I was listening to K-LOVE recently and they were talking about people in Rwanda who do not have clean water.  Parents have to make the decision between giving their children water to drink that may make them sick, or to buy wood (which is expensive) in order to boil the water to make it drinkable.  The little money they have would be spent on wood, instead of food, which creates another problem.  K-LOVE was asking listeners to donate to Compassion International in order to provide filters so these families can have clean water for life.

As I sat in my car listening to this, I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in that kind of reality.  I went over in my mind all of the times during my daily routine I use clean water that is right at my fingertips.  I just couldn’t fathom the heartbreak of not having clean water to give to my child.

Then I started thinking about the joy these families must feel when they receive the water filter and realize they no longer have to worry about getting access to clean water.  What a wonderful experience to be there and witness this organization being the hands and feet of Jesus – not only providing clean water for physical needs, but also sharing the Gospel with these same families.

In John 4:13 Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman at the well:  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Then the Holy Spirit gently reminded me…I don’t have to go to Rwanda in order to offer “the water of eternal life” to others.  God has placed me in my own little mission field…in my neighborhood and in contact with certain people in order to do the very same thing.  Sometimes in the busyness of life, it’s easy to forget that people we see everyday who do not know Jesus personally are thirsting for the water of eternal life that only comes from Him.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to share the Gospel with them so that they, too, can experience true joy and freedom in Christ.

Melissa

What are you all grateful for? the sweet, smiling lady asked the women at my table, during Bible Study. The subject that evening had something to do with gratitude. I stared at the piece of paper lying in front of me. On it, we were supposed to write 10 things we were thankful for, and then pick one to share with the others.

But I couldn’t come up with a single one.

I knew I was blessed. I don’t think I was ungrateful. But I felt overwhelmed and dissatisfied with the way my life was going, had been going, for a while now. I was unhappy with my weight, my children’s performance at school, my finances, my romantically-challenged husband, my career, my home…

Dreading my turn at the table, I wondered what had reduced me to this miserable point. I used to be happy, I pondered dejectedly. How did I lose my joy?

Truth was I had lost more than the ability to smile. I had lost my way.

That evening, after Bible Study, I went home determined to do something about the way I felt. Aware I couldn’t just “snap” out of my pitiful attitude, I prayed for a miracle, one that would turn my perspective around.

My answer came a few days later, while sweeping my living room floor. I found myself complaining, as usual, about all those things that become more evident when one cleans house: messy kids, endless housework, old scratched up furniture, smudgy walls, not enough money and even less energy to try to keep up.

Suddenly, a voice whispered in my ear: Change the way you see things, Ana.

A battle raged in my mind and my heart ached dully. “I don’t think I can,” I cried. “This is so hard, Lord! Please, help me.”

Just try. And trust Me.

I took a deep breath and shook my head to give my brain a chance to reboot. This was not going to be easy, but I had to give it a try, knew that the rotten attitude had to go. Grabbing the tired broom, I began to sweep again.

When I looked at the smears on my walls, I paused and thought about all the happy moments and treasured memories these walls held. When I swept out a dirt sock from underneath our old couch, I thanked God for my children and the chance of being their mother. As dust particles and dog hair flew all around me, making me sneeze and crazy with frustration, I remembered the feeble shacks with dirt floors I had visited during a missions trip to Honduras. My house looked like a palace in comparison.

The more I swept and the more I endeavored to change my perspective, the lighter my heart felt. I realized that my life wasn’t really that bad or hard, after all – though my struggles were still very real.

My house was definitely in need of a new coat of paint. My children’s challenges at school were great, but not insurmountable. Money was tight, yet we had plenty to eat and a sturdy roof over our heads.

I was able to believe, once again, that with God’s help I could face whatever came my way, because His hand was still mighty to save. Just as long ago, when He saved me from a life without hope and purpose. Just as He did this day, while cleaning my house, when he opened my eyes to rediscover my blessings and turned my heart around to fill it with joy.

Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

May your Thanksgiving Day be filled with hope, joy, and a new perspective,

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

Word for the year……….

 For many years, I have prayed about and come up with a “word for the year”.  Yes, I do also write goals for the year!  However, besides Bible reading, when the going gets tough and life is so hectic you can’t remember if you already took your morning vitamin or not,  remembering “one word” is about all I can realistically hang on to some days.

 In the past, I have had words such as “purpose,” or perspective,  “When I get  into a “situation” during the course of the year—by this I  mean one of those times when I am overwhelmed, underwhelmed, very tired, very hurt, quite sad, exceedingly glad, or worried— I think of my “word.”  I might ask myself something like, “OK, what is the best perspective in this particular situation for the long haul?” 

“What is the perspective of the other person?”

“What is the worst thing that can happen?”

Or,

“Does this project I am thinking of taking on fit with my life purposes?  Or am I taking it on because of guilt or trying to please someone?”

“What is the purpose of this project?”

“Does volunteering at my child’s school fit with my life purposes?” (It does.)

“Does accepting to also work on the PTA fit with my life purpose?” (It does not.)

“Am I living my life on purpose, or am I letting others set my agenda for me?”

 For 2010, after praying, I have chosen the word, “Present.”  Ana Stine talked about this in one of our blogs and I have also been impacted by some Brennan Manning books dealing with this topic.  I do really want to live in the present. 

 I don’t want to keep looking back and mulling over the past. (Mistakes, problems, things I wish I would have said, things I wish I wouldn’t have said….)  I don’t want to look to the future and not enjoy and notice what is happing right now because I am pre-occupied with what will be happening tomorrow or the next day (or the next year).

 God, help me live in the present!  I want to enjoy the now.  I want to notice what is right in front of me.  I want to laugh with my children and listen about Transformer toys and fish, and frogs.

 Enjoy the present!

 Blessings,

Thora

 Would anyone else like to share a word for the year they have chosen?

 Has anybody tried to “transform” a Transformer toy? My son, Luke, loves Transformers even though he has never seen the movie.  He asked for Transformer toys for his 6^th birthday and got quite a few of them.  They are much more difficult than they look to “transform.” (This means transforming them from things like vehicles and planes into robots by doing a series of twists and turns and manipulations on a small plastic figure while looking at an instruction sheet with pictures too small to decipher and constantly wondering if you are going to break the toy in the process.)  The toy boxes say “5-years and older.”  I am 48 and I still can’t figure out how to transform most of them.  This has led to much frustration for both of us.

Luke even got underwear for a gift which has the Transformer logo and words to part of the song on them, “Transformers…More than Meets the Eye.”

He asked, “What does, ‘more than meets the eye’ mean?”

I tried explaining it in various ways.  “It is more than you bargained for; it is not what you first expected.  When you first saw it, it did not look as powerful as it really was.”

 After this, Luke said, “What does ‘more than meets the eye’ mean?”

So much for my explanation.

Well, I think all of us meet people and situations which turn out to be “more than meets the eye.”  It may be someone who “underwhelms us upon first meeting them and they turn out to be amazing.  Or it might be someone who after knowing them for a season, deceives us or disappoints us by their behavior.  The experience is truly more than we bargained for or expected.  It is “more than meets the eye.”

 In situations like these, we need God to intervene.  I pray when life gives you something that is “more than meets the eye,” you will find God’s grace, wisdom and intervention.  May God help us to constantly focus on Him for whatever is “more than meets the eye.”

 (And, since I’m asking, may He give me incredible ability to see in 3-D and correctly transform toys)

 Please share your story with us!

 Blessings,

Thora