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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY!
A young man came to
a Master and asked "How long is it likely to take me to attain
enlightenment?"
Said the Master "Ten
years".
The young man was
shocked. "So Long?" he asked incredulously.
Said the Master "No,
that was a mistake. It will take you twenty years."
The young man asked
"Why did you double the figure?"
Said the Master
"Come to think of it, in your case it will probably be thirty
years." |
Some people will never learn anything
because they grasp everything too soon.
Wisdom, after
all, is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of
travelling.
If you travel too fast you will miss the
scenery.
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LESSONS ON LIFE
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not
to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in
turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the
third in summer, and the youngest son in the autumn.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to
describe what they had seen.
The
first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The
second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of
promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that
smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful
thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and
drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because
they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only
one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure,
joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the
end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your
spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your autumn. |
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The following
pictures are of the same place but taken in different seasons... |
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AN EIGHT YEAR OLD
EXPLAINS GOD
One of God’s main jobs
is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so
there will be enough people to take care of things here on earth.
He doesn’t make
grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier
to make. That way, He doesn’t have to take up His valuable
time teaching them to talk and walk, He can just leave that to
mothers and fathers.
God’s second most
important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this
goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times
besides bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio
or TV on account of this. Since He hears everything, not only
prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless
He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything and
hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps Him pretty busy.
So you shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your parent’s
head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.
Atheists are people who
don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula
Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.
Jesus is God’s Son. He
used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing
miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn
about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and
they crucified Him. But He was good and kind like His Father
and He told His Father that they didn’t know what they were doing
and to forgive them and God said OK. His Dad (God) appreciated
everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He
told Him He didn’t have to go out on the road anymore, He could stay
in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by
listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God
to take care of and which ones He can take care of himself without
having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important, of
course.
You can pray anytime
you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it worked
out so one of them is on duty all the times.
You should always go to
church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there’s anybody
you want to make happy, it’s God. Don’t skip church to do
something you think will be more fun like going to the beach.
This is wrong! And, besides, the sun doesn’t come out at the beach
until noon anyway.
If you don’t believe in
God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your
parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can.
It is good to know He’s
around you when you’re scared in the dark or when you can’t swim
very good and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.
But you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you.
I figure God put me
here and He can take me back anytime He pleases. And that’s
why I believe in God.”
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Written by Danny
Dutton, age 8, from Chula Vista, California, for his third grade
homework assignment to “Explain God. |
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THE THIEF ON THE OTHER CROSS
by Dr Ralph Wilson
I don't belong here, I
really don't. Heaven is the last place I expected to end up after
all I’ve done. But I'll tell you how I got here.
I am -- I was -- an
armed robber. Me and the others would live in caves in the Judean
hills near the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. We made our living on
the people who came down the road. We wouldn't take people in the
big groups that passed. They travelled together just on account of
us. But a family might be an easy mark, as well as anybody stupid
enough to travel alone.
I carried a sword. Took
it off a soldier once, but usually a strong stick would do the
trick. The threat of a beating and they would give up without
a fight. I wouldn't hurt a person much if I didn't have to -- and
never the women and children. But I've been known to break a few
bones in my day, God forgive me. I don't think I actually killed
anyone, but then I never waited long enough to find out.
We lived in the hills,
near camps of the Zealots, those revolutionaries who were trying to
overthrow the Romans. Even went on few missions with them sometimes.
It was through one of
my Zealot friends that I actually heard Jesus the first time. He
knew one of the disciples, Simon -- not Peter, the other Simon, who
had been a Zealot before becoming a disciple.
We went together to
Jericho when Jesus was coming through. I was working the crowd. Rich
Pharisees would linger near the edge, listening intently so as to
find some teaching they could report him for. Miserable swine! I'd
lift their fat purses as easy as pie. They never feel a thing in
crowd like that.
After Jesus finishes
his talk my friend takes me over to met his friend Simon, who
introduces us to the Rabbi. We shake hands and Jesus looks into my
eyes for an uncomfortably long moment. It feels like he can see
right into me - who I am, every black thing I have done. "You know,"
he says with a wisp of a smile, "there's forgiveness for you in my
Kingdom - how about it?"
