₦airaland Forum

The Other Grandma

We were grandmothers together to two of the nicest grandkids anybody ever had. It makes great comedy on television for the two grandmothers to engage in rivalry, but that never happened with us. We both babysat—sometimes on the same day—passing those wonderful children between us with her sometimes coming to get them from me and I sometimes going to her home to pick them up. I liked her a lot and never doubted that she gave my grandchildren the best of love and care. Even after our children divorced, our relationship remained the same.

Can you imagine how sad I was for my grandchildren when I recently learned that her cancer was terminal and she did not have much longer to live? It was heart-breaking for me because of those grandchildren. They were facing one of the most difficult losses of life at a time when it would be most devastating.

When I saw my four-year-old granddaughter a couple of days later, I said to her, “Honey, I’m sorry your nana is so sick.” Perhaps she didn’t want to talk about it; perhaps she was busy playing with cousins, or perhaps she didn’t really hear me. All she replied was, “That’s okay.”

The next day, when I was with her again, after a few minutes, she nearly jumped in my face and yelled at me, “Aren’t you sorry about my nana?”

“Of course I am, Honey; remember, I told you I was sorry yesterday.”

“You didn’t.”

“I guess you didn’t hear me but I am sorry, Sweetheart. I even wrote a prayer for your nana.”

“Where is it?” she demanded. “Read it to me.”

“I don’t have it with me. I left it at home, but we could say a prayer for Nana right now.”

“No, write it.”

She brought a small piece of paper and thrust it at me. As I struggled (out loud for her benefit) to find words, she scribbled on another piece of paper, first seeming to write what I said and later saying aloud words of her own. When I had finished, she said she was going to mail the prayers to her Nana in the city where she was in the hospital. She said, “I know how to mail things.”

Then she folded up both papers (rather messily) and asked me to write on them. At her instruction, I wrote, “To Nana at Indianapolis. She then immediately ran out of the house to place the “letters” in the rural mailbox.

I made a mental note to tell her father to retrieve them later but I forgot to tell him.

Two days more passed and I saw my little granddaughter again. She was not in a very good mood and I asked her why she was so “saucy” with me. Her answer, “I want to be saucy because I’m mad and I’m sad.” Of course I asked her why and her answer was heart-breaking. “Because I don’t want my nana to go and I know she has to. She has to next month.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“Because I know things; she tells me things.” And then she added in a tone of despair, “And the mail doesn’t even go to Indianapolis.”

There was nothing I could do at that point but tell her I loved her. I later learned that she was the one who got the mail every day for her daddy and she had been complaining about her letters not being taken until her dad finally looked at the box and discovered the “letters”.

The very next day after this dear precocious child told me she knew her nana had to go, her mother called and asked that the child be brought to Nana’s bedside to say goodbye. Her dad took those precious prayers along so she could give them to Nana personally.

I wept.

Please Note: This is an entirely true and very recent story which is the reason why I request that my name be withheld if you use this article.

– Name Withheld

Meditation: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/point-of-view/
https://daily-dew.com/my-business-loss/
https://daily-dew.com/i-wish-you-enough/

The Miracle

When a young child dies, we are advised not to tell the parents we know how they feel because the depth of their anguish is something we can’t really imagine. I do know how they feel, if not for the months and years to come, at least for that crushing moment when they realize their child is gone.

I have always had a hard time talking about the day thirty-five years ago when my sister’s home, next door to mine, was consumed by fire. My sister was gone somewhere, as was my father who lived on the other side of me. In my own home, there was a lot of confusion because relatives were there with a new baby and my father-in-law had also shown up unannounced.

In the midst of all that confusion, my sister returned to her home and found it in flames. At that point, we immediately began to search for our six-year-old son. We could not locate him. My sister never locked her door and our little boy habitually ran in and out of all three houses lined up on our street as if they were all his own. We immediately feared he was in the burning house.

My husband and my sister’s husband risked their lives trying to get inside but could not.

By the time the fire departments of several communities and around a hundred spectators surrounded the burning home, we knew our son was inside; because if he was not, he surely would have been drawn to all that commotion.

I stood there with icy heart slowly giving my beloved child over to God. I kept my other son near me as people kept trying to get me to leave the scene so I would not see my baby when they brought him out. I was assured that he would not have suffered, that he would have been overcome by smoke before feeling any pain.

In my mind I asked my mother, who had passed away several years earlier, to take care of him in heaven.

Finally, the fire was out, having burned at least an hour. It had completely destroyed the inside of the brick two-story house.

The men of our local fire department entered the structure to search for our little boy’s body as the assisting fire departments began to pack up their gear. I remained adamant that I would not leave until they brought my child out of the house.

And then the puzzled firemen came out of the house. They had found no sign of our son in the house.

My heart surged. But then, I thought, “They must have missed him. He is so small.” I did not believe he could truly be alive, but finally I went back into my house.

A few minutes later, one of the firemen came to the door holding my little boy by the collar of his jacket. He had been found at a nearby construction site, in the ditch dug for the footer, his head on his knees and the little plaid jacket I had sewn for him drawn over his head. He had been in the house when it was burning and, frightened, had run away to hide.

