Spiritual Thoughts

  Friday's Tale ~ Sharing Kindness I  had not eaten all day due to a working crisis. I was so hungry. I stopped at Panera Bread for a sandwich. It was closed. Limited hours due to staffing shortages. I thought, “my local sub shop!” I was on my way. Standing in a very long line, I settled in and patiently waited for my turn to order. It’s a busy sub shop. You cannot be in a rush. I was nearly to the ordering section and realized that I hadn’t looked to see if I had cash. It’s a cash-only business. I said, “Oh no!”   The gentleman in front of me looked behind and at me. I told him that I was going to use my debit at Panera and hadn’t checked for cash before getting in this line. I started to peek in my wallet and he announced, “Oh, ma’am, don’t worry at all. I am not a doctor but I have a lot of patience and I care about others. I have some money just for people in your situation. I got you. I will pay for your full meal so if you find yourself short, let me know and I wil...

  A mong the things you can give and still keep are: your word, a smile, and a grateful heart. ~ Zig Ziglar F or what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account. ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:9

  C ultivate the habit of being  grateful  for every good thing that comes to you, and to  give thanks  continuously. And because all things have contributed to your growth, you should include all things in your  gratitude . ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson I n everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

  Y ou can complain because roses have thorns, or you can be grateful that thorn bushes have roses. ~ Tom Wilson D o not complain against each other,   so that  you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ~ James 5:9

  Friday Tale ~ I am Thankful * for the spouse who says it's hot dogs tonight because she/he is home with me, not with someone else.  * For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because that means she is at home, not on the streets. * For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed. * For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends. * For the clothes that fit a little too snug, for it means I have enough to eat. * For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine. * For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home. * For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech. * For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation. * For my huge heating bill, because it ...

  Friday Tale - Make the Most of....   I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband unexpectedly and suddenly died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she returned to teaching and shared some of her insight with a classroom of students.   As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.   With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said . . . ‘Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the powers that be way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day.’   Her e...

W e were a group of friends in the midst of an after-dinner conversation. Because Thanksgiving was just around the corner and prosperity wasn't, we fell to talking about what we had to be thankful for.     One of us said, "Well I, for one, am grateful to Mrs. Wendt, an old schoolteacher who, 30 years ago in a little West Virginia town, went out of her way to introduce me to the works of the poet, Tennyson."     Then he launched into a colorful description of Mrs. Wendt, a lovely little old lady who had been his high school teacher and who evidently had made a deep impression on his life. She had gone out of her way to awaken his literary interest and develop his gifts of expression.     "And does this Mrs. Wendt know that she made that contribution to your life?" someone put in. ...

I f you don't think you have anything to be grateful for, keep looking. Because you do not just receive optimism. You cannot wait for things to be great, and THEN be grateful for that.  You have got to behave in a way that promotes that.  ~ Michael J. Fox   W hatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. ~ Colossians 3:17

  L et us be grateful to the people who make us happy;  they are the charming gardeners who make our lives blossom.  ~ Marcel Proust   M ay the Lord cause you to increase and over flow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:12

  Friday Tale - H.M.W.I.P.   "H ow d o you do it?” I asked him. “How do you always seem to have a smile on your face?” My jovial friend, who seems to have mastered the sense of calm, contentment, and joy all of us are desperately after, looked up with twinkling eyes. “HMWIP.”   “Whip who? What?”   “HMWIP,” he said again, before spelling it out. “H-M-W-I-P.”   “What does that mean?”   “Well, throughout the course of my day, I stop to ask myself, ‘HMWIP,’ which stands for ‘How Much Would I Pay?’. If I just finished eating lunch, I think about how much I would be willing to pay for the opportunity to eat food with my mouth if that capacity should ever be taken from me and my eating experience confined to a feeding tube.   If I am washing my hands after using the restroom, I think, ‘HMWIP!’ – if I had some kind of infection that prevented my body from functioning properly, how much would I pay to be able to use the restroom as I just did? ...

  Friday Tale - Grass to Mow H abitat for Humanity builds homes for people who are needy. One of the volunteers for Habitat tells the following story of a family who had just moved into their new home. “The family is so excited. I can see why. Compared to the house they used to live in, this must seem like a mansion. Anyhow, the husband wanted to know if it would be alright if he mowed the lawn. There was only a little patch of grass … and it really didn’t need cutting. Rather than say no, he was advised not to cut it too short because the hot dry weather might kill what little they had. When asked why he was so eager to mow the grass, he said, ‘This is the first time I ever had any grass to mow.’ Isn’t if funny that some of us complain about yard work while others are excited about having grass to mow. Some of us complain about unloading the dishwasher while others are grateful for indoor plumbing. Some of us complain about the heat while othe...

  B e thankful every chance you get. Not because life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as you had anticipated, BUT because you choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things you do have, and all the problems you know you don't have. ~ Max Lucado   L et the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful . ~ Colossians 3:15

I choose to live a live of gratitude and joy, inspiring others to follow my example. ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie   L et the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called, and be thankful. ~ Colossians 3:17  

O ne single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. ~ G. E. Lessing I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, or a bull.... ~ Psalm 69:30-31

W e are most content when we are grateful for what we own, satisfied with what we make, and generous to those in need. ~ C. Swindoll  I t is right for us to give praise to God at all times for you brothers, because of the great increase of your faith, and the wealth of your love for one another.  ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:3