I’m Back!!!

Life is finally settling down a bit. I have recently begun developing my YouTube channel, Let’s Karen-ize! , and thought I would post my Wednesday vlogs dealing with spiritual health here also and resurrect this site:) I also post Friday crafting videos, shorts with my crazy dog Yuki and various random posts also. Here is the latest Wednesday vlog. Enjoy!

The Gift of Forgiveness

 

The Gift of Forgiveness by John William Smith

The Christmas of 1949 we didn’t have a tree.  dad had as much pride as anybody, I suppose, so he wouldn’t just say that we couldn’t afford one.When I mentioned it, my mother said that we weren’t going to have one this year, that we couldn’t afford one, and even if we could – it was stupid to clutter up your house with a dead tree.I wanted a tree badly though, and I thought – in my naïve way – that if we had one, everybody would feel better.Taking Matters into my Own Hands


About three days before Christmas, I was out collecting for my paper route.  It was fairly late – long after dark – it was snowing and very cold.  I went to the apartment building to try to catch a customer who hadn’t paid me for nearly two months – she owed me seven dollars.  Much to my surprise, she was home.

She invited me in and not only did she pay me, she gave me a dollar tip!  It was a windfall for me – I now had eight whole dollars.  What happened next was totally unplanned.

On the way home, I walked past a Christmas tree lot and the idea hit me.  The selection wasn’t very good because it was so close to the holiday, but there was this one real nice tree.  It had been a very expensive tree and no one had bought it; now it was so close to Christmas that the man was afraid no one would.

He wanted ten dollars for it, but when I – in my gullible innocence – told him I only had eight, he said he might sell it for that.  I really didn’t want to spend the whole eight dollars on the tree, but it was so pretty that I finally agreed.

I dragged it all the way home – about a mile, I think – and I tried hard not to damage it or break off any limbs.  The snow helped to cushion it, and it was still in pretty good shape when I got home.  You can’t imagine how proud and excited I was.  I propped it up against the railing on our front porch and went in.  My heart was bursting as I announced that I had a surprise.

I got Mom and Dad to come to the front door and then I switched on the porch light.  “Surprise!!”

“Where did you get that tree?” my mother exclaimed.  But it wasn’t the kind of exclamation that indicates pleasure.

“I bought it up on Main Street. Isn’t it just the most perfect tree you ever saw?” I said, trying to maintain my enthusiasm.

“Where did you get the money?” Her tone was accusing and it began to dawn on me that this wasn’t going to turn out as I had planned.

“From my paper route.” I explained about the customer who had paid me.

“And you spent the whole eight dollars on this tree?” she exclaimed.

She went into a tirade about how stupid it was to spend my money on a dumb tree that would be thrown out and burned in a few days.

She told me how irresponsible I was and how I was just like my dad with all those foolish, romantic, noble notions about fairy tales and happy endings and that it was about time I grew up and learned some sense about the realities of life and how to take care of money and spend it on things that were needed and not on silly things.

She said that I was going to end up in the poorhouse because I believe in stupid things like Christmas trees, things that didn’t amount to anything.

I just stood there.  My mother had never talked to me like that before and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  I felt awful and I began to cry.

Finally, she reached out and snapped off the porch light.

“Leave it there,” she said. “Leave that tree there till it rots, so every time we see it, we’ll all be reminded of how stupid the men in this family are.”

Then she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom and we didn’t see her until the next day.

Dad and I brought the tree in and we made a stand for it.  He got out the box of ornaments and we decorated it as best as we could; but men aren’t too good at things like that, and besides, it wasn’t the same without mom.  There were a few presents under it by Christmas day – although I can’t remember a single one of them – but Mom wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

It was the worst Christmas I ever had.

Fast Forward to Today
Judi and I married in August of 1963, and dad died on October 10 of that year. Over the next eight years, we lived in many places. Mom sort of divided up the year – either living with my sister Jary or with us.

In 1971 we were living in Wichita, Kansas – Lincoln was about seven, Brendan was three and Kristen was a baby. Mom was staying with us during the holidays. On Christmas Eve I stayed up very late. I was totally alone with my thoughts, alternating between joy and melancholy, and I got to thinking about my paper route, that tree, what my mother had said to me and how Dad had tried to make things better.

I heard a noise in the kitchen and discovered that it was mom. She couldn’t sleep either and had gotten up to make herself a cup of hot tea – which was her remedy for just about everything. As she waited for the water to boil, she walked into the living room and discovered me there. She saw my open Bible and asked me what I was reading. When I told her, she asked if I would read it to her and I did.