I did not let him out of my sight for the next three days, even bringing him into my bed to sleep. I could not put him in his own bed because I awakened countless times needing to reassure myself he was alive. I knew I was the recipient of a miracle.

Had God not saved that little boy from the fire, there are three beautiful, smart children that would never have been born. I thank God for my son’s life and for the grandchildren he fathered. I know I am the most fortunate and blessed of all mothers.


Meditation: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also Read:
https://daily-dew.com/it-takes-a-child/
https://daily-dew.com/the-old-fisherman/
https://daily-dew.com/the-wonders-of-praise/

It’s All About Perspectives

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.

The boy recognised his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. “I wrote: ‘Today is a beautiful day; but I cannot see it.‘”

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign reminded people how fortunate they were to have their sight.

Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

Face your past without regret.

Handle your present with confidence.

Prepare for the future without fear.

Keep the faith and drop the fear.

It’s a beautiful thing to see a person smiling. But even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason for the smile!

Faith is not about everything turning out OK. Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out.


Meditation: And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! – Mark 6:2

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-burden/
https://daily-dew.com/perspectives/
https://daily-dew.com/a-perspective-on-disappointments/

The Old Man

There was a poor old man who has a young boy and a beautiful white horse. Everybody in the town admires the horse. The king offered him a big amount of money to buy the horse but he said to him; “STOP! This horse is neither just an animal nor a product for sale but a person and A GREAT FRIEND to me!”

One day, one morning, the horse disappeared from the stable into thin air. The villagers gathered and jeered at him saying; oh foolish old man, you refused to sell the horse at a bigger price but now tell us, of what benefit is it to you now? But he said, “STOP! Do not say that the horse was stolen but is not in the stable. You don’t know if it is my misfortune or a blessing to me!”

After 15 days, the horse came back with nine beautiful wild horses. The villagers again came and said; “Wow! You are right! It was a blessing indeed to you.” But the old man said; “STOP! You do not know if the homecoming with wild horses are plague or blessing to me!”

The old man’s boy started to raise the 10 horses but one very bad day, the son fall from one of the horses and broke his two legs. The villagers came again saying; “Oh no! It’s indeed a plague that the horse brought to you. Your only son is crippled and you are now old. He replied, “STOP for crying out loud! You don’t know if his cripple is of great benefit to me or a bad luck!”

Ten days later, war broke out and all the young men in the village got conscripted into the army except the crippled old man’s boy. The villagers said; “Hmmm Old man! Why is it that you’re always right! Looking at the situation at hand, we are going to lose the war and our children will not come back but yours is here with you.” But he replied; “STOOOOOOP! Do not say that your sons got conscripted but were drafted to war. Fear not, for you do not know if the war will be a great honour to us or a disgrace.”

The villagers once again went home wondering the kind of man he is. They said; “Oh God! Since we became intelligent enough, we have not come across such an intelligent, wise and courageous man!”

The old man later became so rich and wealthy, and the villagers had reasons to admire him more as his 10 horses gave birth to more and more beautiful horses such that he had a very large stable of horses and other animals.


Meditation: In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/ragman/
https://daily-dew.com/without-love/
https://daily-dew.com/benefits-of-wisdom-5-privileged-companions/

Side by Side

They lie on the Table side by side
The Holy Bible and the TV guide
One is well worn and cherished with pride
No not the Bible, but the TV guide.

As the pages are turned, what shall they see.
Oh, What does it matter turn on the TV
So they open the book in which they confide
No not the Bible the TV guide.

The word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse before they fall into bed.
Exhausted and slept and tired as can be.
Not from reading the Bible, from watching T.V.

So then back to the table side by side,
Lie the Holy Bible and the T.V. guide.

No time for prayer, no time for the word.
The plan of salvation is seldom heard.
But forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
Is found in the Bible, not on the T.V.

Meditation: If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. – John 12:47-48

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/smiles-from-the-bible/
https://daily-dew.com/who-should-read-the-bible/
https://daily-dew.com/the-bible-and-the-coal-basket/

Share Your Time

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5 year old son waiting for him at the door. “Daddy, may I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, sure, what is it?” replied the man.

“Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?

“That’s none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.

“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” pleaded the little boy.

“If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour.”

“Oh,” the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?”

The father was furious. “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you’re being so selfish. I work long, hard hours every day and don’t have time for such childish games.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy’s questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00, and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door. “Are you asleep son?” he asked.

“No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.

“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here’s that $10.00 you asked for.”

The little boy sat straight up, beaming. “Oh, thank you daddy!” he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man.

“Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the father grumbled.

“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.

“Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?”

Share some time with those who need you. They need our time more then we will ever know.

Meditation: Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. – John 13:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/take-time/
https://daily-dew.com/take-some-time/
https://daily-dew.com/the-old-time-religion/

Leave Your Hurts In The Sand

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The other friend replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Do not value the things you have in your life. But value who you have in your life!

Meditation: And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-prayer/
https://daily-dew.com/forgiveness/
https://daily-dew.com/the-10-most-important-things/

It Takes A Child

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, “Hi there.” He pounded his fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He then, wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. “Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,” the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, “What do we do?”

Erik continued to laugh and answer, “Hi, hi there.” Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.

Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, “Do ya know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo.” Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. “Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,” I prayed.

As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby’s “pick-me-up” position.

Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man’s.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder. The man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor — gently, so gently, cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked his back.

No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, “You take care of this baby.”

Somehow I managed, “I will,” from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest — unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, “God bless you, ma’am, you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, “My God, my God, forgive me.”

I had just witnessed Christ’s love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking — “Are you willing to share your son for a moment?” — when He shared His for all eternity.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, “To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.”


Meditation: Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. – 2 Corinthians 5:16

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/delay-judgement/
https://daily-dew.com/be-gentle-in-judgement/
https://daily-dew.com/dont-judge-a-situation-youve-never-been-in/

Forgiveness

A letter written to a man on death row by the Father of the man whom the man on death row had killed:

You are probably surprised that I, of all people, am writing a letter to you. But I ask you to read it in its entirety and consider its request seriously. As the Father of the man whom you took part in murdering, I have something very important to say to you.

I forgive you. With all my heart, I forgive you. I realize it may be hard for you to believe, but I really do. At your trial, when you confessed to your part in the events that cost my Son his life and asked for my forgiveness, I immediately granted you that forgiving love from my heart. I can only hope you believe me and will accept my forgiveness.

But this is not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer — I want you to become my adopted child. You see, my Son who died was my only child, and I now want to share my life with you and leave my riches to you. This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I believe you are worth the offer. I have arranged matters so that if you will receive my offer of forgiveness, not only will you be pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free from your imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At that point, you will become my adopted child and heir to all my riches.

I realize this is a risky offer for me to make to you, you might be tempted to reject my offer completely, but I make it to you without reservation.

Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to one who cost my Son his life, but I now have a great love and unchangeable forgiveness in my heart for you.

Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept my offer you may do something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to my wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you for your part in my son’s death, I can forgive you anything. I know you never will be perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to receive my offer. Besides, I believe that once you have accepted my offer and begin to experience the riches that will come to you from me, that your primary (though not always) response will be gratitude and loyalty.

Some would call me foolish for my offer to you, but I wish for you to call me your Father.

Sincerely,

The Father of Jesus


Meditation: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them… – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-prayer/
https://daily-dew.com/a-lesson-on-forgiveness/
https://daily-dew.com/the-10-most-important-things/

Adam Needs Eve

Adam was all alone. He didn’t have parents and he didn’t have children. He did not even have a brother or a sister to talk to. Adam was all alone. He didn’t even have a friend to play games with. Adam was lonely, and he was unhappy.

God said to Adam, “It is not good for you to be alone. [Genesis 2:18] But now you are free to do whatever you want to do. When you are alone you don’t have to share things with others. You don’t have to stop talking and just listen when someone else needs to talk to you. You don’t have to help when others need help. You don’t have to care about how someone else feels. If you had a sister or a brother or a good friend, you would have to do all these things and many more.”

“I don’t like being lonely,” said Adam, “I have lots of things for fun and games but I get bored with them after a while. I have several pet animals, but even having animals is not good enough for me. I still feel lonely and all alone. I need someone who is like me but at the same time is different. I need a partner. Someone to stand by my side and be my best friend. I need someone I can take care of, and who will care for me.”

“I know just what you need.” said God, “What you need is a helpmate. A person with a different personality, who can grow together with you in love, and help you become a responsible, kind and loving human being. I am going to form her right out of your side, so she will stand side by side with you as your equal partner, your help mate [Genesis 2:21-23].

The two of you will be like one pair of hands. You know, one hand cannot wash itself. But two hands can always wash each other. You will have to be responsible for and to each other. You will no longer be independent. You will not be free to do whatever you want anymore. You will have to think about another person’s feelings. You will have to listen to what she tells you. You will have to think less about yourself and more about another. I will give you a blessing to help you become a couple.”

God looked down and saw that Adam had fallen into a deep sleep. God hoped that when Adam awoke he would remember all that God had told him. Even if Adam and all his descendants didn’t always become the loving responsible helpmates that God wanted them to be, God thought they would become better by trying. And those who were fully responsible partners and helpmates would become God’s blessing for each other. Then the sons of Adam would realize that the daughters of Eve were gifts from God.

— Rabbi Allen S. Maller

Rabbi Maller’s web site is: rabbimaller.com

Meditation: Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. – Ecclesiastes 4:9

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-lost-wallet/
https://daily-dew.com/the-deformed-couple/
https://daily-dew.com/the-couple-and-the-storm/

The Writer

At that time, the newspaper office had a staff of three reporters. The boss kept asking them to write feature stories, which he felt were good fodder for entertaining our small town readers.

In a throwback to the past, about that time a small boy started showing up in town with a little wooden shoe shine box. With tennis shoes and sandals the primary footwear of most people, he didn’t have many customers; but he made a colorful sight. The boss thought he would make a great story. Several times, I heard him, suggest, ask, and finally almost demand that one of the reporters write that feature.

Finally, I went to his office and asked if he would mind if I took a stab at writing the story. Once I had his permission, I set up an interview with the little boy and his family. Armed with a stenographer’s pad for taking notes, I went out that evening to do my interview.

The house where the family lived was exceedingly poor. There was hardly any furniture. The bare wood floors had no varnish or rugs. There was dirt on that floor that was less like a dirty house and more like walking on the earth. Almost immediately, I realized that the family, mired in poverty, was very excited about a newspaper article being done about them.