I drop my eyes, say
something non-committal, and shuffle away. The next day I'm in the
crowd again, but to listen, not to work. Jesus is talking about his
Kingdom, comparing it to a mustard seed, calling it the Kingdom of
Heaven. I really want to go up after he has finished and take him up
on this forgiveness thing, but I just can't bring myself to do it. |
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It wasn't much
later when me and my friend Jake -- the guy on the third
cross -- get caught at night by a Roman patrol.
The others run
off, but they catch us, beat us silly, drag us into
Jerusalem, and throw us into prison. No mercy for us!.
And so it
happens that the same day they crucify Jesus, they crucify
me and Jake, one of us on the right, the other on the left.
This is no normal crucifixion. Mobs of people are there
because of Jesus. Those self-righteous Pharisees come, too,
making fun of Jesus, jeering him - :"If you're some kind of
messiah, come on down from that cross," one shouts.
"Saviour, save yourself -- if you can!"
Jake begins
cat-calling, too, if you can imagine that. I yell at him,
"You miserable thug, don't you have any fear of God?
Can't you see that we're going to die just like he is? Show
a little decency. We're getting exactly what we deserve, but
he’s done nothing wrong."
Jake quietens
down after that and the Pharisees lose interest. But I can't
get Jericho out of my mind. I can't forget Jesus' eyes, his
readiness to forgive, his invitation. And so I call over,
though it's hard to breathe and talking makes it that much
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"Jesus!" He turns his head towards me. "Jesus, I was there in
Jericho. Simon introduced me to you. Remember?" looks at me for a
moment and then nods his head just a little. He does remember.
"I never forgot what you said. I wanted
to say yes, but just couldn't. And now look at me -- look at us!"
He is in bad shape -- exhausted, in
excruciating pain, back oozing, flesh laid open from the scourging,
breath laboured. He isn't going to last as long as me - I can
see that. But somehow I can see beyond all that. He was the
Messiah, is the Messiah, no matter what those priests and Romans and
Pharisees have done to him. And when he dies, he will be with
God. I know it! In a few hours, maybe less, he will be vindicated.
He will be reigning in this Kingdom he told us about.
"Jesus," I call, quietly now. He opens
his eyes again. They are the same eyes, the same piercing, loving,
honest eyes.
"Jesus," I say, "when you come into your
Kingdom, would you remember me? Please?"
His words are laboured. He is parched,
near death, but I can still hear him clearly - "Truly, I say to
you...." I can see in his eyes that he means it. "... Truly, this
very day you'll be with me in Paradise."
His eyes droop and he is fading now.
But I believe him. That's what got me through those next few
hours until they broke my legs and killed me. I did believe
him!
And then I find myself in heaven.
Don't deserve to be here, but here I am. I guess that's what a
man like me gets for accepting a King's pardon. |
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ALIVE
The Sabbath seemed to drag on endlessly.
Despite the pain the thought evoked, Mary determined to go back
Sunday morning to finish anointing the Master's body with spices.
She owed him that. Sleep that night came in brief snatches.
Long before sunup, Mary was dressed to meet two other women she'd
asked to help her. Gray dawn streaked the sky as they set out.
Hurrying along, Salome whispered, "Who'll move the stone? "Oh, the
stone!" Mary said. She hadn't thought of that.
As they came in sight of the tomb, she
gasped. The stone had already been pushed aside. "Grave
robbers!" Mary cried. "Can't they leave him alone -- even in
death?" Mary ran and ran until she found Peter and John.
"They've taken the Lord's body out of the tomb," she said
breathlessly. "We don't know where they've put him!"
Peter and John took off sprinting. Mary, too tired to run any
farther, trudged slowly back to the garden tomb. By the time
she arrived Peter and John had come and gone. The other women
had waited. Now together they peered into the dank tomb. Only
coiled shroud-wrappings remained where the body had been. Suddenly
the dim tomb was lit by the dazzling appearance of two men.
