Spiritual Thoughts

Friday Tale ~ Tapestry of Life A s I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares were. They were filled with giant holes.   Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.   My Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare, and empty, like binding air. Fina...

  T here is only one corner of the universe  you can be certain of improving, and that is your own self. ~ Aldous Huxley  W e have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so as to walk in a manner worth of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. ~ Colossians 1:9-10 (ESV)

  T he smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention. ~ Ferdinand Duguet   F or truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. ~ Mark 9:41 (ESV)

  T here are no short cuts to any place worth going. ~ Beverly Sills   S o we do not lose heart. though our outer self is wasting away,  our inner self is being renewed day by day. For the things that are seen are transient, BUT the things that are unseen are eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16, 18 (ESV)

  T he height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions. ~ William F. Scolavino  L et us all come foward and draw near with true hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction because of our faith, having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. ~ Hebrews 10:22 (Amplified)

  Friday Tale ~ When the Chips are Down N ot too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look, and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars. Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as fool...

  N othing lowers the level of conversation more than raising the voice. ~ Stanley Horowitz H e who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him. A gentle answer turns away wrath. ~ Proverbs 27:14; 15:1

  T here are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up. ~ Booker T. Washington L et us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity,  let us do good to all people. ~ Galatians 6:9-10

  I find that it is not the circumstances  in which we are placed, BUT the spirit in which we face them, that constitutes our comfort. ~ E. Merrill Root C onsider it all joy when you encounter various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. ~ James 1:2-4

  M an does not live by a turkey in every oven or a color TV set in every home. Man lives by faith, hope and love, by the star on the horizon, by the trumpet that will not call retreat. ~ E. Merrill Root T rust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. ~ Psalm 37:3, 5