₦airaland Forum

Author Unknown

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 I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”

That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy in what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more or less than you have. The person who is satisfied with what he/she has, is the happiest person in the world.

Meditation: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. – Hebrews 13:5

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

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.

Meditation: Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise - Proverbs 6:6

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Darcy Keith

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 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 one must be bigger and better. It's never enough and the cycle continues, searching for the happiness "high" that you experienced before.

What makes you happy? I'm not just talking about for a few hours or days. I'm talking about happiness for a while longer.

Here are four suggestions on living a happier life:

Think of the small things that make you happy and write them down. This could be a sunny day, the smell of freshly cut grass, or hearing your favorite song on the radio.

Keep everything in perspective. Put things in their proper place. If something makes you unhappy, consider the scenario in the big scheme of things. Will it really matter when you are 80 years old?

Look at the root cause of what makes you happy in your life. Remember what gives you joy.
Put yourself second and serve others, which is contradictory to what the world says. Happiness in serving another person first, rather than ourselves, is a humbling experience that shows others that they matter more than us.

Have you heard of the saying, "Giving the shirt off of your back"? Happiness is a great feeling. The wonderful thing about being happy is that it can be found in small packages. Why not take time to look for the small stuff that makes you happy today?

Meditation: He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. – Ecclesiastes 5:10

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you, but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.”

That is the work of God in our lives. To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His Son.

Take time to read a portion of God's word each day.

Meditation: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totalling £95,000.

He asked her about the contents.

'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if i ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

Prayer: Dear lord, I pray for wisdom to understand my man; love to forgive him; and patience for his moods; because lord, if I pray for strength, I’ll beat him to death, because I don't have time to crochet.

Meditation: Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. – Proverbs 25:28

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Meditation: By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. – Genesis 49:25

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Tamara Yakovich

My youngest child turned seven months old yesterday. They grow so quickly, don't they? His development is bittersweet, I can't wait for him to reach that next stage, but then again I want him to stay little! He is at that point where he is about to crawl - but can't quite do it yet. That doesn't stop him from moving around and getting where he needs to go though! He scoots around this house as fast as he can, dragging his little body with chubby arms. I love that 'army crawl'!

His favorite adventure the past few days has been 'chasing the bouncy blue ball'. I watched this closely today, and this is what I saw. His whole face lights up as soon as he sees the ball, and 'the chase' is on! He scoots after the ball - almost gets it in his grasp - and it slips away. No matter, he squeals with delight and chases it again. He catches it the next time, rolls over on his back, and holds on tight. He uses both hands and feet to keep the ball where he wants it while he 'hugs and kisses' the ball. He is so happy to have caught it, finally!

Then he lets the ball go, he watches it roll away, perhaps wondering where it will end up, or where it will take him next. He flips himself over and takes off after it again with a big smile on his face. He could do this all day long.

Chase the ball, catch the ball, hold it and play with it joyfully for a while, then watch it roll away once more. Does he get a little frustrated when the ball rolls away for the tenth time? Maybe a little, but he knows that half the fun, maybe even MOST of the fun, is in the chase!

How many times have you 'almost' had your DREAM or your GOAL in your grasp, just to watch it slip away? Do you stop the chase? Do you sit down and give up? Or - like the small child - do you realize that the fun is in 'the chase'? Worse yet - do you 'catch' your dream or your goal and then hold on to it so tightly that you stop moving?

Lessons learned:

1. The FUN is in the chase!

2. If your dream/goal slips away - keep after it - you never know where 'the chase' might take you!

3. Once you have your dream/goal in your grasp - set a new one and start chasing again!

4. Remember - the FUN is in the chase!

Now - go out there and 'squeal with delight' as you chase after your dreams with a smile on your face! If you do it this way, no one will ever know that you don't already have your dreams in your grasp!

Meditation: for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: - Philippians 4:11

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Lynn Sheer

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.

"She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? She wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.

"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said as she gently tapped her chest.

"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no flowers!"

"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.

"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."

"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for good things in life and never to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort.

You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too...fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow." - George Matheson

Praise Him for your roses, thank him for your thorns.

Meditation: Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? – Job 2:10

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Michael T. Smith

Mum tucked me in. "Mum, is it really going to snow?" She pulled the blankets up to my chin and kissed my cheek.

"That's what the weatherman said."

"Will they cancel school?"

"It depends. If we get twelve inches like he said, they probably will."

"Great! I don't want to go to school. I want to play in the snow."

"Now, Michael! Don't go getting your hopes up. You could be disappointed."

"But the weatherman said."

"Michael, storms are unpredictable." She patted my hand. "Go to sleep and we'll see what the morning brings."

She closed the door. The room grew dark. Outside, the wind howled. Sleet and ice clattered against the window. I heard mum walk to the kitchen. It was safe. I rolled out of bed, crept to the window, and pulled the blinds back. Snow swirled beneath the streetlight and spun in circles over the pavement like the sands in a desert. My heart rate increased - no school tomorrow!

"Michael, are you in bed?" Mum called out.

"Yes, Mum!" I ran back to my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. How did she know?

"You better be!"

"I am, Mum! You can come and see."

"Go to sleep!"

"Yes, Mum!" I curled beneath the blankets. The wind howled. I was warm and safe in my cocoon. Mum and Dad chatted and watched a TV. I listened to the wind and wished for a day off to play in the snow.

*********************

"Michael!" Mum shook my shoulder. "Michael, it's time to get up - time for school."

"School?" I rolled over and stared up at her. "Mum?"

"I'm sorry, Michael. The snow missed us. It turned to rain. The schools are open."

"No snow?"

"Michael, you'll be late."

"But the snow."

"There's no snow, Michael. Get up and brush your teeth."

I groaned and rolled out of bed. At the sink, I held my toothbrush and looked at myself in the mirror. My reflection mimicked the sickness and disappointment I felt. The school loomed - a prison for kids without a snow day. On each side of the street, the remaining snow melted and created tiny rivers of muddy water. I watched them come together into bigger streams. Brown dirt eddied where the water paused in hollows before it flowed into the ocean. Images of ships floundering in the currents flashed through my mind. The school bell rang and jolted me to reality. My dream of a day off melted like the snow in the heavy rain.

The school day lasted forever. The teacher's words went unheard. I sat at my desk and wallowed in self-pity. I kept thinking. "How could this happen? The weatherman said it would snow. Everything is ruined."

"Psst!" I turned to my right. My friend Justin stared at me. I glanced at my teacher. Her back was to us.

"What?" I whispered.

"Want to play after school?"

I shook my head. "There's no snow."

"So? The brook behind the school is full of water, and it's running fast. We could play with our boats. We'll fill them with our plastic men and see if they can make it through the rough waters. We can drop rocks at them and pretend we're pirates firing cannonballs at them."

"Who's talking back there?" Justin and I jumped and looked forward. "Are you boys talking?" Our teacher glared at us.

"No, Mrs. Henneberry!" we said in unison. She turned back to the blackboard. "See you after school." I whispered to Justin. The bell rang. Justin and I rushed out the door and had the time of our lives.

Pirates raided boats in the rough waters of the stream. Our ships sank in the murky water. Two boys laughed and played until their mother's called them for supper. The sorrow I felt that morning was gone.