Instinctively, the women shielded their eyes from the brightness and
bowed in terror. One of the angels spoke: "Why do you seek the
living among the dead? You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified. He is not here, for he has risen as he said."
The women were dazed, even after the
angels departed. "Risen?" said Salome finally. "We've got to tell
the disciples what we've seen."
At the garden's edge, Mary stopped.
"Please wait," she begged. "I need to stay here just a few
more minutes. She sat down by herself, trying to make sense of
it all. How could Jesus be alive? She had washed the corpse
herself. Wasn't it just too good to be true? Could she
cling to something this wonderful only to have her hopes dashed once
more?
But if it were true, Mary thought, if it
were true, then Jesus' whole life had meaning. If it were true, then
he was the Messiah after all. If it were true, then the One who
healed her tormented spirit had conquered death itself. If it were
true.... The sound of footsteps intruded on her thoughts. Mary
glanced up. It must be the caretaker, the gardener.
"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are
you looking for?"
Didn't he know who had been buried here?
"Sir, if you took away his body, please tell me where you've put
him, so I can bring him back." No answer. So he didn't know....
"Mary." It was Jesus! She whirled and
looked up into his face. "Rabboni! Teacher!" She dropped to
her knees and embraced his feet. Jesus, her Lord, was alive. Very
alive. Alive forever.
"I have seen the Lord," she told the
disciples. They were cynical. "Sure, Mary. Why should the Lord
appear to you, anyway -- a woman. And one with your history?" Why
indeed? Mary wondered later. Oh, he had appeared to his disciples
later the same day. But she had been the first. Maybe to show
that he really accepted her. Or maybe to prove his forgiveness was
forever. Why, she was never sure. But one thing Mary did know: her
Messiah lives!
by ChristArt.com |
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A Child's Angel
author unknown
Once upon a time there
was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God:
They tell me you are
sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being
so small and helpless?
Among the many angels,
I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take
care of you.
But tell me, here in
Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough
for me to be happy.
Your angel will sing
for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel
your angel's love and be happy.
And how am I going to
be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don't know the
language that men talk?
Your angel will tell
you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with
much patience and care, your
angel will teach you how to speak.
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And what am I going to
do when I want to talk to you?
Your angel will place
your hands together and will teach you how to pray.
I've heard that on
earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?
Your angel will defend
you even if it means risking its life.
But I will always be
sad because I will not see you anymore.
Your angel will always
talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back
to me, even though I will always be next to you. |
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At that moment there
was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be
heard, and the child in a hurry asked softly:
Oh God, if I am about
to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.
Your angel's name is of
no importance, you will call your angel: Mother. |
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CHRIST CAME TO STAND IN OUR SHOES AND TEACH US HOW TO WALK IN HIS
God spoke to me
“Walk in the shoes
of you brother or sister”
I said “I have tried”
“What did you see?”
I thought for a moment
and said “Smiling faces, painful stares, hope filled eyes”
God continued
“What did you
touch?”
I replied “the
harshness of life, the reality of the journey, the desperate need.”
God pressed me further
“What did you feel?”
I spoke now with more
urgency. I answered “anguish, anger, helplessness, compassion and
love”
God asked expectantly
“What did you do?”
I cried and through my
tears I heard myself say “I gave in and in my giving the shoes
fitted.”
God enfolded me gently
in His arms and said:
“You have stood in
the shoes of your brother and sister….. You have walked in the shoes
of Christ. May Christ who came to stand in our shoes show us,
this Lent how to walk in one another's shoes and in the shoes of our
suffering brothers and sisters.
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I MUST STAY AT YOUR HOUSE
TODAY
by
Joyce Rupp
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Zacchaeus
was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd
he could not because he was short in stature. So he ran
ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him. When Jesus
came to the place, he looked up and said to him “Zacchaeus,
hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and
was happy to welcome him. Luke 19 v 3 - 6
Jesus,
this lent I am yearning to wear a Zacchaeus heart I am wanting to
hear you call my name, just as you did his I am anxious to know that
you are inviting yourself into my home I am humbled, amazed,
excited, and astounded, just as he was. |
by ChristArt.com
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But that
is where the desire to wear a Zacchaeus heart stops. Because I
know what happens when you visit someone's house Conversations
occur, choices are presented, changes happen.