I was humbled. This meant a lot to these people and I barely knew what I was doing. Had I, in my vain attempt to prove myself, done something that was unfair to them?

That evening I sat in the bathtub and prayed. I asked the Lord to help me write a decent article…but not for me. I asked him to help me write an article that would justify the hopes of that little shoeshine boy and his family.

After I emerged from the tub, I wrote the article. I did the best I could, going over it and over it, wanting it to read well and be free of errors. The next morning I handed it to my boss. He was pleased and told me to get the boy to the office for a picture.

It was nearly a week before the editor ran the story. The picture and the beginning were on the front page.

A couple of days later, I received a phone call from a national news service. They wanted to use my story as a state-wide feature. A few days later I received another call from someone who identified himself as a philanthropist who wanted to do something for the boy in the story. Eventually, I received a check in the mail from the news service.

It was all very gratifying but the most gratifying part was the knowledge that I had allowed myself to be an instrument of God. I had gone on the interview because of vanity and a desire to promote myself, but I had written the story with God at my side.

I still work at the paper and I am still the bookkeeper. I am also a writer, but I never write alone.

— Betty Killebrew

Meditation: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-lost-wallet/
https://daily-dew.com/how-to-sustain-success/
https://daily-dew.com/how-to-see-farther-than-others/

The Old Fisherman

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the clinic.

One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. Why, he’s hardly taller than my eight-year-old, I thought as I stared at the stooped, shrivelled body. But the appalling thing was his face–lopsided from swelling, red and raw.

Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, “Good evening. I’ve come to see if you’ve a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there’s no bus ’til morning.” He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but with no success, no one seemed to have a room. “I guess it’s my face…I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments…”

For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning.”

I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us.

“No thank you. I have plenty.” And he held up a brown paper bag.

When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him for a few minutes. It didn’t take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury. He didn’t tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going.

At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children’s room for him.

When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favour, he said, “Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won’t put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair.” He paused a moment and then added, “Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind.”

I told him he was welcome to come again.

On his next trip, he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they’d be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us.

In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbour made after he left that first morning.

“Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!”

Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him, we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.

Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, If this were my plant, I’d put it in the loveliest container I had! My friend changed my mind.

“I ran short of pots,” she explained, “and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn’t mind starting out in this old pail. It’s just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden.”

She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven.

“Here’s an especially beautiful one,” God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. “He won’t mind starting in this small body.”

All this happened long ago — and now, in God’s garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand.


Meditation: The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/four-lessons/
https://daily-dew.com/every-day-is-christmas/
https://daily-dew.com/the-journey-is-so-short/

Expressing Gratitude

The beauty and eloquence of an expression of gratitude are reflected in a newspaper story of some years ago:

The District of Columbia police auctioned off about 100 unclaimed bicycles one Friday. ‘One dollar,’ said an 11-year-old boy as the bidding opened on the first bike. The bidding, however, went much higher. ‘One dollar,’ the boy repeated hopefully each time another bike came up.

The auctioneer, who had been auctioning stolen or lost bikes for 43 years, noticed that the boy’s hopes seemed to soar higher whenever a racer-type bicycle was put up.

Then there was just one racer left. The bidding went to eight dollars.

‘Sold to that boy over there for nine dollars!’ said the auctioneer. He took eight dollars from his own pocket and asked the boy for his dollar. The youngster turned it over in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters—took his bike, and started to leave. But he went only a few feet. Carefully parking his new possession, he went back, gratefully threw his arms around the auctioneer’s neck, and cried.

When was the last time we felt gratitude as deeply as did this boy? The deeds others perform on our behalf might not be as poignant, but certainly, there are kind acts that warrant our expressions of gratitude.

by Thomas S. Monson

Meditation: So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? – Luke 17:17

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/expressing-gratitude/
https://daily-dew.com/the-power-of-gratitude/
https://daily-dew.com/gratitude-for-gods-timing/

How To Stay Young and Happy

How To Stay Young And Happy

Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight, and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!

Enjoy the simple things.

Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him or her!

The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is our self. LIVE while you are alive.
Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.


Meditation: But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. – 1 Timothy 4:7-8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/ragman/
https://daily-dew.com/thesecret/
https://daily-dew.com/optimisim/

Hope

If you can look at the sunset and smile, then you still have hope.

If you can find beauty in the colours of a small flower, then you still have hope.

If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly, then you still have hope.

If the smile of a child can still warm your heart, then you still have hope.

If you can see the good in other people, then you still have hope.

If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep, then you still have hope.

If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder, then you still have hope.

If the soft fur of a favoured pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips, then you still have hope.

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism, then you still have hope.

If you give people the benefit of a doubt, then you still have hope.

If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched your life, then you still have hope.

If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise, then you still have hope.

If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration, then you still have hope.

If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end, then you still have hope.

If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection, then you still have hope.

If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the turkey, then you still have hope.

If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy, then you still have hope.

If you can look to the past and smile, then you still have hope.

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile, you can still look up and end the conversation with the phrase, “yeah…BUT…” then you still have hope.

Hope is such a marvellous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can.

It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead when we tell ourselves we’d rather give in.