Snuggled under my blankets that night, I smiled and thought, "What a great day!"

The lost snow day is many years behind me, but its lesson is fresh. The day began with disappointment. A wish, a dream was gone. Over the years, I've looked at my reflection in the mirror in the morning and felt that same hurt. There were lottery tickets that didn't win the money I desperately needed. "Why didn't I win?" I'd whine. I'd wished and hoped for it. Why didn't it happen?

There were times when I didn't want to get out of bed, because there was nothing to get up for. The job I'd had ended the day before. Why did it have to happen to me? My first wife passed away. I looked in the mirror the next day and felt that same "no snow day" emptiness. "Why did this have to happen? All the dreams we had for the future are gone."

In each case, the circumstances were out of my hands. It did no good to wallow in self-pity. I had to get out of bed, face the day, and make the best of my situation. If I hadn't, I would never have found a new job. If I hadn't forced my way through the grief of losing my wife, I would never have found new love. If school would have been cancelled, I would have missed on a great time with my friends.

When your day doesn't start the way you hoped it would, you need to take control of the one thing I have control over - you.

Meditation: Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. – Habakkuk 3:17-18

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Darcy Keith

As I'm typing my thoughts, I am watching my daughter play outside games with her neighborhood friends. First, they played a made-up game of throwing a ball though hula-hoops. Next, it was bouncing a ball in the middle of the hula-hoop, which had a number point value scribbled with pink sidewalk chalk in the center. How fun it is to watch the girls, aged five to eleven, improvise with the items they have, which were six hula-hoops and five balls of various sizes. I'm amazed at how quickly the girls can switch from game to game, making new rules, and having fun.

Watching their excitement, giggles, and negotiation skills reminds me of some of the aspects of life that we sometimes don't. We don't celebrate life. Each day, we should celebrate life. No, I'm not talking about living irresponsibly, but enjoy every day given to us. For the past week, my daughter asks me what special thing we are going to do that day. Sometimes, she just wants to go outside and play catch or take a family bike ride to the park. Other times, it's just sitting down to watch a movie with hot, buttered popcorn, and a glass of soda.

My husband and I try our best to enjoy every day with her by celebrating life and the time we have together. I remember when our daughter was born. Family and friends visited us to celebrate her birth and see our new family addition. Because in the first year of life she changed physically so much, we celebrated each stage by having her picture taken every month. Videos and pictures were taken at holidays, special events, family gatherings, and various times to capture her innocent, curious, happy personality.

I must admit, however, that sometimes I wish life away. One of the bedtime rituals that I do every night when I put my daughter to bed is that we pray together, I sing a bedtime lullaby that I have sung every night since she was born, we tell each other "I love you", and I start playing her favorite CD as she drifts off to sleep. There are several times that I would have liked to just kiss her goodnight after we prayed and go back to whatever I was doing.

But when I hesitate, I remind myself of the joy I get from celebrating her life and how, when she gets older, I won't be needed as much to tuck her in. I celebrate the moment, right here and now. Though there are things in our life to make it easier, how it is that we are busier than ever? Why do we jam-pack our lives with more activities? What are you doing in your life that will cause you to stop and celebrate it? Is it reading that book for the tenth time to your child so that they can enjoy the story? Is it taking time to read a book that you've put off and say that you'll get to it later? What about that diet that you promised yourself that you would start today?

Here are five thoughts to help you celebrate life now:

1. Start everyday with a positive attitude.

2. Take a moment to notice the vibrant color of flowers, the colorful fall leaves, the glistening white snow, or enjoy the sound of the rain while you doze off to sleep in your warm bed.

3. Reflect on the positive things in your life.

4. Tell that special person you love them.

5. Find joy in the everyday things that we take for granted.

Celebrate life to the fullest...now!

Meditation: And as it is appointed for men to die once. – Hebrews 9:27

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Phyllis Yearick

My 9-year-old daughter and I were flying from our home in Charlotte, North Carolina, to spend a week with my husband in Miami, Florida. Mike had been in Florida for five months working for an Internet start-up company. We were excited about the trip because we had seen him only five times in five months, and Kallie missed her dad terribly.

As usual on the Charlotte-to-Miami flight, the plane was totally full. I had noticed a troop of Boy Scouts at the gate and commented to my daughter that if anything happened, we would be OK with all those Scouts on our flight! Little did I know....

Because we did not get our boarding passes until we arrived at the gate, Kallie and I could not get seats together and were separated by the aisle. That wasn't such a big deal, except that Kallie was nervous about the trip and had counted on my reading to her the whole way. Trying to read across the aisle would be a challenge.

When the two passengers who shared my row boarded the plane, I asked if they would switch places with Kallie and me, so that we could be together and so that she could sit next to the window. They refused, saying they thought they should stay in their assigned seats. Meanwhile, a mother and her three children were in a panic several rows ahead of us. There had been a mistake in their boarding passes, the whole family had been split up.

The passengers in her row also refused to move elsewhere. The mother could hold her baby, but her 6-year-old son and his older brother had been scattered around the plane. She was very concerned about the younger boy sitting with strangers. She was in tears, yet nobody offered to help her.

Suddenly the Scout leader stood up and said, "Ma'am, I think we can help you." He then spent five minutes rearranging his group so that adequate space was available for the family. The boys followed his directions cheerfully and without complaint, and the mother's relief was obvious.

Kallie, however, was beginning to panic at the thought of not being next to a window or her mother. I told her that there wasn't anything I could do; we would have to sit where we were. Amazingly, the man sitting next to the Scoutmaster (not a Scout himself), turned around to me and asked, "Would you and your daughter like our seats?" referring to himself and the Scoutmaster. He said he was cramped in the window seat and would really prefer the aisle. We traded seats and continued our trip, very much relieved to be together and watch the scenery from Kallie's window seat.

Would that man have offered us his seat if the Scouts hadn't done so for the mom and her children? I don't know. But I do know that kindness is contagious, and good deeds beget good deeds!

Meditation: What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar. – Proverbs 19:22

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Duane Spears

Some years ago I attended a self-improvement seminar and the speaker was Jim Rohn. He said, "Everything matters in life, some things a little and some things a lot, we just don't know which is which." And I believed him.

Now if I may, I would like to relate a personal experience which occurred when I was a motorcycle officer that strengthened this belief and taught a young man that everything in life does indeed matter.

I was a motorcycle officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and I was working speed complaints out of West Traffic Division. On the 6th of January, 1986, I was working a speed complaint on one of the streets in the hills of Bel Air. It was around 9:30 in the morning. I was stopped at the base of a hill and had set up my radar on the handlebar of my motorcycle and was watching the traffic coming down the hill.

This was a residential area and the road was narrow with numerous curves and was posted at 25 miles per hour. I had just finished writing a couple of tickets when I heard the audio on the radar, looked up the road and saw a small sports car coming down the hill. I glanced at the digital readout on the radar unit and saw that the car was traveling close to 50 miles per hour. I stepped out into the street and waved the driver over to the curb.

The driver was a young man in his early 20's on his way to UCLA for a morning class. I told him why I had stopped him and started to write him a ticket. He, of course, didn't want the ticket and tried to talk me out of it. His name was Christopher and he was a good kid. But he was trying his best to get me to not write him a ticket. Never rude, always polite, but determined to convince me to let him go.