That’s
because you look for more than dust when you come to visit and you
talk about things more vital than the weather.
You move
into the hearts dimension. You gaze deeply. You dwell so
lovingly that the truth cannot be resisted.
This
Lent help me to welcome you and yearn for your love Grant me a
Zacchaeus heart that turns around and sees the truth I need the gaze
of your love to remind me of my truest self I, too, need the strong
call to make amends and start anew. Hurry, Jesus, come and
stay at my house today.
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JESUS LOVES ME
A church in Atlanta was
honouring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years
and at that time was 92 years of age. After a warm welcome,
introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quietened down, he
rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort
and a sliding gait to the podium. Without a note or written
paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady
himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak:
“When I was asked to
come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you
what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50 odd years of
preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to
just one thing that made the most difference in my life and
sustained me through all my trials. The one thing that I could
always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and
sorrow paralysed me - the only thing that would comfort me was this
verse - |
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“Jesus
loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong - we are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me - the Bible tells me so.”
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When he finished the
church was quiet. You could actually hear his footsteps as he
shuffled back to his chair.
A pastor once stated “I
always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children’s hymn
“Jesus loves me” (for the children, of course) during a hymn sing,
and it was the adults who sang the loudest because they knew it
best.”
SENIOR version of Jesus loves me:
Here is a new version
just for us who have white hair, or no hair at all. For us
over middle age (or even those almost there) and all you others,
check out this newest version of “Jesus loves me”. Read, sing
and enjoy!
Jesus loves me,
this I know
Though my hair is
white as snow
Though my sight is
growing dim
Still He bids me
trust in Him.
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by ChristArt.com
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(Chorus)
Yes, Jesus loves
me...yes Jesus loves me...Yes Jesus loves me - the Bible tells
me so.
When the nights are
dark and long
In my heart He puts
a song
Telling me in words
so clear
“Have no fear, for
I am near.”
Chorus
Though my steps are oh so slow
With my hand in His
I’ll go
On through life,
let come what may
He’ll be there to
lead the way.
Chorus
When my work on earth is done
And lives victories
have been won
He will take me
home above
Then I’ll
understand His love.
Chorus
Though I am no
longer young
I have much which
He’s begun
Let me serve Christ
with a smile
Go with others the
extra mile.
Chorus
I love Jesus, does
He know?
Have I ever told
Him so?
Jesus loves to hear
me say
That I love Him
every day.
Chorus
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THE DIVINE WEAVER |
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Man's
life is laid in the loom of time
To a
pattern he does not see
While the
weaver works and the shuttles fly
'Til the
end of eternity
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Some shuttles are filled
with silver thread
And some with threads of
gold.
While often but the darker
hue
Is all that they may hold
But the weaver watches with
skilful eye
Each shuttle fly to and fro
And sees the pattern so
deftly wrought
As the loom works sure and
slow.
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by ChristArt.com |
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God surely
planned that pattern
Each thread
- the dark and the fair
Was chosen
by His master skill
And placed
in the web with care.
He only
knows the beauty
And guides
the shuttles which hold
The threads
so unattractive
As well as
the threads of gold. |
by ChristArt.com |
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Not 'til
the loom is silent
And the
shuttles cease to fly
Shall God
unroll the pattern
And explain
the reason why.
The dark
threads are as needful
In the
weavers skilful hand
As the
threads of gold and silver
In the
pattern He had planned. |
by ChristArt.com |
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THE BEST THING TO GIVE
by Ben Franklin
The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness
To an opponent - tolerance
To a friend - your ear
To your child - good example
To a father - reverence
To a mother - conduct that will make
her proud of you
To yourself - respect
To all men - charity |
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DEATH
A sick man turned to his doctor as he
was preparing to leave the examination room and said "Doctor, I am
afraid to die - tell me what lies on the other side?"