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.

Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.

Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused about the direction.

Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return.

And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places.

Never lose hope.


Meditation: Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. – Romans 5:5

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/hope-on-a-hike/
https://daily-dew.com/dont-hope-decide/
https://daily-dew.com/are-you-chasing-your-tail/

Wash Day
Monday: Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday: Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday: Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday: Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday: Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday: Cooking Day

Help me, my Saviour, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday: The Lord’s Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Meditation: So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read
https://daily-dew.com/today/
https://daily-dew.com/one-more-day-to-live/
https://daily-dew.com/10-rules-for-a-blessed-day/

The Secret

One day, one friend asked another, “How is it that you are always so happy? You have so much energy, and you never seem to get down.”

With her eyes smiling, she said, “I know the Secret!”

“What secret is that?”

To which she replied, “I’ll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others.”

“The Secret is this: I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches. I have learned most of the time I don’t need half of what I think I do. He has never let me down. Since I learned that ‘Secret’, I am happy.”

The questioner’s first thought was, “That’s too simple!”

But upon reflecting over his own life he recalled how he thought a bigger house would make him happy, but it didn’t! He thought a better paying job would make him happy, but it hadn’t. When did he realize his greatest happiness? Sitting on the floor with his grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple gift from God.

Now you know it too. We can’t depend on people to make us happy. Only GOD can do that. Trust HIM. GOD will take care of YOU. We just have to believe it.

Meditation: I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. – Psalm 37:25

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/are-you-happy/
https://daily-dew.com/who-is-happy/
https://daily-dew.com/making-others-happy/

Don’t Grow Old

Many people are afraid of growing old.

I’m afraid of growing old and boring.

Many people are afraid of growing old, alone.

I’m afraid of growing old, insane.

Many people are afraid of losing their looks.

I’m afraid of losing my dreams.

Many people are afraid of losing their youth.

I’m afraid of losing my soul.

When you’re 15, 35 seems ancient.

When you’re 35, 15 seems juvenile.

A turnaround in a split second – two decades zoom past and

before you know it, it’s only a mile to the next millennium.

Don’t fear age,

it’s a right of person-hood.

Don’t fear death- it’s God’s greatest jest.

Don’t grow old – you don’t have to.

Don’t date because you’re desperate.

Don’t marry because you’re miserable.

Don’t have kids because you think your genes are superior.

Don’t separate because you think it’s fashionable.

Don’t drink because you have troubles.

Don’t gamble because you think winning is inevitable.

Don’t philander because you think you’re irresistible.

Most likely, you’re not.

Don’t associate with people you can’t trust.

Don’t cheat.

Don’t lie.

Don’t pretend.

Don’t try to buy your way into the kingdom of God.

Don’t dictate because you’re smarter.

Don’t demand because you’re stronger.

Don’t sleep around because you think you’re old enough and know better.

Don’t hurt your kids because loving them is harder.

Don’t sell yourself, your family or your ideals.

Don’t stagnate.

Don’t regress.

Learn a new skill.

Find a new friend.

Start a new career.

Don’t live in the past.

Time can’t bring anything or anyone back.

Don’t put your life on hold for possibly Mr. Right.

Don’t throw your life away on absolutely Mr. Wrong because your biological clock is ticking and you can’t afford to have your eggs harvested before the new millennium.

There’s always a mad rush to something, somewhere – but victory does not always belong to those who finish first.

Sometimes, there is no race to be won, only a price to be paid for some of life’s more hasty decisions.

You can’t always go with the throng who could be wrong.

Sometimes, you have to be alone to be enlightened.

To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.

To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.

To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.

Don’t bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.

To keep yourself warm, buy a jacket.

In the long run, it will be less complicated and less costly.

Simplify your life.

Don’t abandon your responsibilities, but don’t overdose on duty.

Don’t live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.

Be true to yourself. Don’t commit when you’re not ready.

Don’t keep others waiting needlessly.

Fall in love – it’s the greatest thing on earth.

But take care and remember, after the fall must come the rise.

Go on that trip. Don’t postpone it.

Say those words. Don’t let the moment pass.

Do what you must even at society’s scorn.

Write poetry. Love deeply. Walk barefoot. Hold hands.

Dance with wild abandon. Cry at the movies.

Take care of yourself.

Don’t wait for someone to take care of you.

You light up your life.

You drive yourself to your destination.

No one completes you – except you.

It is true that life doesn’t get easier with age.

It only gets more challenging.

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t lose your capacity to love.

Pursue your passions.

Live your dreams.

Don’t lose faith in God.

Don’t grow old.

Just grow up.

By Melanie T. Lim

Meditation: The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord. – Proverbs 21:31

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also Read:
https://daily-dew.com/how-i-found-a-real-treasure/
https://daily-dew.com/the-struggle/

Circles of Love

It was over 20 years ago. I was holding my baby son in my arms while my two other children played under a big tree in the front yard of an old house. The house was also a local food bank and I was watching my children while my wife went in. I had been laid off work for a long time and we were out of food. I tried to laugh as my children chased each other around the tree but my heart was too heavy. Despair hung around me like a cloud. All I could feel was fear. Finally, my wife came out holding a large bag of food and we smiled at each other. Thanks to the kindness of others our children would not go hungry that night.