We bantered back and forth, he would raise his voice in support of his position, but I calmly explained why he should get the ticket. When he saw I was still going to write him the ticket, he asked me, "What If I had not stopped, you were not on your motorcycle, would you have chased me?" I replied, "Most likely not".

About this time, I heard the audio on the radar and noticed that the digital readout registered 52 miles per hour. I looked up and saw a young man coming down the hill on a motorcycle. I stepped out in front of him and waved him into the curb. He was going too fast and passed us, but he was slowing down. I walked towards the motorcycle rider and my back was to Christopher.

The motorcyclist had turned around and was coming back to me. The he suddenly made a quick U-turn and sped down the hill. I turned around and walked back to Christopher and said, "Well, one got away."

He said, "I waved him on".

I said, "What?"

He said, "I waved him on."

I replied, "Oh, no! You should not have done that."

He had a puzzled look on his face and asked, "Why not, it won't matter?"

I told him everything in life matters, some things a little and some things a lot. We just don't know which is which. The look on Christopher's face clearly indicated to me that he did not believe me. I finished the ticket and we talked a little more about life and philosophy, then Christopher went to class and I went to court.

Three days later, I was back working that same area and had three cars stopped. While I was writing the tickets, I noticed that a car coming up the hill had stopped across from me. There were three or four guys in the car. It was obvious to me that they were waiting to talk to me.

I finished the last ticket and the driver of the car got out and walked over to me. He had a very sad look about him. I could tell something was bothering him. As he approached me, he asked, "Do you remember me?"

"Yes," I replied, "you are Christopher."

He then said, "You taught me a valuable lesson the other day when you told me that everything in life matters. I didn't believe you then, but now I do."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you remember the boy on the motorcycle?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, "I do remember him."

"Well," he said, "he was my roommate and that is why I waved him on. I thought I was helping him. After he turned around he made a wrong turn and went down a street, which ended in a cul-de-sac and hit a large planter in the center of the cul-de-sac. He died instantly. You were right when you said everything in life matters."

I was shocked and found it hard to believe, even though I had been with LAPD for 18½ years. We talked for a few more minutes. I expressed my sorrow, we shook hands and then we both left.

I rode to the station in Venice and looked up the traffic reports for the 6th of January and sure enough there it was. I still could not believe it. I mentioned what had happened to another officer whose was in the station at the time. His response was that the kid deserved to die for fleeing the scene; I thought this cannot be happening; I don't want to be like him.

As police officers and especially motor officers we are suppose to be saving lives, not pleased because some kid made a bad decision and died. Over the next several days I gave a lot of thought to this situation and my life in general. I decided I didn't want to be a police officer anymore and I needed a change. So I resigned in February 1986 after 18½ years with LAPD to pursue my passion, network marketing.

I thought that I should listen to my own advice about how everything matters and look at this situation as an opportunity to make some serious changes in my life. I've never regretted leaving LAPD even though my business plans didn't quite work the way I had hoped back in 1986. But over the years they have and I have had a successful network marketing business since 1995.

Could now be the time for you to make a life change? If it is, I would encourage you to do so. Based on my experience you will not be sorry. I will be 67 in September, I'm in great health and could not be happier.

Meditation: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. – Isaiah 28:10

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

Once upon a time, a young man and woman met, gazed into each other’s eyes, kissed, and knew – for certain – that they were supposed to be together forever. In the subsequent days, weeks, and months everything fell into place just as they had anticipated. He was perfect in her eyes, and she was perfect in his.

Oh, it’s the majestic certainty of young love! When two souls who barely know each other believe they know everything that they must know to live happily ever after in their own blissful bubble. They think this because it’s what their emotional hearts and minds tell them is true.

But you know what happens next. It’s what always happens next in phony fairy tales like this. For one reason or another, logic trumps emotion, their bubble bursts, and the two lovers tumble back down to Earth, bruising themselves along the way and realizing that their perfect partner isn’t so perfect after all.

Maybe he learns that she doesn’t like rock music – and rock music is extremely important to him. Maybe she learns that he never makes the bed – and making the bed is extremely important to her. Regardless of the specifics, our lovers are finally beginning to see each other for who they really are – imperfect human beings. This is the turning point at which ‘falling in love’ ends and the test of ‘true love’ begins.

Either their mindset adjusts and they accept reality – that true love isn’t so much about perfection as it is about growth and patience – or they move on to the next short-term fairy tale romance in hopes of finding that one perfect soul mate who does everything just right.

Why am I telling you this story?

Because the fluctuating feelings that steer our romantic relationships are quite similar to those that steer our motivation to make a meaningful impact on the world around us. A little passion is all that’s required to start, but only sustained perseverance makes it worthwhile.

Sure, short powerful bursts of effort and seemly giant leaps in a single bound appear to be remarkable. But they fade as fast as they arrive, and all we’re left with in the end is an unfulfilled void.

An enduring dedication – fulfilling promises by marching forward with one foot in front of the other, even when the going gets tough – is what true love is all about. And it’s this kind of love, and only this kind of love, that can make the world a better place.

Meditation: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Linda Hastings

By all accounts, I am an ordinary, middle-aged woman no different from millions just like me. Over the course of my lifetime I have had my share of jobs (and I use the word "job" because I can't really say I ever pursued a "career" in anything).

I am an Executive Assistant. When I got my first job, and for the following fifteen or twenty years thereafter, I was called a "Secretary". They don't call it that anymore, it's not politically correct and although I never really understood why it was necessary to change it, 'they' did.

In addition to working in an office, there were other jobs that included waitress work (now called 'server') and a host of factory and manufacturing jobs during the summertime of my high school years. I have always given my employer the best I had to offer, remained loyal, trustworthy and punctual and worked 50 weeks out of the year. Besides a paycheck at the end of the week and those two glorious weeks out of the year they call "vacation", most jobs have been pretty mundane with self-effacing rewards at the end of the day.

However, one job in particular that I have held throughout the last 32 years has proven to be the most rewarding, most fulfilling and most important to me. That job was given to me when I became a Mom. Seven years and eleven months to the day from when I got married my new 'job' was given to me wrapped in a little pink blanket. Ashley Christine, followed by a baby sister 23 months later created the job of a lifetime and had all the makings of that dream job you hear others talk about and envy.

Like the reward a NASA engineer must feel at the completion of a spaceship that will travel into orbit, I have built two beautiful people who have given me such pride and happiness and who have fulfilled my dreams beyond my imagination. While other moms complained of all the work, money and effort that went into raising their kids, I lavished the idea.

From Mommie, to Mom, to Mother, each step of the way has been enlivening. Starting even before that first step without holding on to the coffee table, which was followed by the babbling sound of MaMa and DaDa, kisses blown from a tiny little hand, falling asleep in my arms, Christmas mornings, the first day of Kindergarten, learning to swim, blowing out candles on a birthday cake, braces in middle school, their first kiss followed almost immediately by their first broken heart, softball games, dance recitals, cheerleading practice, learning to drive, high school football, the prom, graduation, packing for college, buying their first car, college graduation, moving back home, getting engaged and planning a wedding, it was my privilege to do my job and be there filled with pride each step of the way. Each and every day was not just another twenty-four hours, but another chance to make a difference - to teach and train, to mentor and to learn and grow along with them.

