The Heart of A Woman

The Heart of A Woman

By the time the Lord made woman,
He was into his Sixth day of working overtime.

An Angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time
on this one?"

And the Lord answered and said, "Have you seen the spec sheet on
her?  She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have
200 movable parts, all replaceable, run on black coffee and
leftovers, have a lap that can hold two children at one time
and that disappears when she stands up, have a kiss that can
cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart, and have
six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one.
"Six pairs of hands!
No Way!" said the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem.
It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!
And that's just on the standard model?"

The Angel asked about the three pairs of eyes.
The Lord nodded. "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the
closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even
though she already knows.

Another pair in the back of her head are to see what she needs
to know even though no one thinks she can.  And the third pair
are here in the front of her head.  They are for looking at an
errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or
her without even saying a single word."

The Angel tried to stop the Lord.  "This is too much work for
one day, wait until tomorrow to finish."
"But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing
this creation that is so close to my own heart.  She already
heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a family on a pound
of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower."

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made
her so soft, Lord."  "She is soft," The Lord agreed, "but I have
also made her tough.  You have no idea what she can endure or
accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the Angel.  The Lord replied,
"Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason
and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the
woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this
model.  I told you that you were trying to put too much into
this one."  "That's not a leak," The Lord objected, "That's a
tear!"  "What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her
sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her loneliness, her grief,
and her pride."

The Angel was impressed.  "You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything, for women are truly amazing."

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They carry children,
they carry hardships,
they carry burdens but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up for injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a
better solution.
They go without new shoes so their children can have them.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends
get awards.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They have sorrow at the loss of a family member, yet they
are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much
they care about you.  The heart of a woman is what makes the
world spin!

Women do more than give birth.
They bring joy and hope.
They give compassion and ideals.
Women have a lot to say and a lot to give.

Pass it along to your women friends
to remind them how amazing they are.

The road to success

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

Footsteps in the Garden: Guilt and Grace

Footsteps in the Garden: Guilt and Grace

Genesis 3:7

"Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked" (Genesis 3:7a)
Let us look inside this human experience . . . this first experience with guilt and shame.
Although Adam was fresh in human experiences, he knew he had never felt like this. While he had no name for it, he knew he didn't like it. His stomach was fluttering, his face felt tight. His cheeks were hot, throat and constricted.
It was difficult to look at Eve. The former feeling of delight was gone. Instead he felt some repulsion, a slight edge of nausea. She looked at him as though she could see through him and didn't like what she saw.
Their relationship had all seemed so natural and comfortable. Now they couldn't talk to each other. He had felt free and safe and now he felt bound and vulnerable, exposed. He felt the need to cover himself, to hide. From what? From whom? So, quietly, without any discussion of what they were doing, he and Eve made a covering for their bodies and hid.
God would be taking His early evening stroll. Adam who had delighted in seeing His creator now found himself gripped with human feelings he would learn to call fear and guilt. The expected happened. "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden." What a fearful sound that must have been. Quiet steps on soft grass can be as shattering to the guilty as a slight sound to a migraine sufferer. The steps were jarring to those sensitive and wounded spirits. Although it may have been a call of friend to friend, " Where are you?" It must have caused Adam to leap from his hiding place like a startled rabbit.
It the meeting of downcast eye with searching eye Adam was now in the presence of the One he had betrayed. The full intensity of the feeling came. The face tightened even more, feeling as though it would split.. The constriction in the throat made speech almost impossible. The words sounded dry and raspy. Adam had an instinctive desire to throw up his hands to ward off a blow he knew he deserved. "I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
"Who told you, you were naked?"

The loss of innocence, when does it come? When do you know you are naked? I remember as child, if you innocently appeared without your clothes on in the presence of those other than your parents the adults would say," Shame, shame!" For the first time you knew you were naked . . . You felt shame for what you were because of others discomfort. You were robbed of your innocence by the shame of others. This is not the guilt and shame of which I speak.
"Who told you, you were naked?" The real loss of innocence comes when we are legitimately responsible for circumstances in which we find ourselves and genuinely ashamed of our behavior. It is when the sense of nakedness comes from self-awareness, from within. Our moral weakness has been exposed, our true motivation has been revealed, a character deficiency has been made transparent. Suddenly, we are known for what we are, what we really think, how we really feel.

If It Be God's Will

If we ask in faith
then we must believe
if it be God’s will . . .
our requests we’ll receive.

If we ask in faith,
and put aside our doubt
if it be God’s will . . .
our pleas He’ll carry out.

If we ask in faith,
without any hesitation
if it be God’s will . . .
He’ll bless our supplication.

If we ask in faith,
and not have any distrust
if it be God’s will . . .
our prayers He’ll grant us.

If we ask in faith,
if it be God’s will . . .
then our requests to Him
He will indeed fulfill!

James 1:6

“But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth
is like a wave
of the sea driven
with the wind and tossed.”

Be Still . . .

Be still, my soul, be at peace,
let not thy worries overcome.
Be still, and know He is your God,
and will . . . your heart strings . . . strum.

Be still, my heart, and let go,
let surrender be thy sweet release.
Be still, and know God's saving power,
to eternity, can never fail or cease.

Be still, my mind, and give Him thy all,
let thy weakness take you to your knees. 
Be still, and know of God's sufficiency,
where His glory, surpasses all thy needs.

Be still, my spirit, admit thy defeat,
let thyself dwell on things from above. 
Be still, and know He is in control,
and be strengthen, by and in His love.

Be still, my soul, be at peace,
let Him complete in thee His perfect will.
Be still, and know He is your God,
and will . . . your heart strings . . . still.

Psalm 46:10

Start The Year With God

The old year has come and gone.
A new year is now in sight.
We make New Year's resolutions.
We desire to do what is right.

Wanting to make self-improvement
Is admirable on everyone's part,
But as you start this new year,
Do you have Jesus in your heart?

We desire to improve ourselves,
But it's hard to do it on our own.
If we have help from the Lord,
We will not have to do it alone.

Jesus came to earth to die for us.
He shed His blood for all men.
If we accept Him as our Savior,
He will forgive us of our sin.

Accept Jesus as your Savior now
And start the new year with God.
Then live for Him and do His will
While on this earth you trod.

Oh, New Year

I gaze 'cross the field of untrodden tomorrows,
And pray for its yield, for its joy and its sorrow,
As softly, without warning the old year slips away,
Like mist in the morning at the dawn of the day

Oh New Year unbroken, you are a mystery,
But as each day is spoken it too becomes history,
A shadow, a flicker, a soft, fleeting breath,
This life, but a vapor ere it rests 'neath the earth

I gaze 'cross the field, still perfect, unscarred,
Like a sparkling shield of snow, still unmarred,
No footprints, no dances, no echo of voices
On this unpainted canvas, awaiting my choices

Oh, New Year untarnished, your hope gleams before me,
The old year has vanished, its fame and its glory,
It rests in the urn of all by-gone years
Where none can return to its laughter or tears

So I gaze at this field, unbroken, untrodden,
Soon too its fair yield will lie silent, forgotten,
But the seeds that I scatter in my joy and my strife
Will bear fruit that I'll gather at the end of my life