It was yesterday. I found myself outside the doors of another food bank. Thanks to the kindness of a kindred spirit I had some extra money in my wallet and a longing to share this gift with others. I went to the local grocery store and bought what I could with what I had. Then I carried in the bags of food to help restock the food bank’s sparse shelves. The people there thanked me several times, but I felt a little embarrassed as I accepted their gratitude. I was, after all, only completing a circle of kindness that began over twenty years ago.

This world is full of circles of love. Every smile we share, thing we give, and act of kindness we do flows out from us to touch others. Then it continues ongoing from heart to heart and soul to soul until it circles the world and returns to us again. I was just happy to take my place in one of those circles yesterday and to pass on the loving-kindness that had been shared with me.

Don’t be afraid to take your own place in these circles of love. A kind word, a caring smile, a gentle touch, a helping hand, or a simple act of charity can change another’s life and this world as well. Circle all of your days with love then. Love will warm your heart. Love will bring you joy. Love will spiral you to Heaven and always lead you back to God.

By Joseph J. Mazzella

Meditation: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. – 1 John 4:7

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also Read:
https://daily-dew.com/i-will-move-the-rock/
https://daily-dew.com/the-carpenters-tools/

Ragman (Part 2)

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek.

Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.

“Give me your rag,” he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, “and I’ll give you mine.”

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood – his own!

“Rags! Rags! I take old rags!” cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman.

The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes; the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.

“Are you going to work?” he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head.

The Ragman pressed him: “Do you have a job?”

“Are you crazy?” sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket – flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm.

“So,” said the Ragman. “Give me your jacket, and I’ll give you mine.”

Such quiet authority in his voice!

The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman – and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman’s arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs; but the Ragman had only one.

“Go to work,” he said.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, and old man, hunched, wizened, and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself, but for the drunk he left new clothes.

And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. On spider’s legs he skittered through the alleys of the City, this mile and the next, until he came to its limits, and then he rushed beyond.

I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman – he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And then I wanted to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he sighed. He lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died.

Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope – because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep.

I did not know – how could I know? – that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night, too.

But then, on Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence.

Light – pure, hard, demanding light – slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the last and the first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, besides that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow nor of age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.

Well, then I lowered my head and trembling for all that I had seen, I myself walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name with shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes in that place, and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice: “Dress me.”

He dressed me. My Lord, he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him. The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ!

by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Meditation: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-room-pt-2/
https://daily-dew.com/call-on-him/
https://daily-dew.com/it-must-be-settled-tonight/

Ragman

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing my life, my street sense, my sly tongue had ever prepared me for.

Hush, child. Hush, now, and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: “Rags!” Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.

“Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!”

“Now, this is a wonder,” I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city?

I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers.

“Give me your rag,” he said so gently, “and I’ll give you another.”

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then HE began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear.

“This IS a wonder,” I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away from mystery.

“Rags! Rags! New rags for old!”

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek.

Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.

“Give me your rag,” he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, “and I’ll give you mine.”

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood – his own!

by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

To be continued tomorrow…

Meditation: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11:29

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/where-will-you-be/
https://daily-dew.com/just-call-upon-him/
https://daily-dew.com/it-must-be-settled-tonight/

Optimism

In order to better understand people’s views of the world, a researcher once placed two children, one a pessimist and the other an optimist, alone in separate rooms.

The pessimist was placed in a colourful room full of all kinds of imaginative toys, while the optimist was put in a room filled with horse manure.

The first child played in the room for a little while but soon came to the door asking to leave because the toys were boring and because they broke too easily.

Likewise, the young optimist soon came to the door, but rather than asking to leave, she asked for a shovel.

Of course, the researcher asked the child why she wanted a shovel.

She replied, “With all this manure around, I know that there must be a pony in here somewhere.”

Life is as you choose see it.


Meditation: But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” – Romans 10:16

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/abc-of-multiculture/
https://daily-dew.com/may-you-always-feel-loved/
https://daily-dew.com/the-most-the-easiest-the-greatest/

I Took Your Place

One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, “I always park there. You took my place!”

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, “That’s my seat! You took my place!” The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, “That’s where I always sit. You took my place!”

The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change.

Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, “What happened to you?” The visitor replied, ”I took your place.”


Meditation: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” – Luke 18:8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/getting-it-right-with-people/
https://daily-dew.com/where-your-focus-should-be/
https://daily-dew.com/the-most-important-question/

True Meaning of Grace

The boy stood with back arched, head cocked back and hands clenched defiantly. “Go ahead, give it to me.” The principal looked down at the young rebel. “How many times have you been here?”

The child sneered rebelliously, “Apparently not enough.” The principal gave the boy a strange look. “And you have been punished each time, have you not?”

“Yeah, I been punished, if that’s what you want to call it.” He threw out his small chest, “Go ahead I can take whatever you dish out. I always have.”

“And no thought of your punishment enters your head the next time you decide to break the rules does it?”

“Nope, I do whatever I want to do. Ain’t nothin’ you people gonna do to stop me either.”

The principal looked over at the teacher who stood nearby. “What did he do this time?”

“Fighting. He took little Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox.”

The principal turned to look at the boy, “Why? What did little Tommy do to you?”

