A Kindred Heart

This morning our preacher reminded us that we are ALL important in God’s eyes.  I don’t know about you but I don’t often think of myself as a valuable servant. After all I can see what the preacher and his wife do. I know how busy the elders are. Sunday school teachers are surely one of the most valuable, but me? We each minister in our own way and God works through his sons and daughters in different ways.

Today after church I was on my way to the back of the building when I had an overpowering urge to speak to a woman that I rarely talk to at church.  Our paths simply seldom cross, but this morning I went out of my way to go to her and ask how she was doing.  She promptly burst into tears and began to tell me about a problem that I had no idea she was having.  I hugged her, promised to pray for her, and left her side feeling humbled. It was clear to me why I needed to speak to her. It was also clear to me who had urged me to reach out to her.  God leads us where we need to go if we will put our hand in his and yield to his will.

Society places a high value on beauty. People with certain characteristics and features are considered beautiful and may enjoy public attention because of it. There are even people who opt to have plastic surgery (sometimes many surgeries) to attain physical beauty. No matter how hard a person may work at being “beautiful” eventually we all grow old and beauty fades.

But there is good news….

The beauty that really matters is in our hearts and it never fades!

I don’t know about you but I’m not looking forward to at least four more months of Presidential campaigning.  It’s not the campaigning I object to as much as the WAY they campaign.  As a mom I don’t allow my children to say ugly things about other people, but evidently no one’s mom is in charge of political candidates. If they were here are a few things they might say…..

1. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

2. Treat the other candidate the way you want to be treated.

3. Focus on ideas and issues you would like to see put in place and avoid generalitites.

4. Always, always tell the truth.

5. Put a cap on spending. In a day and age when most Americans can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks and buy groceries on the same day the amount of money spent on political campaigns is absurd and an insult to folks in need.

6. Read the Bible daily and pray for our country and do your best to bring honor to your family and your country. 

While I’m thinking about it, most of us should be doing most of these as well even if we’re not running for President!

Last week I spoke to a group of teachers in Somerset, Kentucky. On the way into the building I walked past a magnolia tree. The sweet smell of the blossoms caught my attention and I stopped, turned around and went back to sniff more. I remembered my camera was in my purse and snapped the picture you see here. I paused a moment to give God thanks for the many wonderful gifts of nature that I often fail to appreciate.

What gifts of nature surround you? Do you take time to stop and sniff the magnolia blossoms? If you don’t, try to make time. It will make your day more pleasant and take away some of the rushed, hurried feelings we often carry with us.

Thank you God for the joys and gifts of nature. Your presence surrounds us in all things. I feel your touch in the gentle breeze and warm sunshine. I rejoice in the gentle rain and the mist that rises over the river. You are an awesome God!

The big news story this morning is about a group of young girls who made a pact to get pregnant. That’s right, they made a deal with each other to try and get pregnant. When I was in high school girls who got pregnant were few and far between.  No one wanted the stigma of being an unwed mother. Things sure have changed.

The news anchor I listened to this morning interviewed a psychiatrist who discussed the girls need for love and how low self esteem and depression played a part in this decision. I wasn’t surprised to hear this because I have been a high school teacher and worked with teens just like this. Many of the girls in my class got  pregnant. Some had miscarriages, some have already had a second and third child since I had them in class.

When children grow up in homes where there are few rules (if any), no strong emotional ties, and no spiritual training, it isn’t hard to understand there need to fill an empty void.

What is your opinion on teens having babies?  What do you think we can do to curb this behavior?

The headline read Top Ten New Species named. In 2007 scientists discovered and named thousands of new species.  The article described just ten of those and went on to quote a scientist as saying, “Most people do not realize just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth’s species is or the steady rate at which taxonomists are exploring that diversity.”

Most people might not, but God does.

We live in an “information age” where scientists study and learn new revelations daily and have been doing so for a long time, and still man doesn’t know a fraction of what our heavenly Father does.

Our God is truely an awesome God. New species? New to man…not to God.

All our children were home today and went to church with us this morning.  They gave their dad a card and some gifts (yes he got two ties) and we grilled out burgers and hotdogs. It was a wonderful day and my husband loved being the center of attention.

This afternoon I read the newspaper and learned about a father who punished his thirteen year old son by tying him to a tree and leaving him there. Not only did this father do it once, but he tied the boy to the tree two days in a row.  His step-mother found him unresponsive. The boy was dead.

This sad and tragic event reminded me that what makes a man a father is not just being present at the moment of a child’s conception. It takes an investment of love and compassion. It takes hours of effort and prayer. It takes setting a good example and being there in good times and bad.

Adults who abuse children need help and they need our prayers. They need God and guidance. Let’s hope they find it before another child suffers.

Okay, I think I have it correct this time. Father’s Day is this Sunday, not last Sunday as I thought all last week. 

Today as I write this blog entry I can’t help but think about the fathers of the boys who were killed by a tornado at Boy Scout camp in Iowa this week. Just last week they took their boys to camp and were planning to pick them up today and celebrate Father’s Day with them on Sunday.  Then the tornado hit and in the blink of an eye their lives were changed forever. What a tough day Sunday will be for those parents. 

This Sunday celebrate Father’s Day, but also remember that not all dads will have joy in their heart on that day. Say a prayer for them and if you can, reach out to them. Better yet, let them know that Jesus loves them and wants to help them. He is a Savior who knows the hearts of all and who wants to comfort them as only he can. 

One of my favorite things about public speaking is traveling and seeing new places.  Even though I’ve lived in Kentucky most of my life, I’ve never been to Paducah before.  Because I was scheduled to speak there at 8:30 this morning and it’s over a three hour drive from my house, my son and I left yesterday and stayed at a hotel last night.

Going into Paducah we crossed the Cumberland River and then the Tennesse River.  It was a hot summer day and the water looked like glass.  It reminded me of the song we sing at church. The one that says “I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.” 

There have been times in my life when that peace hasn’t been in my heart, and oh what a difference it makes! When I remember that God is in control and I place all my trust in him I find the peace that I so desperately crave.

Do you have peace in your soul? If you don’t would you like to have?  Jesus promises it to everyone and it can be yours too.