PAST THOUGHTS OF PINK

Good Day! A Big Happy Birthday to my beautiful and talented daughter Rhonda. (Shown in picture with Taylor-Rhonda on Right!) Rhonda has been a real trooper with me during this illness. It seems like she always calls just when I need it. She has been so supportive and not just a daughter, but a friend also. She has a big part of my heart.

Not feeling as good as I would like. I am so sick today. I must have the creeping crud that everyone else has had. I am always late getting anything later than most. My defenses must be down with all this illness. Or, I am getting cabin fever.

I thought I would take you back to 2004 today, when I wrote the following:

WHAT IS RIGHT?
There are so many things in this world that are wrong, I thought it might be nice to talk about what is right. Some things that come to mind are caring for others, politeness, generosity with our resources, giving of our time, telling others about Christ. . . .

What does caring for others mean? Just what it says; you should put others “needs” before your wants. If there are things that you want and you feel that you deserve them, take a look around and see those that are in need. What are their needs: food, clothing, medicine? Could we, in good conscience buy something frivolous, when we see so many others in need? It seems to me this is part of what Christianity is all about, looking out for our brothers and sisters, not only in Christ, but in humanity.

Does it hurt to be polite to others? No! As a matter of fact, it gives us joy when we see the smile on their face or even the wonder in their eyes that someone could be kind to them. Do we do things for people to see us like Christ? We can only hope that the walk that we have with Christ is evident in every step we take. Do we keep an eye out for others? A mother struggling with children and trying to put groceries on the check-out stand, a handicap person who needs some help maneuvering their way around, a person who inadvertently cuts us off in traffic, a person who says something unkind to us. . .. I could go on and on. There are so many ways to help others by being polite. Polite is a wonderful, joyous word, and when used by Christians, becomes even more significant.

Does it hurt us to be generous? I don’t think so. It comes back to us in so many ways. As Christians, we know we should tithe to our church, but do we? There are so many that don’t tithe because they say they can’t afford to, but, can they afford not to? We need to remember that the tithe is not ours in the first place. All we have belongs to God and he just wants to keep ten per cent. In addition to our tithes, there should also be offerings. These are the special needs of certain missions and are equally important to the Lord. These give you even more joy than tithing. The smile on a child’s face when they receive a scholarship to a children’s camp, food, clothing, new glasses to help them with school, or when there are plenty of resources to help them learn about Christ.

Does it hurt us to give of our time? We have a short time on this earth, but Christians know that we have the rest of eternity with the Lord. Why not give of our time while we are here on this planet to make sure that others join us in the hereafter? The old adage about that says “You can’t take it with you” does not hold out for Christians. We can take our relatives, our friends, and strangers to heaven with us, if we just expend the effort to do so. Pass out a tract, speak with someone about Christ, or show them our walk with Christ by example. Is there someone who needs a ride to the doctor, church, or to the store? Give our time here and now and our reward will be later. We not only need our church to be an equipping center, we need to be equipping centers on our own. We can take as many people as we want to Heaven. Christ will welcome as many as will come.

There are those who have rejected Christ and there may be no hope for them, but we don’t know. Only the Father knows for sure. Everything must be explained to them to ensure that they have the opportunity to see Christ as Christians see Him. The Holy Spirit needs to work in our lives and if we let the Holy Spirit guide us, He will. He will show us the way to conduct our lives and to guide others to Christ, our gentle, loving Savior. That is what is right.
- Barbara P. Duke, Deacon

That was a very special time for me. It was the first time I think I completely realized how much control of our lives we need to give to God - All of it! As I have said before "GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!" Even when we are going through dark times, the Light is always there to show us the Way. We have to take those times and learn from them, use them to reflect on the good things that God has given us. We learn to be faithful, true, and have integrity in everything we do.

I have learned over my life that there is nothing that I fear or dislike more than a lie. Lies have destroyed so many lives. If you think back to things in your life that didn't turn out well, you can always find a lie (Satan) at the bottom of it. Somewhere, someone told a lie thinking it was perhaps a "white" lie to keep from hurting someone or making themselves look bad. Over the course of time, a "white" lie becomes a cancer as it is added to and told over and over, until your life is like a pit. Well, I am out of the pit, I accept no lies, nor do I want to spread them. I have learned to cut out the "liars" in my life. I am a forgiving person, but even I have my limits. I may forgive 70x7 but I don't forget.

I guess it is time to get off my soapbox. I am getting antsy. You can only read so much or watch so much TV.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. Please comment if you so choose. I will going back to see the surgeon tomorrow.
Yours in Christ, Barbara