance before he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position, it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard. He
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by Marie | Jun 21, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
I’d like to sit you down and tell you everything’s okay And have the strength enough to pull you through another day I’d like to help you to believe that this will be all right And that you will not have to spend another sleepless night I’d like to hold your hand and wipe the teardrops from your eyes And help you just to sort things out while you question why I’d like to try and lift the load and carry it for you And truly help you understand just what you’re going through I’d like to have the words to make this trouble disappear And give you peace of mind so you won’t shed another tear I’d like to have the magic touch to take away your pain And help you see the blue sky just beyond this blinding rain But sometimes what we say or do just cannot be enough To ease another’s passage through a trail so dark and rough There is one thing I know will help much more than I can say And rest assured that I will do it when I kneel to pray I will take your name before the Father as I seek His face And ask Him to enfold you in His arms of warm embrace There’s no one who can
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by Marie | Jun 20, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
“Mommy, look!” cried my daughter, Darla, pointing to a chicken hawk soaring through the air. “Uh huh,” I murmured, driving, lost in thought about the tight schedule of my day. Disappointment filled her face. “What’s the matter, Sweetheart?” I asked, entirely dense. “Nothing,” my seven-year-old said. The moment was gone. Near home, we slowed to search for the albino deer that comes out from behind the thick mass of trees in the early evening. She was nowhere to be seen. “Tonight, she has too many things to do,” I said. Dinner, baths and phone calls filled the hours until bedtime. “Come on, Darla, time for bed!” She raced past me up the stairs. Tired, I kissed her on the cheek, said prayers and tucked her in. “Mom, I forgot to give you something!” she said. My patience was gone. “Give it to me in the morning,” I said, but she shook her head. “You won’t have time in the morning!” she retorted. “I’ll take time,” I answered defensively. Sometimes, no matter how hard I tried, time flowed through my fingers like sand in an hourglass, never enough. Not enough for her, for my husband, and not enough for me. She wasn’t ready to give up yet. She wrinkled her freckled little nose in anger and swiped away her chestnut brown
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by Marie | Jun 19, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
My alarm went off. It was Sunday again. I was sleepy and tired. My one day to sleep in. But the guilt I would feel. The rest of the day would have been too much, so I’d go and pray. I showered and shaved. I adjusted my tie. I got there and sat in a pew just in time. Bowing my head in prayer, I closed my eyes. I saw the shoe of the man next to me touching my own. I sighed with plenty of room on either side, I thought, “Why must our soles touch?” It bothered me, his shoe touching mine, but it didn’t bother him much. A prayer began: “Our Father… I thought, “This man with the shoes has no pride. They’re dusty, worn, and scratched even worse; there are holes on the side!” “Thank you for blessings,” the prayer went on. The shoe man said a quiet “Amen.” I tried to focus on the prayer, but my thoughts were on his shoes again. Aren’t we supposed to look our best when walking through that door? “Well, this certainly isn’t it,” I thought, glancing toward the floor. Then the prayer was ended, and the songs of praise began. The shoe man was certainly loud, sounding proud as he sang. His voice lifted the rafters, and his hands
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