The Truth Comes Out
When the kettle began to whistle, she went and made her tea. She came back, and we started to visit. I told her how happy I was that she was with us for Christmas and how I wished that Dad could have lived to see his grandchildren and to enjoy this time because he always loved Christmas so. It got very quiet for a moment and then she said, “Do you remember that time on Twelve Mile Road when you bought that tree with your paper route money?”

“Yes,” I said, “I’ve just been thinking about it you know.”

She hesitated for a long moment, as though she were on the verge of something that was bottled up so deeply inside her soul that it might take surgery to get it out. Finally, great tears started down her face and she cried, “Oh, son, please forgive me.”

“That time and that Christmas have been a burden on my heart for twenty-five years. I wish your dad were here so I could tell him how sorry I am for what I said. Your dad was a good man and it hurts me to know that he went to his grave without ever hearing me say that I was sorry for that night. Nothing will ever make what I said right, but you need to know that your dad never did have any money sense (which was all too true).

We were fighting all the time – though not in front of you – we were two months behind in our house payments, we had no money for groceries, your dad was talking about going back to Arkansas and that tree was the last straw. I took it all out on you. It doesn’t make what I did right, but I hoped that someday, when you were older, you would understand. I’ve wanted to say something for ever so long and I’m so glad it’s finally out.”

Well, we both cried a little and held each other and I forgave her – it wasn’t hard, you know.

Then we talked for a long time, and I did understand; I saw what I had never seen and the bitterness and sadness that had gathered up in me for all those years gradually washed away.

It was marvelously simple.

The great gifts of this season – or any season – can’t be put under the tree; you can’t wear them or eat them or drive them or play with them. We spend so much time on the lesser gifts – toys, sweaters, jewelry, the mint, anise and dill of Christmas – and so little on the great gifts – understanding, grace, peace and forgiveness. It’s no wonder that the holiday leaves us empty, because when it’s over, the only reminders we have are the dirty dishes and the January bills.

The Great Gift
The great gifts are like the one gift – the gift that began it all back there in Bethlehem of Judea. You can’t buy them, and they’re not on anybody’s shopping list. They come as He came – quietly, freely, unexpectedly – and if you’re not careful, you’ll miss them entirely.

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So often I hear stories of families torn apart by events that have destroyed relationships.  What a burden to bear that resentment, bitterness and even hate.  The Bible speaks so often about the importance of forgiveness.  Unforgiveness has so many ramifications, including depression and even physical illnesses.  God’s commands for us to forgive are in large part because He knows how destructive the alternative is.

Ephesians 4:32 tells us, ” Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  When I think of all that God has forgiven me for, I know that I have no right to hold anything against anyone else.  Besides the negative side effects of holding onto that anger or resentment, no matter how well deserved it is, I think it would be very presumptuous of me to say I won’t forgive someone, knowing the forgiveness He has extended to me.  So, out of respect and love for Him, I choose to forgive anyone who has, or ever will do me wrong.

As we prepare to begin a new year, let’s begin by thinking about forgiveness.  With unforgiveness in our hearts, we are limiting ourselves from true abundant life, the life Jesus promised us in Him!  More on that later:)

Have a blessed day!

Heaven and Angels Sing

 

‘Heaven and Angels Sing’ by Carol Stigger

At the Christmas Eve church service, I sat with my two boisterous grandchildren, ages three and five. Their parents sat in front of the church to present a nativity reading titled “Silent Night.” They had warned the children to behave. I had warned the children to behave. With scrubbed angelic faces and Christmas wonder in their eyes, they looked like model children posing for a magazine holiday spread. I indulged myself in a few moments of pride.

Alec pinched Aubrey. I was grateful that the organ thundered into the first hymn just then, drowning out her yelp. I grabbed her hand before she could return the pinch. During the Lord’s Prayer, Aubrey shredded the program I had given her to color on. The crayons had already rolled under the pew. I watched bits of paper fall on the carpet like snow. I would help her pick it up later, but for now the naughtiness I was allowing kept her occupied and her brother quietly admiring.

We were enjoying an uneasy truce when their parents stood to deliver the reading.

“Mommy!” Alec yelled.

She frowned, and he sat back in his seat.

“Silence,” my son said to the congregation. “Think for a moment what that word means to you.”

My daughter-in-law signed his words. Earlier that year, she began to use her new signing skills for the benefit of the few hearing-impaired members of our church.

Alec said a naughty word, thankfully too low for many to hear. I scowled at him, shaking my finger and my head. Aubrey grinned. Then she proclaimed, every syllable enunciated perfectly, in a clear voice that carried to far corners of the sanctuary, “Alec is a potty mouth!”