Now as I sit here at my desk, pushing paper from one side to another, answering the endless ringing of phones and watching the clock in anticipation of 5:00, I stop for a moment and day dream of all those precious memories that held my fascination and kept me coming back day after day, year after blissful year for more, as I performed the greatest job of my life - the job of being a Mom.

Meditation: And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. – Genesis 3:20

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Cherri Walston

Friendship is one of the many blessings God has given each one of us. I am so grateful for the lasting friendships I have cultivated through the years. As women, we know that true friendship is a sacred commodity. This is a relationship that is to be cherished and revered for a lifetime. We've experienced friendships that have come and gone because of misunderstandings, differences in lifestyles, spiritual or personal growth. For whatever reasons, they have left a permanent mark on our hearts of what true friendship really is.

I am known to be a very outgoing person and can interact with people from various cultures and backgrounds. I believe this is one of the many gifts God has bestowed upon me. I say this with great humbleness: as a child I was very shy and reserved. During my early years, I longed for friends. I wanted people to accept and like me. Even in high school, I felt like an outcast because I wasn't chosen to be in what I thought was the "In" group.

Consequently, this had a negative affect on my self-esteem. I placed little value on myself. My self-worth was overshadowed by the quantity of relationships versus the quality of true friendships. As I matured, I learned to filter through those relationships that weren't holding me up in the best light. Sometimes that meant I had to light the path on my own.

Self-acceptance our elite, and not so elite, society would have you believe that it is about who you know or who you are connected to. There is nothing wrong with having well-known friends or being in the circle of connected people. However, it becomes a problem when your self-worth is based on whom you know.

Be you - love you! Wherever you think you aren't in life yet, should never be an indication of where you are headed. Accept your shortcomings, mistakes; accept that some people won't like you and some you don't need to be connected to anyway. You can receive all the accolades you can stand, but until you can accept and love yourself, they are only a clanging cymbal.

Quality not quantity networking is one of the hottest concepts in building relationships in the professional and entrepreneurial world. We are taught to meet and connect with as many individuals as we can. Whether it is to find a new career/job, build your business or build future relationships down the road.

When I was starting my career in training and development and my business as a coach, I was meeting people and collecting a lot of business cards. I would have a handful of cards, but no connections that related to my specific needs. I soon realized that the quantity of cards never measured up to the value of networking. I quickly learned that I needed to position myself where my target audience gathered; a place that supported my vision. Many times that meant a smaller and more intimate gathering.

Isn't it funny how sometimes we enter into relationships the same way? We get sucked into a lot of drama and no substance. Then we scratch our heads trying to figure out how we got ourselves into this situation. You will later realize that sometimes less is more. For me, a quality relationship whether it is personal/professional is one based on character, excellence, and standards I set for my own life. Not perfection, but one of value that adds to not distracts from.

There is joy in being your own best friend. A true friend is someone who accepts you as you are, feels those fears and anxieties with you, and sees your limitations. A true friend will celebrate you, cry with you, and reason with you for your own good. I can truly say that I have a small, yet valuable set of sister friends who have helped me to be the best I can be. However, I am learning to be my own best friend too.

When I feel like I'm not where I need to be, I smile and remember where I came from. When I fear stepping out of my comfort zone, I feel the fear and say, "go for it girl". And when I am confronted with my limitations, I tell myself to do what I can. A way will be made because God never fails. I find pure joy in laughing at my quirkiness, the silly things I say and do. When you become comfortable with yourself, you'll realize you don't need a crowd to feel good.

Just be YOU!

You are your own best friend!

Meditation: A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – Proverbs 18:24

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Miles Patrick Yohnke

I've never seen a u-haul behind a hearse. The only thing you take with you when you're gone is what you leave behind. We are slapped when we come into this world and they shovel dirt on us in the end. This is our life. Everyone's life. These are the bookends of life. But what really matters is what goes on in the middle. That we are passionate people. That we are caring people. That we LIVE!

The people I've been privileged to watch succeed have intensity about them. They demand everything from themselves. They show up everyday, in fact every moment, and they are accountable to themselves. Everything they do has a hard statement, and they know when to stop. Very impressive.

Real beauty is found in oneself. That's the tranquil beach. The beautiful sunset. It's not a location, the location is you. To travel is to travel inward. That's the ultimate vacation.

Turn your weaknesses into your strengths. Success is failure turned inside out. We need to find a deeper meaning in life. Our duty, as artists, is to tap into those notes that resonate in us all. Not to sleep walk through life, like an outpatient program; but to strike a chord.

We can't catch kindness in a net or a gun. When kindness is given to you, it's by choice. One must adopt an attitude of gratitude.

We can become prisoners of self. One must dig tunnels; escape one's own mind. We get just this one life. We have to stop doing time. But live lives like we planned in our youth. No matter where we are, how old, we can always reach our dreams.

All your life you're going to be judged, what matters is keeping your soul intact and making work that matters. We have to stop telling people what we are going to do, what we have not yet accomplished, and tell them instead what we have accomplished. Only in this way can we be accountable for our actions. I am not accountable for achievements I have not yet reached, but I am what I have accomplished.

It's when we stop forcing it... trying to impress, that we really shine through; we start having strong people like us, just fall into our laps - and those that are weak are empowered by the tone of our voice. Get off your knees and do. Words without action is death. One has to stop sitting in the back, waiting. Come to the front. The front row of life. A joyful life.

My mother told me at a very young age, "Miles, we are placed on this planet to help others. Go out and help others." So, it is by her words that I try to shape and reshape my life. Yes, each day we will be challenged by indifferent people and for the most part it isn't their fault. We are just so conditioned by life (media, society) to live like caveman or barbarians (non-contemplating spoon-fed society). To live like the subjects in mindless beer commercials. Their ideals perhaps "you deserve better, more than another, you are the most important."

After a while we believe it. Brainwashed. Let's have "fun." Fun? Fun is a limiting word. Why would one limit their existence to only this? Is that all we appreciate for the life we've been given?

Life is a 24/7 celebration of the word itself (existence). So maybe one needs to replace the word "fun" (a word created by media to keep you down, to bait you, to sell you things, tell you what you need) to the word "joyful."

Maybe we could be way happier if we lived a life that from each waking day till sleep time is joyful. You get but one life. We are each only given one shot at getting it right in the long run. Find a job you love and you'll start to bring joy to yourself and all others in your life.

Words are either negative or positive. Could it be that all this time "fun" is really a negative word and "joy" a positive one? Perhaps a little rethinking is in order.

Meditation: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply;” – Deuteronomy 30:15-16

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.

Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,

Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed.

We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.

With its possible adversities, Its burdens,

Its large promise and poor performance.

Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow's Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,

but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This just leaves only one day... Today.


Any person can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity's -

yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday

and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time.

Meditation: redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Michael Smith

I ran home from school, stomped up the worn wooden steps, slammed open the front door and yelled,

"Mum! Mum, I'm home!"

