GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

When I travel, my daily agenda is always full.

I don't get up late, linger over breakfast, and then start meandering down one country road after another, just to see where they might lead. I'm up early, ready to cram as much into each day as I possibly can. I know exactly where I want to go and, map in hand, I know how to get there.

Come to think of it, that's also how I approach life. I can't just let life happen to me. I need a road map that shows me how to get from where I am now to where I want to be in the future. Of course, if I want to be successful, I can't just leave the roadmap in the glove box. I have to follow it. Diligently.

In our series about traveling through life, we've already talked about traveling light (getting rid of excess emotional baggage and keeping "short accounts") and taking someone with you. Today, my traveling tip is to follow the roadmap. In life, a roadmap is akin to a game plan—a carefully thought-out strategy for achieving success. My game plan probably doesn't look exactly like yours, because my definition of success might be different from yours. But the fact that we might be following slightly different roadmaps doesn't negate the wisdom of using one in the first place. As the saying goes, if you aim at nothing, you're likely to get it.

Regardless of our position and station in life, following the roadmap means:


1. Knowing where you are at this moment. How can you know where you are at this moment? The key word is reflection.

2. Knowing where you want to go. For me, success is knowing my purpose in life, growing to my maximum potential and sowing seeds that benefit others. That's where I want to go.

3. Understanding that life happens between where you are at this moment and where you want to go, and that it's the "between where you are and where you want to go" that causes people to miss life. Some people have what I call "destination disease." They live life thinking, "When I get promoted, I'll be fulfilled" or, "When I get married, I'll be happy" or "If I could just meet that person, I'll be on my way." It's good to plan for the days ahead, but if you're basing all your hopes for fulfillment on some future event, you're actually missing out on the essence of life itself. As John Lennon once wisely observed, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

When it comes to traveling through life, I can't over-emphasize the importance of following the roadmap. But it's also crucial to note that, even if you're following the best map ever made, you'll most likely have to stop and ask for directions from time to time. I'm well aware that this practice is excruciatingly difficult for some of us. And we just might be stubborn and persistent enough to avoid doing it, at least when we're driving somewhere in a car. But in the journey we call life, people who refuse to stop and ask for directions aren't stubborn or persistent; they're foolish.

Unfortunately, an unwillingness to seek advice is all too common among businesspeople today. In The Corporate Steeplechase, New York social psychologist Srully Blotnick says that career men and women in their twenties tend to be ashamed to ask questions, and in their thirties, the desire to be individualistic makes it difficult for them to counsel with colleagues. The value of advice becomes clear only with maturity, he writes.

That's so true. As philosopher John Collins has noted, "To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it." That said, people often make the mistake of following advice without carefully evaluating it first. To avoid this common error, ask yourself the following questions when appraising the validity of any piece of advice:

1. How credible is the source?

2. Am I getting the same advice from different people?

3. Have I made allowances for any biases, pro or con, an advice giver may have?

4. Have I talked with more than one person so I have a basis for judging the advice?

5. Am I in an emotional state to act wisely on this advice?

6. What is the ratio between the potential cost of acting on the advice and the potential benefit that it may hold?

Taking the time to stop and ask for directions might seem like a big hassle when you're busy with the daily stuff of life. And to some, sticking to a roadmap might seem unnecessarily restrictive. But as one traveler to another, I encourage you to make both a priority. Otherwise, you just might end up on a fast road to nowhere.

COFFEE, ANYONE?

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old University of Notre Dame lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said:
"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change."

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it.

THE BRICK

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:

"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

A McDonald's love story...

A McDonald's love story...
A little old couple walked slowly into a McDonald's one cold winter
evening.



They looked out of place amid the young families and young couples
eating there that night.


Some of the customers looked admiringly at them. You could tell what
the admirers were thinking:



"Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably
for 60 years or more!"


The little old man walked up to the cash register, placed his order
with no hesitation and then paid for their meal.


The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off
of the tray.



There was one hamburger, one order of  french fries and one drink.


The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it
in half.



He placed one half in front of his wife.


Then he carefully counted out the french fries, divided them in two
piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife.

He took a sip of the drink, and then his wife took a sip as the man
began to eat his few bites.


Again, you could tell what people around the old couple were saying. -
"They were used to sharing everything."



Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady still hadn't eaten a
thing.


She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally sipped
some of the drink.


A young man came over and begged them to let him buy them another meal.



The lady explained that no, they were used to sharing.



As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly
with a napkin, the young man could stand it no longer and asked again.


After being politely refused again, he finally asked the little old
lady, "Ma'am, why aren't you eating. You said that you share everything.



What is it that you are waiting for?"



She answered,


"THE TEETH"

Hope.

 

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

- Romans 8:25(NKJV).