Everyone stared. I was too stunned to speak. My son and his wife looked at each other. But instead of anger, I saw surprise.

My son set aside his script and told another story. He told about their daughter being born profoundly deaf. He talked about four years of hearing aids and speech therapy with no guarantee she would ever learn to speak plainly. He talked about the rugged faith that kept the family praying she would have a normal life.

He said Aubrey’s outburst was an answer to prayer: the first perfectly enunciated sentence she had ever spoken.

From the back of the room, a lone voice sang the last line of a beloved Christmas Carol: Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn king.

While the congregation sang four verses of the unscheduled hymn, my two little angels wiggled in their parents’ arms, adding laughter and giggles to the joyful Christmas noise.

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This story made me think of Christ’s attitude towards children.  He wasn’t put off by boisterous behavior or wiggly little bodies.  His disciples were, though, weren’t they.  They basically told a group of parents not to bother Jesus with their children.  Jesus rebuked them, as only He can, by saying in Matthew 19:14, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  He knew, of course, that children are seldom sweet little angels for long, but He knew the blessing they are in our lives.

I love pictures of Jesus with children.  Whenever I hear of the untimely death of a child, I immediately picture them in heaven, playing ring-around-the-rosy with Him!

Have a blessed day!

The Three Trees

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The Three Trees
Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up.

The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: “I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I’ll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”

The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on it’s way to the ocean. “I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I’ll be the strongest ship in the world!”

The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don’t want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world.”

Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his ax, the first tree fell. “Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!” The first tree said.

The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his ax, the second tree fell. “Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!”

The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a swoop of his ax, the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feedbox for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.

The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river. Instead she was taken to a little lake.

The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. “What happened?” The once tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God…”

Many, many days and night passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feedbox. “I wish I could make a cradle for him.” her husband whispered.

The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. “This manger is beautiful.” she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain.

The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew she was carrying the king of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything.

It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.  The next time you feel down because you didn’t get what you want, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.

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In the eyes of our Heavenly Father, we all have equal value.  In the eyes of the world, we have to earn our value.  The ways in which we earn this value usually have very little to do with things that matter in the big scheme of time.  Have you ever noticed that?  Money, fame, sports ability, acting ability…..all those ‘things’ that bring fame, value and recognition in this world really have no lasting value when our time here on earth is done.

In the eyes of the world shown in today’s story, the third tree, cut down just because it was there, had little value.  But in the eyes of God, that tree was precious because it would be used to hold up the most valuable gift ever given in history- the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

If you ever begin to think of yourself as worthless, remember that little tree.  You never know how God is going to be able to use you.  But use you He will, if you make yourself available!

Have a blessed day!

The Gold Paper

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The Gold Wrapping Paper – Author Unknown 

Once upon a time, there was a  man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had used up the family’s only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.
      As money was  tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to decorate one shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was concerned about where she had gotten money to buy what was in the shoebox.
      Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, “This is for you, Daddy!”
     As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.
      But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and again his anger flared. “Don’t you know, young lady,” he said harshly, “when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside the package!”
      The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered:  “Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full.”
      The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.
      An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept this little gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems, he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this beautiful child who had put it there.       
    In a very real sense, each of us has been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold. 

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Romans 8:35 talks about God’s unconditional love.  It says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”  Although this love doesn’t come in a box covered with beautiful gold paper, and it can often be as intangible as the little girl’s kisses, it is more real and more reliable than anything else in our lives.  It does come wrapped in the covers of any Bible you pick up as you can’t read more than a few paragraphs or pages before you encounter evidence of this love.

During this Christmas season, may we be ever aware of those around us who need to feel His love in a tangible way.  Let us be His arms, His voice and His actions in spreading His love to others.

Have a blessed day!

God’s Letter

 

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Usually I start my blog with a story and then tie in my thoughts on the spiritual impact or message of the story, but today’s letter says it all, so I’ll just let it speak to you. Please feel free to post your thoughts afterwards, I’d love to hear from you! Have a blessed day! Karen

God’s Letter- Author Unknown

My child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139:1). I know when you sit down and when you rise up (Psalm 139:2). I am familiar with your ways (Psalm 139:3). Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matt 10:29-31) for you were made in my image (Genesis 1:27). In me you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28) for you are my offspring (Acts 17:28).

I knew you even before you were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5). I chose you even before I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12). You were not a mistake; all your days are written in my book (Psalm 139:15-16). I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26). You were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13) and brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71:6).

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8:41-44). I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16), and it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3:1). I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11) for I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48). Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17) for I am your provider, and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33)

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), my thoughts toward you are as countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalm 139:17-18) and I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40) for you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32:41).