“Nothin, I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at me, just like I don’t like the way your lookin’ at me! And if I thought I could do it, I’d shove your face into something.”

The teacher stiffened and started to rise but a quick look from the principal stopped him. He contemplated the child for a moment and then quietly said, “Today my young student, is the day you learn about grace.”

“Grace? Isn’t that what you old people do before you sit down to eat? I don’t need none of your stinkin’ grace.”

“Oh but you do.” The principal studied the young man’s face and whispered. “Oh yes, you truly do…”

The boy continued to glare as the principal continued, “Grace, in its short definition is unmerited favor. You cannot earn it, it is a gift and is always freely given. It means that you will not be getting what you so richly deserve.”

The boy looked puzzled. “Your not gonna whup me? You just gonna let me walk?” The principal looked down at the unyielding child. “Yes, I am going to let you walk.”

The boy studied the face of the principal, “No punishment at all? Even though I socked Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox?”

“Oh, there has to be punishment. What you did was wrong and there are always consequences to our actions. There will be punishment. Grace is not an excuse for doing wrong.”

“I knew it,” Sneered the boy as he held out his hands. “Let’s get on with it.” The principal nodded toward the teacher. “Bring me the belt.” The teacher presented the belt to the principal. He carefully folded it in two and then handed it back to the teacher. He looked at the child and said. “I want you to count the blows.” He slid out from behind his desk and walked over to stand directly in front of the young man. He gently reached out and folded the child’s outstretched, expectant hands together and then turned to face the teacher with his own hands outstretched. One quiet word came forth from his mouth. “Begin.”

The belt whipped down on the outstretched hands of the principal. Crack! The young man jumped ten feet in the air. Shock registered across his face, “One” he whispered. Crack! “Two.” His voice raised an octave. Crack! “Three…” He couldn’t believe this. Crack! “Four.” Big tears welled up in the eyes of the rebel.

“OK stop! That’s enough. Stop!” Crack! Came the belt down on the callused hands of the principal. Crack! The child flinched with each blow, tears beginning to stream down his face. Crack! Crack! “No please”, the former rebel begged, “Stop, I did it, I’m the one who deserves it. Stop! Please. Stop…”

Still the blows came, Crack! Crack! One after another. Finally it was over. The principal stood with sweat glistening across his forehead and beads trickling down his face. Slowly he knelt down. He studied the young man for a second and then his swollen hands reached out to cradle the face of the weeping child. Then the words were softly uttered from…… (may the reader discern)… “Grace…”


Meditation: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1:15

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/shaved-by-grace/
https://daily-dew.com/experience-grace/
https://daily-dew.com/how-to-increase-in-grace-1/

The Cross Room

The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.

“Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.”

The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open another door and pick any cross you wish.”

The man was filled with relief.

“Thank you, Lord,” he sighed, and did as he was told. As he looked around the room he saw many different crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.

“I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered.

And the Lord replied, “My son, that’s the cross you brought in.”


Meditation: And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. – John 19:17

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/point-of-view/
https://daily-dew.com/the-wings-of-burdens/
https://daily-dew.com/the-burden/

The Most Important Question

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz.

I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank…

Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

“Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’.”

I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Meditation: Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. – Philippians 2:3

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-people-in-your-life/
https://daily-dew.com/why-you-should-pray-for-people-in-authority-4/
https://daily-dew.com/special-beatitudes-for-those-who-work-with-special-people/

Lesson of the Goose

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird behind it. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds 71 per cent more flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier when they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down. They stay with the goose to help and protect it until it is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out with another formation to catch up with the flock.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other.

Whenever a goose falls out of the formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.

Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.

The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson: We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging- -not something less than helpful.

Meditation: Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. – Proverbs 6:6-8

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/take-time/
https://daily-dew.com/the-pearl/
https://daily-dew.com/gods-embroidery-2/

Some Rules to Make Living Worthwhile

Rule #1. Life is not fair — get used to it!

Rule #2. Eat an elephant, but one bite at a time.

Rule #3. To better your lot, you have to be a lot better.

Rule #4. If you have a friend, learn to talk to each other instead of about each other.

Rule #5. True love isn’t Romeo and Juliet who died together, it’s Grandmom and Granddad who grew together.

Rule #6. Life is not a movie. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.

Rule #7. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

Rule #8. Never give up on something you really want. It’s difficult to wait, but more difficult to regret.

Rule #9. If you can’t get someone off your mind, they are probably supposed to be there.

Rule #10. Be yourself. No matter how hard you try; you will fail trying to please everyone.

Rule #11. Never be a prisoner of your past. Be the architect of your future.

Rule #12. Don’t wait for a perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect.

Rule #13. Recognize there is a huge difference between failing at something you do and being a failure as a person.

Rule #14. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength.

Rule #15. If finding a perfect person is what will make you happy, then you will never be happy.

Rule #16. Never make a permanent decision on temporary feelings.

Rule #17. You can make the world better by making your life better. Remember, “We are the world”.

Rule #18. In life, there are some people you’ll have to lose in order to find yourself.

Rule #19. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

Rule #20. Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.

Rule #21. To get ahead, take steps.

Rule #22. Listen to people but never lose your voice.