 

http://findingsupergirl.blogspot.com

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Gift Packages

A young man was getting ready to graduate from
college. For many months
he
had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's
showroom, and knowing
his
father could well afford it, he told him that was all
he wanted. As
Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs
that his father
had
purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father
called him into
his
private study. His father
told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and
told him how
much he
loved him. He handed his
son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but
somewhat Disappointed,
the
young man opened the box and found a lovely,
leather-bound Bible, with
the
young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised
his voice to his
father and said, "With all your money you give me a
Bible? and stormed
out
of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very
successful in business. He
had
a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized
his father was very
old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had
not seen him since
that graduation day. Before he could make
arrangements, he received a
telegram telling him his father had passed away, and
willed all of his
possessions to his son. He needed to come home
immediately and take
care of
things.


When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness
and regret filled
his
heart. He began to search through his father's
important papers and saw
the
still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago.
With tears, he
opened
the Bible and began to
turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a
verse,


Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give
good gifts to your
children, how much more
shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to
those who ask
Him?"


As he read those words, a car key dropped from the
back of the Bible.
It
had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who
had the sports
car he
had desired. On the tag was the date of his
graduation, and the
words...PAID IN FULL.


How many times do we miss God's blessings because they
are not packaged
as
we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to
others. Do not
spoil
what you have by desiring what you have not; but
remember that what you
now
have was once among the things you only hoped for...

IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S
BECAUSE IT IS
BETTER
PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY
USUALLY LEAD YOU
TO
ATTACHMENTS!

Hope.

 

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

- Romans 8:25(NKJV).

 

http://findingsupergirl.blogspot.com

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Why We Love Children!!!

Why We Love Children

1. A kindergarten pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead.

"How do you know that the cat was dead?" she asked her pupil. 

"Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move," answered the child innocently.

You did WHAT ? ! ?" the teacher exclaimed in surprise.

"You know,"explained the boy, "I leaned over and went 'Pssst!' and it didn't move." 

 

2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later....."Da-ad...." 

"What?"

"I'm thirsty. Can you bring drink of water?"

"No, You had your chance. Lights out."

Five minutes later: "Da-aaaad....."

"WHAT?"

"I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??"

"I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to spank you!!"

Five minutes later....."Daaaa-aaaad....."

"WHAT!"

"When you come in to spank me, can you bring a drink of water?"

 

3. An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him "How do you expect to get into Heaven?"

The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!'"

 

4. One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?" The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear," she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room." 

A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy."

 

5. It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon. All the children were invited to come forward. One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat down, the pastor leaned over and said, "That is a very pretty dress. Is it your Easter Dress?" 

The little girl replied, directly into the pastor's clip-on microphone, "Yes, and my Mom says it's a bitch to iron." 

 

6 When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the shower. She said, "Mommy, you are getting fat!"

I replied, "Yes, honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy." 

"I know," she replied, but what's growing in your butt?" 

 

7 A little boy was doing his math homework. He said to himself, "Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven. Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine...." His mother heard what he was saying and gasped, "What are you doing?" The little boy answered, "I'm doing my math homework, Mom." 

"And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?" the mother asked. "Yes," he answered. 

Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, "What are you teaching my son in math?" The teacher replied, "Right now, we are learning addition." 

The mother asked, "And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?" 

After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, "What I taught them was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four." 

 

8. One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class She came to the part of the story where Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, ".... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" 

The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?" 

One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: 'Holy Shit! A talking chicken!'"

The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.

 

9. A certain little girl, when asked her name, would reply, "I'm Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter." 

Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, "I'm Jane Sugarbrown." 

The Vicar spoke to her in Sunday School, and said, "Aren't you Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter?" 

She replied, "I thought I was, but mother says I'm not."

 

10 A little girl asked her mother, "Can I go outside and play with the boys?" 

Her mother replied, "No, you can't play with the boys, they're too rough." 

The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked, "If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?" 

 

Now keep that smile on your face and pass it on to someone else!!

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P500 Bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar

by holding up a Php500.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked,

"Who would like this Php500 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this Php500 to one of you

but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the Php500 bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground

and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it

because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth Php500.

Many times in our lives,

we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt

by the decisions we make and

the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or

what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,

you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we

know,

but by WHO WE ARE.

Hope.

 

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

- Romans 8:25(NKJV).

 

http://findingsupergirl.blogspot.com

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I wish you enough....

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments
together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said "I
love you and I wish you enough." The daughter replied, "Mom, our life
together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I
wish you enough, too, Mom."  They kissed and the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I was seated.  Standing
there I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by
asking. "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be
forever?"

Yes, I have, I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a
forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the
reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral" she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say 'I wish you enough'.
May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from
other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone".

She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in
detail and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to
have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them".

Then turning toward me she shared the following as if she were
reciting it from memory --

I  wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much
bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to
appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget
them. Send this to the    people you will never forget.

If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a
hurry that you have forgotten your friends. TAKE TIME TO LIVE..

To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH!!!

 

- Anonymous

Hope.

 

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

- Romans 8:25(NKJV).

 

http://findingsupergirl.blogspot.com

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Run in the Rain

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle
faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning  and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.
 

"Let 's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. 
 