"Michael, I'm right here!" Mum appeared around the corner. "Stop yelling. What if your father had been sleeping? You know he works nights."

"Sorry, Mum." I mumbled and hung my head in shame. "I didn't mean to yell."

"If you had woken him, you know how mad he would have been."

"I just wanted to show you my spelling test." I handed her my test. "I got a gold star."

"You got another one?" She smiled. "Good for you! You always study so hard, but you have to remember not to yell when you come in the house."

"I know, Mum, but I was exited and wanted to show you." I lied. Dad drank a lot. If he had too much, he'd argue with Mum. I was afraid she'd leave. My two older brothers and I would be alone with him. What if I came home and she was gone? It was a fear I lived with most of my childhood. I needed to know she was there.

Years later, I moved away for my first job. Each evening, I'd open the door to a lonely, empty room. I didn't call out for Mum. I knew she wasn't there. I spent evenings alone. There were no computers, only books and a television. It was a temporary situation.

Three months later, I was home again. Mum and I sat at the kitchen table, played cards, and talked. It was nice to have someone to share my day with - someone who loved me.

A year later, I sat in my car. The back seat and trunk were full of my belongings. My mattress was tied to my roof. Mum stood beside the car.

"Well, you're off on your own again."

"This is it." I smiled up at her. "I can't believe I have my own house."

"You'll do fine, Michael." Her eyes glistened. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"Thanks for everything, Mum. Without your support, I wouldn't be going where I'm going today." I pulled away and wiped my own tears from my eyes. I'd miss coming home to her, but there was another woman I'd be coming home to soon.

A few hours later, Georgia and I sat in the living room of my new home. I knelt on one knee and asked her to marry me. For many years, I came home from work to my wife. We had two children - a boy and a girl. Georgia and I shared our days and love. My home - my life - was full. I was happy.

Disaster struck. My manager announced major layoffs. Fifteen years of seniority were not enough to save me. A new job took me to another city. Georgia and our kids stayed behind to sell the house. I opened the door to a rented room. There were no hugs, no children yelling "Daddy", and no one to share my day with. I was alone.

A year later they joined me. I opened a door to love and family again. The pattern continued: a new job, a move, a lonely room, and a family that followed later.

I came home one night to another empty room. My daughter didn't move with us this time. She was on her own. My son was home, but he didn't greet me. He wanted to be alone to deal with his feelings. Georgia died the week before.

I faced an empty room. I never understood what empty was. There were many empty rooms I cried in, but not one compared to the room Georgia never filled again.

A year later, I opened the door, and there was Ginny. Her arms reached out and pulled me close. Her lips met mine. Her loved soothed me. Ginny and I have been apart for a month or more a few times. She's had to help her children in other states. I'd enter an empty room when I came home from work and hear my footsteps echo off the walls - the sound of alone. I was sad she wasn't there, but I knew she'd be back.

Ginny knows an empty room. Her husband, Harvey, passed on and left her in one too. We keep those rooms behind closed doors. They remain empty. Like a photo album, we only go there when we want to remember the past.

Ginny and I live in the present room - the room filled.

Meditation: All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. – Ecclesiastes 1:7

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By William Baldwin

Nehemiah 4:2 "Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish-stones that are burned?" I was only a boy, maybe ten years old, when I was awakened on an unusually warm autumn night by the siren of the local volunteer fire department. Mom in her nightgown, Dad in his boxers, and me in my racecar pajamas stood in our back yard watching flames lick the starlit sky. It was an eerie sight. The largest, most prestigious house in our very middle class community was on fire.

The next morning Dad and I walked down the road to check out the damage. Our neighbors, who beat us to the scene, were already gawking at the white, two-story icon, now a smoldering pile of ruins. The chimney still stood like a "Washington Monument "to its former glory. It was hard for me to believe. Such a stately house, the nicest on our little street, was a heap of coals. I watched trails of smoke still rising from blackened wood and stone. The ornate furniture, up-to-date appliances, and beautiful woodworking were completely charred.

You know, houses aren't the only thing susceptible to catch fire and burn. People get burnt too. I'm sure some of you have been burned, haven't you? The stories are similar. With a promising future you walked into life with confidence. Then, like the big white house in my neighborhood, an unexpected catastrophe occurred and you were seared by life's flames. Burnt. Unrecognizable.

You watched as smoke rose from what was left of yesterday's optimism and prosperity. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't part of the plan. You're not the first one to experience such heartache. Nehemiah experienced the adversity of being burned. The hometown he and his people revered had been completely destroyed by fire. Jerusalem's wall, the spiritual emblem of national strength and dignity was torched. By his own admission he was overcome with grief as he recalled its former glory.

What makes the devastation worse is in knowing what once was. Remembering how great things were makes the present misfortune feel all the more hopeless. It's a lot like staring at the biggest house in your community lying in a pile of ashes. We all have mental photos, flashbacks of our life before we were burned. There's the daddy pushing you in a swing, a mother cooking, a happily married occasion, a healthy child, and a younger you. Likewise, you see the college degree you never finished, the friend who hurt you, the prayer that wasn't answered, a worthless 401(k) with no retirement benefits, and the pink-slip from the company you invested your life in.

Smoldering histories, they're reminders of the great fire, that catastrophic event when you were burnt. The question arises, "What now?" When Nehemiah heard about his beloved Jerusalem he was overcome with sorrow. His mind pulled up the photos of better days, the way God intended things to be, and he just couldn't handle his emotions. Can you hear his anguish? "I sat down and wept, mourned, fasted and prayed" (Neh 1:4).

Nehemiah's emotional response is predictable, but what he did next was not. While Nehemiah prayed, he stumbled onto praying the answer. "Give your servant success TODAY" (Neh 1:11, emphasis mine). When you spend time calling out to God sometimes you pray the answer, if even by mistake. He knew he couldn't go back to the innocent years when the wall was first built, but he could use what he was left with "TODAY."

From that prayer, Nehemiah determined to rebuild the wall with the rubbish of its former glory. I imagine Nehemiah rummaging through the debris of the old, burned down wall, picking out burnt, but usable stones to rebuild with. It took some work, but he and a handful of faithful, tenacious men rebuilt the city wall using burnt stones from yesterday's tragedy. Scripture records, "The wall was built" (Neh 7:1). Using "leftovers", Nehemiah built a new wall that restored hope to his people and gave glory to God.

You thought you could never again be used as you once were. Ever since your "fire", you declared you would not trust again, teach again, work again, speak again, write again, or love again. You've said that that chapter in your life had closed. Well, maybe it's time to think again. Burnt stones are not only usable, they're desirable.

Years after the neighborhood mansion had been leveled by fire I was invited into the new house the family had rebuilt. I was about sixteen years old when I walked through the front door into a large living room that was designed around the most beautiful fireplace I had ever seen. It was made from unusual looking, dark colored stones that rose to the ceiling, mounted with a stunning mantel made from some sort of darkened wood. It was built to overwhelm you when you walked into the room, and that it did!

"Whoa!" The words jumped out of my mouth before I realized it. The owner smiled and said, "Everybody likes the fireplace. The stones came from what was left over from the fire six years ago. And the mantelpiece is made from several floor beams that didn't completely burn up."