Rule #23. Accept what you cannot change. Change what you can.


Meditation: For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life. – Proverbs 6:23

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-ant-fable/
https://daily-dew.com/the-most-the-easiest-the-greatest/
https://daily-dew.com/14-questions-to-help-you-clarify-steps-after-a-flash-of-inspiration/

God Can Do It

A young man working in the army was constantly humiliated because he believed in God.

One day the commander decided to humiliate him before the troops. He called him and said: “Young man, take the key and go park the Jeep in front.”

The young soldier replied, “Sir, I cannot drive!”

The superior said, “Then ask for assistance from your God! Show us that He Exists!”

The young man took the key and walked to the vehicle, praying all the way. He started the car, and started to move hesitantly at first, and gently he began to move until he got to the place where the commander told him to park it.

As he parked the car and came out, he saw the commander and his colleagues all crying. Then they said, “We want to serve your God!”

The young soldier was astonished, he wanted to know what was going on? The commander was still busy sobbing, then he opened the hood of the jeep to reveal to the young man that the car had no engine.

Then the lad said, “See? This is the God I serve, the God who gives life to what does not exist.”

Perhaps, you may have concluded there are things that are still impossible in your life. The God of possibilities will show forth for you today.


Meditation: For with God nothing will be impossible. – Luke 1:37

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-spider-web/
https://daily-dew.com/i-will-move-the-rock/
https://daily-dew.com/become-what-you-want-to-be/

Why Go to Church

A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But, for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor.

It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me those meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”


Meditation: How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. – 1 Corinthians 14:26

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/church-football/
https://daily-dew.com/shoes-in-church/
https://daily-dew.com/top-12-offenses-christians-commit-in-church/

Information, Please

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person — her name was “Information, Please” and there was nothing she did not know.

“Information, Please” could supply anybody’s number and the correct time. My first personal experience with this genie-in the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I hacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway.

The telephone!

Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. “Information, Please,” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

“Information.”

“I hurt my finger,” I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.

“Nobody’s home but me.” I blubbered.

“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.

“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”

“Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. “Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice.

After that, I called “Information, Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called and told her the sad story.

She listened, then said the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child, but I was inconsolable. I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?”

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone. “Information, Please.” “Information,” said the now familiar voice. “How do you spell fix?” I asked. All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.

When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. “Information, Please” belonged in that old wooden box back home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.

As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information, Please.”

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, “Information.”

I hadn’t planned this but I heard myself saying, “Could you please tell me how to spell fix?”

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.” I laughed. “So it’s really still you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time.”

“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls.” I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

“Please do,” she said. “Just ask for Sally.”

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, “Information.” I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” She asked.

“Yes, a very old friend,” I answered.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.”

Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Is this Paul?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called.

Let me read it to you.” The note said, “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Meditation: For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. – Romans 14:7

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/the-starfish/
https://daily-dew.com/i-will-move-the-rock/
https://daily-dew.com/the-carpenters-tools/

2019 – Become What You Want To Be


Let me tell you about a little girl who was born into a very poor family in a shack in the Backwoods of Tennessee. She was the 20th of 22 children, prematurely born and frail. Her survival was doubtful. When she was four years old she had double pneumonia and scarlet fever – a deadly combination that left her with a paralyzed and useless left leg. She had to wear an iron leg brace. Yet she was fortunate in having a mother who encouraged her.

Well, this mother told her little girl, who was very bright, that despite the brace and leg, she could do whatever she wanted to do with her life. She told her that all she needed to do was to have faith, persistence, courage and indomitable spirit.

So at nine years of age, the little girl removed the leg brace, and she took the step the doctors told her she would never take normally. In four years, she developed a rhythmic stride, which was a medical wonder. Then this girl got the notion, the incredible notion, that she would like to be the world’s greatest woman runner. Now, what could she mean – be a runner with a leg like that?

At age 13, she entered a race. She came in last – way, way last. She entered every race in high school, and in every race she came in last. Everyone begged her to quit! However, one day, she came in next to last. And then there came a day when she won a race. From then on, Wilma Rudolph won every race that she entered.

Wilma went to Tennessee State University, where she met a coach named Ed Temple. Coach Temple saw the indomitable spirit of the girl, that she was a believer and that she had great natural talent. He trained her so well that she went to the Olympic Games.

There she was pitted against the greatest woman runner of the day, a German girl named Jutta Heine. Nobody had ever beaten Jutta. But in the 100-meter dash, Wilma Rudolph won. She beat Jutta again in the 200-meters. Now Wilma had two Olympic gold medals.

Finally came the 400-meter relay. It would be Wilma against Jutta once again. The first two runners on Wilma’s team made perfect hand-offs with the baton. But when the third runner handed the baton to Wilma, she was so excited she dropped it, and Wilma saw Jutta taking off down the track. It was impossible that anybody could catch this fleet and nimble girl. But Wilma did just that! Wilma Rudolph had earned three Olympic gold medals.

by Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R.

Meditation: And the Lord said, “Indeed… now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” – Genesis 11:6

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:
https://daily-dew.com/never-too-late/
https://daily-dew.com/abc-of-inspiration/
https://daily-dew.com/14-questions-to-help-you-clarify-steps-after-a-flash-of-inspiration/