 This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through  the rain,"

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's   arm.
 

 This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get   wet?

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything  but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some  would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A friend sent this to me to remind me of life. Hope you enjoy it.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.
 

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. 
 

 Send this to the people you'll never forget and remember to also send it to the person who sent it to you. It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget them.

If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry.

Take the time to live!!!

Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need each other -- and don't forget to run in the rain!

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Graham and Einstein

Graham And Einstein

In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their
favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially
hesitated to accept the invitation because he was struggling with
Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, "We don't expect a
major address. Just come and let us honor you." So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the
rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, "I'm reminded today of Albert
Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time
magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from
Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the
tickets of each passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached
in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his
other pocket. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but
couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat by him. He couldn't find it.
The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who
you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.
'Einstein nodded appreciatively.

"The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was
ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great
physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.
The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't
worry. I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm
sure you bought one.'

Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too know who I am. What
I don't know is where I'm going.'"

Having said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing?
It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are
telling me I've slowed down a lot lately and I'm not as chirpy as I used
to be. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one
more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in
which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to
immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I
not only know who I am, I also know where I'm going."

"God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who
has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life. I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so
that you may know that you have eternal life." --- 1 John 5:11-13

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust
also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to
be with me that you also may be where I am." --- John 14:1-3

Daily Bread Excerpt

Walking Our Faith

Read: Romans 2:17-24

Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? —James 2:22


Often we Christians are urged not just to "talk the talk" but to "walk the talk." The same advice may be expressed in these words: Don't let your behavior contradict your professed belief. At other times we are admonished to be sure that life and lip agree. If our conduct doesn't harmonize with our confession of faith, however, that discrepancy nullifies the testimony of the gospel which we proclaim.

As far as we can know, Mahatma Gandhi never became a Christian, but he made a statement that we who follow Jesus would do well to ponder. When asked to put his message into one short sentence, he replied, "My life is my message."

Certainly we should explain the gospel message as clearly as possible. Yet the clearest explanation isn't going to win hearts for our Lord unless His love is embodied in our lives. To quote the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." And holding himself up as a pattern, he wrote in Philippians 4:9, "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

Pray, then, that like Paul we may live out our saving faith before the watching world. —Vernon Grounds

Daily Bread Excerpt

Hope For Worriers

Read: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. —Psalm 23:1

Everyone worries occasionally, but I was once a "professional worrier." My daily preoccupation was mulling over my worries, one by one.

Then one day I had to face an uncomfortable medical test, and I was frantic with fear. Finally I decided that during the test I would focus on the first five words of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd." This exercise in meditation not only calmed me, but I gained several fresh insights. Later, as I slowly meditated through the entire psalm, the Lord gave me more insights. Eventually I was able to share at conferences what the Lord had taught me.

If you're a worrier, there's hope for you too! Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, wrote: "When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that's called worry. When you think about God's Word over and over in your mind, that's meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate!"

The more we meditate on God's Word, the less we need to worry. In Psalm 23, David meditated on his great Shepherd instead of worrying. Later, God chose him to be the shepherd of His people (Psalm 78:70-72). God uses those who can honestly say, "The Lord is my shepherd." —Joanie Yoder

The One Flaw in Women

THE ONE FLAW IN WOMEN


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, "Have you seen my specs sheet on her? She has
to be
completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts,
all
replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap
that
can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure
anything
from a scraped knee to a broken heart-and she will do everything with
only
two hands."
The angel was astounded at the requirements.
"Only two hands!? No way!
And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one
day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish" But I won'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 work 18 hour days."
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 reaching out,touched the
woman's
cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you
that
you were trying to put too much into this one."
"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "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 love, her loneliness, her grief and her
pride."
The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."
And she is!
Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and 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 to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when
they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their
family can have. 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. They are happy when
they
hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve 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 shapes, sizes and colors. 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 keep turning. They
bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They
give
moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to
say and everything to give. [






HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Daily Bread Excerpt

Our Daily Bread

Gloom Index

Read: Acts 16:16-31

At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. —Acts 16:25

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Gray skies, blue mood. It's common enough to produce what some have called the "gloom index." That's a way of describing the amount of cloudy weather a region can expect during a winter season.

A related idea is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The theory is that weather-sensitive people experience a certain amount of cloud-induced melancholy.

Other factors might be figured into a gloom index. Think about what Paul and Silas endured (Acts 16). Any one of their troubles was enough to ruin the sunniest day. Imagine the irritations of dealing with greedy profiteers who had turned a demon-possessed girl into a sideshow (vv.16-17). Think about the pain of confronting an angry mob and furious judges (v.22), of receiving a whipping and imprisonment (v.23), and of having your feet locked in stocks (v.24).

But Paul and Silas rose above it (v.25). How did they do that? They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they had a sense of mission. They were motivated by a desire to obey God and spread the message of Christ.

Like them, we can rise above the mood swings prompted by our circumstances. By being strong in the Spirit, we can overcome the gloom index. —Mart De Haan