Amazing how something so beautiful can be built from scorched wood and burnt stones. You need to know that God uses burnt stones. The Lord searches through the fragments of our hardships, picking up the scraps He can use again. He helps people who have been burned to get up and rebuild their dreams and fulfill their destiny. And today, of all the people on the planet, He's chosen you, burnt, but still beautiful. Don't you think the time has come for you to arise and rebuild?

Meditation: And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. – Isaiah 61:4

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Michael Murphy

Has anyone told you lately that you are truly amazing? Probably not unless you are one of the very blessed few who have at least one powerful encourager in your life that truly does care about you.

I was 6 feet tall when I was in the 7th grade. I weighed all of 140 lbs. Skinny doesn't begin to describe it. Toothpick would come a little closer. With the unruly and wiry hair that I tried to grow long and fight to keep straight, most of my friends called me 'Q-tip.' You can imagine how that did wonders for my self esteem. Yeah, not much.

I was reminded by my father that I wasn't planned when I was born. I guess not. Three kids in LESS THAN three years. My brother was two years old, about to turn three. My sister was one year old, nine days before she turned two.

My father suffered most of his life with what we now know as bi-polar disorder. Major moods swings and a plethora of attitudes that did not serve in my best interest (or anyone else's for that matter.) He constantly reminded me that I was an "accident" and with the constant psychological abuse that he put on me, I felt more like an intruder on this planet than a little boy.

As I got older and begin to discover personal development and what it could do for me to heal my past and create my future, I begin to develop new beliefs about myself. What I discovered changed my life. I discovered that the facts proved that I was not an "accident", but indeed, my life was/is a miracle.

I discovered through reading personal development books that the chances that I was ever conceived to begin with were tens of millions to one. In fact, I learned that I had beaten out somewhere between 10 and 90 million other 'seeds' that were all vying to fertilize one egg. Tens of millions of potential suitors and only one was going to get a date. In fact, the others were going to die. It wasn't just a race and competition for affection. It was a battle for life.

Stop and think about this. If any other seed had fertilized that one egg, neither you nor I would be here right now. Ever wonder why you've always felt ''special''? Maybe you felt ''lucky''? Well, you gained access into the inner sanctum to fertilize the egg and millions others died off who didn't make it.

I don't know about you, but that fact alone makes me feel pretty amazing! Now I'm not asking to you believe in some kind of esoteric, metaphysical or spiritual concept. I'm sharing this as an established fact. Go check out these stats with a medical doctor. Now, if those odds haven't made you feel as amazing as they make me feel, then think about this.

Go back five generations in your family. That would be to a great-great-great grandparent. Having extensive genealogy records for my family, I know who my great-great-great grandfather was and where he was born.

He was born in 1795 in Kentucky. Just 18 years after our country declared its independence. He met his wife by some set of circumstances, which I'm not aware of. Nonetheless, just imagine your own experience, or perhaps that of your parents (or grandparents) and know that the odds weren't good that he and this particular woman got together.

Now add to the equation that the odds that they ever conceived and had the particular child that they had, were also in the one in several millions odds. Now, THAT child grew up and met someone else and the process goes on and on.

My point? Imagine the odds that you ever arrived here on this planet. Trillions to one. Your life is amazing. You may not feel like it. You may feel the lowest emotions that a human can feel. Nonetheless, the FACT remains that YOU ARE A MIRACLE!!!

Perhaps in another article, I'll get into to the amazing biological, skeletal/muscular make up of your body (which is itself a miracle.) For right now, just allow yourself to consider and deeply think about, how YOU got HERE.

You, my dear friend, are no accident. You are amazing! You were a miracle the day you began your existence on this planet. And, you still are. Most people are never taught to love themselves.

Most people are never taught to really understand how awesome they really are. Through a lot of emotional and psychological damage that we get from very ill informed sources in this world, we never face the REALITY of who and what we really are.

I'm here, telling you, YOU ARE AMAZING! I know it. You have talents, skills, intelligence and heart to do miracles in your own life. You have potential that you haven't even begun to tap into its power.

You've likely either forgotten or, you never knew how the facts that supports you as being a phenomenal being. Take some time today and think about what I've shared with you here. Think about the dreams, hopes, desires and incredible vision inside of your mind. I'm not asking you to ''believe'' anything.

I'm just giving you the FACTS. You are amazing! You can do, be and have more than you've ever dreamed possible. Let yourself awakened to the TRUTH about you. Get your dreams off of the shelf and dust them off. Let them live again in your heart, soul and mind.

Keep believing that you can and will accomplish them. Then, expect them and watch your awesome life unfold.

Meditation: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. – Psalm 139:14

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Dr. Brad Swift

"All is in Divine Order and working perfectly even when it doesn't at first glance look like it. Take this economic crisis -- while it may not match our preferences for how we'd like it to be, it's the perfect outcome to expect when you have a small number of egocentric people hungry for power and run by greed making the decisions and policies while everyone else casts a blind eye of ignorance and complacency." Brad Swift from meditation.

While participating in John Randolph Price's 40 Day Prosperity Plan which includes meditating each day and then journaling, the above statement flowed from my pen. Upon reflecting on it later, it felt true and worthy of expanding upon. For years I've used the affirmation, "All is in Divine Order so I flow with what's flowing," especially during those times that it didn't look or feel like Divine Order was present.

Now, I see that those times may have gone against the grain of my preferences, but were consistent with the thought and emotional patterns that preceded the times. And if we are not awake and aware, it is easy to perpetuate the undesired conditions through worry, doubt, fear, and lack-based thinking. The realization that "all is in Divine Order" is a perfect point from which to pivot to a new reality, perhaps even to a reality that is both in Divine Order and more consistent with our preferences, especially when those preferences are aligned with the greater good of all concerned.

============= Applying it to Daily Life =============

While this may be an interesting observation and thought process, how do we apply it to our everyday lives?

May I suggest the following:

1. Notice a time or situation that may not appear to be in Divine Order or that doesn't match with your preferences. Maybe it's something as simple as rushing around to get yourself to work, then walking out to the car only to find one of your tires is flat?

2. How, you might ask, could a flat tire that's going to make you late for work be in Divine Order? And that's exactly what I invite you to do -- ask this question of your Inner Guidance. See if you can ask it, not from a place of upset and frustration but with an authentic sense of curiosity. "Wow, this sure doesn't look or feel to be in Divine Order. So, I'm curious, how might this be in Divine Order?

3. Then be open to receiving input. As possible answers come, check in to see which feel most empowering, and don't be surprised if there's more than one, since often Divine Order has multiple ways of serving.

Here are some possible responses to the above scenario: "This is God's not so subtle way to suggest I slow down and pay more attention. The car was pulling to that side yesterday on the drive home. If I hadn't been in such a rush, I'd known to check the tires. "This is God suggesting to me to learn to be more comfortable in reaching out for support from others. I know I could still make it to work on time by simply calling Joe to swing by and pick me up.

Now, the question is, "will I allow another to support me like that?" "This is Divine intervention suggesting to me that today is not a day to work. That I've been putting in a lot of overtime and it's time for a bit of rest and rejuvenation time. I'll go inside and call AAA to have the tire fixed and take one personal day for me. This way, I'll be much more effective in my work upon returning."