Very quietly, the doctor said "I don't
know."
"You don't know - you a Christian man,
do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the
door - from the other side came a sound of scratching and whining.
As he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him
with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said
"Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before.
He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that
his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without
fear.
I know little of what is on the other
side of death. But I do know one thing - I know my Master is
there and that is enough."
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SMILE! |
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| God's way of
saying "Smile!". |
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THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD
- author unknown
I
dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.
“If you have the time” I said.
God smiled. “My time is eternity.” “What questions do you
have in mind for me?”
“What surprises you most about humankind?”
God answered...“That they get bored with childhood, they rush to
grow up, and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money...and then lose their
money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the
present, such that they live in neither the present nor the
future.”
"That they live as if they will never die, and die as though
they had never lived.”
God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.
And then I asked...“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons
you want your children to learn?”
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is
let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound
wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal
them.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is
one who needs the least.”
“To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply
have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it
differently.”
“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another,
but they must also forgive themselves.”
"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.
"Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"
God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here... always.”
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The on-line presentation of The
Interview with God can be viewed at
www.theinterviewwithgod.com
The
following excerpt is from the above website link:
"The Interview With God, its
popularity propelled by millions of visitors from all parts of the
world, has become a spiritual phenomenon.
The online presentation has spread like wildfire, and has touched
hearts all around the world. People of all walks of life and of all
faiths are fully embracing it. The subtle reminder of a caring and
active God has become the focus of countless emails to loved ones,
and conversations everywhere. To date, the beautiful message has
reached millions.
A remarkable number of e-mails and letters come from those that have
expressed how God has touched them and personally spoken to them
through The Interview With God. Aching hearts healed,
families touched, lives being blessed. The spirit of God's love
truly brings meaning and hope -- what our world needs, and now
receives with open arms.
Millions more are waiting for the simple and powerful message that
God is with us... always. Whose life can you touch today by sharing
The Interview With God?" |
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BE STILL BEFORE THE LORD... |
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by ChristArt.com |
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A LETTER FROM HEAVEN |
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To my dearest family, some things I’d
like to say - but first of all to let you know that I’ve arrived
OK.
I am writing this from Heaven, where I
dwell with God above - where there’s no more tears or sadness—there
is just eternal love.
Please do not be unhappy because I’m out
of sight - remember that I’m with you every morning, noon and
night.
The day I had to leave you, when my life
on earth was through God picked me up and hugged me and said “I
really welcome you - it’s good to have you back again, you were
missed while you were gone - as for your dearest family - they’ll be
here much later on.
I need you here so badly as part of my
big plan - there’s so much that we have to do to help our fellow
man. “
Then God gave me a list of things he
wished for me to do - and foremost on the list of mine is to watch
and care for you. And I will be beside you every day and week and
year, and when you’re sad I’m standing there to wipe away the tear.
When you’re fast asleep and all the
chores have taken flight - God and I will be closer to you - always
through the night.
When you think of my life on earth and
all those living years, because you’re only human they are bound to
bring you tears. Do not be afraid to cry, it does relieve the pain,
remember there would be no flowers unless there was some rain.
I wish that I could tell you all that
God has planned, but I can’t really let you know for you wouldn’t
understand.
But one thing is for certain, thought my
life on earth’s no more - I am closer to you know than I ever was
before.
And to my many friends, trust God knows
what is best, I’m still not very far away, I’m just beyond the
crest.
It was always my philosophy, and I would
like it for you too, that as you give unto the world so the world
will give to you. So if you help somebody who is feeling down and
low, just lend a hand and pick them up as on your way you go.
When you are walking down the street,
and you’ve got me on your mind, I am walking in your footsteps, I am
half a step behind. And when you feel a gentle breeze or the wind
upon your face - that’s me giving you a great big hug, or just a
soft embrace.
And when it’s time for you to go - from
that body to be free - remember that you’re not going away - you are
coming home to me.
And I will always love you from this
happy land above - I’ll soon be in touch again with you.
PS God sends His love.
Author unknown |
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