I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3). If you seek me with all you heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29). Delight in me, and I will give you the desires of you heart (Psalm 37:4) for it is I who gave you those desires (Philippians 2:13).

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20) for I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). I am also the father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you (Psalm 34:18). As a Shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close you my heart (Isaiah 40:11).

One day, I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:3-4), and I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4). I am your father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17:26). He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1:3). He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:31) and to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Jesus died so that you could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10). I gave up everything I loved so that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32). If you receive the gift of my son, Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23), and nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39).

Come home, and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:7). I have always been your father and will always be your father (Ephesians 3:14-15).

My question is, will you be my child (John 1:1-13)?

I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32).

Love,
Your Dad, Almighty God

Mikey and the Mud Puddle

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Mikey and the Mud Puddle

 Howard County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call one Saturday afternoon a few months ago. His 6-year-old grandson Mikey had been hit by a car while fishing in Greentown with his dad.

The father and son were near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph. Sheriff Marr had seen the results of accidents like this and feared the worst. When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital, he rushed through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits.

“Mikey, what happened?” Sheriff Marr asked.

 Mikey replied, “Well, Papaw, I was fishin’ with Dad, and some lady runned me over, I flew into a mud puddle, and broke my fishin’ pole and I didn’t get to catch no fish!”

As it turned out, the impact propelled Mikey about 500 feet, over a few trees and an embankment and into the middle of a mud puddle. His only injuries were to his right femur bone, which had broken in two places. Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg. Otherwise the boy was fine.

Since all the boy could talk about was that his fishing pole was broken, the Sheriff went out to Wal-Mart and bought him a new one while he was in surgery so he could have it when he came out.

The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey to keep him company in the hospital. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and talked about when he could go fishing again as he cast into the trash can.

When they were alone Mikey, just as matter-of-fact, said, “Papaw, did you know Jesus is real?”

“Well,” the Sheriff replied, a little startled. “Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him and love him in their hearts.”

“No,” said Mikey. “I mean Jesus is REALLY real.”

“What do you mean?” asked the Sheriff.

“I know he’s real ’cause I saw him,” said Mikey, still casting into the trash can. 

 “You did?” said the Sheriff.

“Yep,” said Mikey. “When that lady runned me over and broke my fishing pole, Jesus caught me in his arms and laid me down in the mud puddle.”

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Yes, Jesus is real.  We may not see Him with our physical eyes as Mikey did.  we may not even actually feel His presence in a physical way.  But He promises that He is with us regardless of whether we feel or see Him.  In Hebrews 13:5, He tells us, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  We are told that at least five times in the Bible that I know of.  In Matthew 28:20, as He was leaving this earth, Jesus assured His followers (and us), “Lo, I am with you always.

When you feel alone, when you think no one cares, remember these verses.  Remember that, just as in the Footprints in the Sand poem, Christ is there, holding you up, even carrying you through the hard times.  Draw on His strength, lean on Him and let Him carry you through to the other side.  He and He alone will never forsake you.

Have a blessed day!

Know Your Part

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Know Your Part- Author Unknown

There was once a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man shows of readings and recitations from the classics. He would always end his performance with a dramatic reading of Psalm 23.
Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”..the crowd would listen attentively. And then, at the conclusion of the Psalm, they wold rise in thunderous applause in appreciation of the actor’s incredible ability to bring the verse to life.
But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. “Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite Psalm 23?” The actor was quite taken back by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the Psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his own talent.
With a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words of the Psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no standing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the young man’s recitation that every eye was full of tears. Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, “I don’t understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training – but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?”
The young man quietly replied, “Well sir, you know the Psalm… I know the Shepherd.”

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As this story points out, there is a difference between knowing about the Savior and knowing the Savior.  Satan and his demons know about the Savior; they believe in His existence, but they do not have a relationship with Him as their Savior.  James 2:19 tells us, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”  They shudder because He is their enemy, not their Savior.

When we know Him as our Savior, we have an entirely different attitude when we think of Him.  I love the following scripture in Malachi 4:2, which says, “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.”  With my job as a traveling resource room teacher to rural schools, I travel many miles each day through rural Montana.  In the calving season, I love watching the brand new calves frolicking in the fields.  They truly do look joyful and carefree.  That is how our relationship with Christ is supposed to make us feel.  Isn’t it fantastic when that is the case!  As we grow more in love with Him and our relationship grows deep and profound, we really do have that joy exhibited by the calves frolicking in the fields!

Today, may you frolic through your day as the Son of Righteousness heals you with His rays!  Have a blessed day!