Remember, to look for which responses feel right, and that appear to point you to the 'greater good of all concerned.' Follow that guidance and see where it leads.

Meditation: Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. – Psalm 116:7

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Tim Burningham

My family and I recently returned from a trip to Utah. During the trip we spent much of our time at a beautiful lake near the Bear River Mountains. One day our group planned various hikes through the majestic mountains with rugged terrain and peaks that soared to nearly 10,000 feet.

With a pregnant wife and three young children, my family decided we'd stick to the flat, even surfaced three quarter mile hike. However, at the last minute we decided to try the somewhat steep and rocky 8-mile hike-just to see how far we could make it before turning back. To my surprise, and with my 2 year old son in arms nearly the entire trip, our family completed the eight mile hike together.

In life, we are often faced with challenges and opportunities that are difficult and often seem impossible. However, our potential and capacity is amazing. Many times we underestimate or do not realize what we can do. Many times we put self-imposed limits on ourselves and fail to venture to the unknown or dare to do the impossible.

Whether it's fear, a lack of confidence, complacency, or other reasons, we often hold back and do not push ourselves. For some reason, somewhere along our life journey, we begin to believe we cannot do hard things. I have learned through this hiking experience and other life adventures and challenges though, that we can do hard things. We can do things that are beyond our own wildest imaginations if we allow ourselves to believe and try.

At the beginning of the day, I never believed my family could or would complete the trip. I thought it would be too difficult for us, but we did it. It wasn't always easy and at times I doubted we'd make it all the way but we did. And, because we did, we were able to view some of the most spectacular images and enjoy the peace and serenity of the mountains. We saw wild flowers blooming in colorful, luscious fields, majestic peaks soaring high above us in the air, a buck scampering across snow in search of food, and a calm crystal-clear hidden lake.

The reward for our efforts was beauty and tranquility all around us as well as a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And for my 5 and 6 year olds who walked the entire trip on their own, they can look back on this experience often and feel good about who they are and what they can achieve.

So what rewards are we missing because we are unwilling to do hard things? And why do we deny ourselves of the incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from achieving difficult tasks? Our potential is great and each of us has the capacity to do great things. Let's stop holding back and start believing that we can do hard things!

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

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listening to him.

When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Let’s say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. "Bright Eyes" across the table says, "You upset that glass of chocolate milk." I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake ("Red pencil" mentality!)

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied? Emptied many times because people don't really think about what they are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, "That is a pretty tie you have," and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill up our own; we only lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds "fakey," or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is "brown-nosing."

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.

Meditation: He who gives a right answer kisses the lips. – Proverbs 24:26

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail."

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Meditation: A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. – Proverbs 18:1

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith
________

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith, ' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.'

Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
________

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,

God

Meditation: A righteous man regards the life of his animal...He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. – Proverbs 12:10, 1 John 4:8

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Japanese Folktale

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could.

To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

Meditation: As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. – Proverbs 27:19

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Linda Davenport

Six Words That Changed a Life Six words - "Smile...it can't be that bad." - changed Judy's life.

Judy is a young woman I worked with some years ago. She was in her late twenties, maybe early thirties, more than a little overweight, and not the most stylish dresser. What was most striking about her appearance was her smile; it was always there. Anyone passing Judy in the hallway was greeted with that smile and a soft, "Hello," or, "Good morning," in her gentle, Minnesota accent.

I happened to be with Judy one day when she had her driver's license out of her purse. The photograph on her license showed a face that looked like it had never smiled! The corners of her mouth were turned down, her face looked slack, and the eyes were dark and troubled. The overall impression was anger and deep grief.

"Whoa! Judy...is that really you? What in the world was going on? You look like you're mad at the world!" Judy giggled. "Yes, it's me. I used to look like that all the time."

She then shared with me her story and the six words that changed her life. Judy had moved to Tennessee to care for an invalid uncle. Her life revolved around caring for this much older and very ill man who, though grateful, offered little in the way of good company for a shy young woman.

When he died, Judy realized for the first time that she had nothing - no job skills, no education, no experience with which to support herself, and no friends. Lonely, grieving, and terrified, she took a big step and enrolled in a community college CAD/CAM program. The Judy that walked the halls between classes was the Judy captured in her driver's license photo. She didn't talk, didn't smile, didn't make eye contact.

One day, however, she met an instructor in the hallway who, in passing, said, "Smile...it can't be that bad." As Judy told me the story, she giggled again. "I was so embarrassed! And I didn't say anything at all. I couldn't. But I started thinking...maybe he was right." Nothing in Judy's life had changed, but she made a decision to smile anyway, to put a smile on her face without waiting for it to spontaneously show up. And so she did.

She would arrive at school and, very self-consciously at first, put a smile on her face as she walked across the parking lot. She forced herself to look up at the people she met, even if only for an instant. Over and over she repeated to herself the six words that started her down the path: "Smile...it can't be that bad." Without realizing it, she said, she had begun to practice "fake it 'till you make it," acting happy even when she wasn't. "And when I did," she said, "things changed.

People stopped avoiding me. Before, people sometimes crossed the halls to walk on the other side, and if they didn't, I did. When I started smiling, even though I didn't really feel it, people reacted differently. It took a little while, but one morning, someone actually said hello to me. And I smiled for real!"

Judy later went to the instructor who had made the comment and thanked him. As you might expect, he was surprised that his almost throwaway comment had that kind of impact. Judy met his family, visited his church, and slowly developed a social network. After living in Tennessee for more than ten years, she made her first friends.

When she told me the story, she finished with, "See? You never know how you might influence someone with what you say. Those six words changed my life. When I started acting happy, I became happy. I didn't even know it was happening, but it was, and I'm so glad he told me to, 'Smile...it can't be that bad.' He was right...it wasn't that bad...and it won't ever be that bad again."

Today's Joy Juice by Judy - happiness is a choice; fake it 'till you make it if you have to; and pay attention to the words you say...you may change someone's life.

Meditation: If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’ – Job 9:27

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

By Lily Belland

People say to me, when I'm telling my life struggles and amazements, "Oh yes, I know." And what I want to say is "Really? Do you really know?" Do you know expectations, like those that come home from the hospital with that beautiful baby of what his future holds? Do you know what it is to have those expectations crossed off one by one or all at once, only to have them replaced by new ones?

Oh yes, you know expectations, but do you know hope? Do you know achievements, with all their hard work and determination, big or small or somewhere in between? Do you know what it is to spend hours on each and every baby step?

Oh yes, you know achievement, but do you know triumph? Do you know teachers and aides who give their all every day for the time they are with your child as well as hours after in planning and preparation? Do you know what it is to put 6 hours of effort into 40 minutes of success?

Oh yes, you know teachers, but do you know heroes? Do you know patience, and the endurance of cleaning up spilled milk every day for years and not crying over it or wondering if he's doing it on purpose? Do you know what it is after years of getting milk all over your hands to go nine whole days without a single drop of milk getting spilled?

Oh yes, you know patience, but do you know joy? Do you know judgment, good or bad, in the looks of others as you help your child navigate his day? Do you know what it is to rise above the scorn and scowls and do what needs to be done when your child is having a "moment"?

Oh yes, you know judgment, but do you know strength? Do you know Christmas, and all its miracles and everything it stands for, or perhaps another holiday held sacred to you? Do you know what it is to almost lose everything, even Christmas, in the blink of an eye, but to have it returned to you?

Oh yes, you know Christmas, but do you know gratitude? Do you know love and the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with snuggling with your child when he's getting ready for bed? Do you know what it is to read all the reports, and watch your child "blow it" at another chance at a relationship and significantly impact your relationships as well, and to love him anyway?

Oh yes, you know love, but do you know unconditional love? Do you know serenity and security in watching your child sleep, knowing they are home in your safe and loving care? Do you know what it is just hours before to have the entire Police Department and all of your friends driving around looking for your child while you pray he's not broken in the middle of the road?

Oh yes, you know serenity, but do you know peace? Do you know words and the power of communication and emotion they create, especially those four amazing ones that tug at your heart? "I love you Mommy." Do you know what it is to wait for years to hear any words and even longer to hear those magic words?

Oh yes, you know words, but do you know miracles?

Meditation: And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. – 1 Corinthians 8:2

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

by Beverly Catchings

I got up early this morning at 4:40am to put the finishing touches on my son's reading fair project and to give myself time to set up the project and still get to work by 7:30. I woke the boys up earlier than usual so that they too could be ready. My youngest, who was excited, got up and immediately got dressed. My oldest on the other hand took his time.

When I finished ironing and went to take my bath, I saw him walking out of the house with no shirt on. He proceeds to ask me if I knew what time it was. I asked him to focus on getting himself ready because I was getting ready too. I also asked him to get the table out of the storage room for the display since he was walking out the door; he responded by lifting the trash that he was putting out as if to say, "I can't my hands are full".

Once I got dressed, while preparing to leave the house I realized that he was not ready, nor had he gotten the table out of the storage. At that very moment, though angry and disappointed, I made an active decision not to engage him. I made one comment..."all I ask for Lord is a little help". Then I proceeded to load the car. Got the table out of the storage and instructed the youngest to make sure he had all of his things.

It took me 5 trips to the car to get everything loaded. I then jumped in the car, look both ways, and nothing was coming, and pulled out of the drive. When I looked to my left, I noticed the butt of my neighbor's car in the passenger side window. She'd backed out of her drive at the same time as I and we'd collided. We both got out of the car to assess the damage. There was no physical damage that I could see. I thanked God, and then we bid each other a good day and pulled off.

When I got to my son's school, we unloaded the project. Again, multiple trips were made running back and forth to unload and set up. By now my time had dwindled and I still wanted to make it to work on time. As I was running to the car I noticed where she'd hit me. I had looked at the back bumper for damage and didn't see any, but in actuality she'd hit me on the front passenger door. I didn't have time to check it out. I jumped in my car and asked God to please get me to work on time without getting a ticket. You see by now I only had 8 minutes to get from my son's school to my job. Yes, I was speeding but I made it to work at exactly 7:30. Again, I thanked Jesus.

I almost dropped my head but then I saw a co-worker while walking in the building who'd given me some words of encouragement earlier in the week. His words, scripture read from Romans 12, and a quote by Helen Keller posted on My Daily Insights immediately came to mind. At that moment I decided I would be my usual self; extending my smile and bidding others a good morning.

After all, no one else needed to be affected by my misfortunes; and sympathy from others wouldn't change a thing in this situation. My positive actions were reciprocated in the students and staff as they passed my post. Their smiles automatically made me feel better.

After morning duty, I'd calmed down and relaxed. I gathered myself and proceeded to walk out to assess the damage to my car. Another co-worker walking in the hall asked how I was, I didn't want to lie, so I told him what had happened. He walked out to my car with me for moral support.

At first glance where the red paint from her car cover mine, it looked as if the door was bent. The same towel that I'd used to wipe off the table used for the reading fair was used to wipe off the paint from her car. Underneath the paint was no dent! I began repeatedly thanking Jesus. I even shouted. I look at my co-worker and assured him that I wasn't crazy...just very thankful...and not ashamed to show it.

Looking back, I realized that God had answered my original prayer and extended his hand from Heaven and provided me "a little help".

Meditation: C[i]all upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.[/i] – Psalm 50:15

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

A wise old man was sitting at the river bank when he saw a cat that had fallen into the water, flailing around, trying to save itself from drowning.

The man decided to save the cat. He stretched his hand out but was scratched by the cat. He pulled his hand back in pain.

However, a minute later he stretched his hand out again to save the cat, but it scratched him again, and again he pulled his hand back in pain.

Another minute later he was yet again trying for the third time!!

A man, who was nearby watching what was happening, yelled out: "O wise man, you have not learned your lesson the first time, nor the second time, and now you are trying to save the cat a third time?"

The wise man paid no heed to that man's scolding, and kept on trying until he managed to save the cat.

He then walked over to the man, and patted his shoulder saying: "My son, it is in the cat's nature to scratch, and it is in my nature to love and have sympathy. Why do you want me to let the cat's nature overcome mine?

My son: Treat people according to your nature, not according to theirs, no matter what they are like and no matter how numerous are their actions that harm you and cause you hurt sometimes.

And do not pay heed to all the voices that loudly call out to you to leave behind your good qualities merely because the other party is not deserving of your noble actions.

When you live to give happiness to others, God will send you those who will live to give happiness to you.

"Is the reward for good anything but good?"

Be beautiful in character and hearts will love you.

So never regret the moments you gave happiness to someone, even if that person did not deserve it.

And suffice in the fact that you have a Lord Who will reward you for good with good.

“The entire lesson is (about) good character, so whoever exceeds you in good character, has exceeded you in the reward.”

Meditation: But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, - Matthew 5:44

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.

Author Unknown

Once upon a time, a king had a great highway built for the people who lived in his kingdom. After it was completed, but before it was opened to the public, the king decided to have a contest. He invited as many of his subjects as desired to participate. The challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best, and the winner was to receive a box of gold.

On the day of the contest, all the people came. Some of them had fine chariots, some had fine clothing and fancy food to make the trip a luxurious journey. Some wore their sturdiest shoes and ran along the highway on their feet to show their skill. All day they traveled the highway, and each one, when he arrived at the end, complained to the king about a large pile of rocks and debris that had been left almost blocking the road at one point, and that got in their way and hindered their travel.

At the end of the day, a lone traveler crossed the finish line warily and walked over to the king. He was tired and dirty, but he addressed the king with great respect and handed him a small chest of gold. He said, "I stopped along the way to clear a pile of rocks and debris that was blocking the road. This chest of gold was under it all. Please have it returned to its rightful owner."

The king replied, "You are the rightful owner."

"Oh no," said the traveler, "This is not mine. I've never known such money."

"Oh yes," said the king, "you've earned this gold, for you won my contest. He who travels the road best is he who makes the road better for those who will follow."

Remember those words of wisdom as you travel the road of life!

Meditation: For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’ – Deuteronomy 15:11

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

To download the Daily Dew mobile app on your Android and iPhone devices, please click on http://daily-dew.com/android-iphone, for Blackberry app, click on http://daily-dew.com/blackberry.

Be a blessing; share this with your loved ones.