Don't Give Up

I turn 41 today and I am so grateful to have had another year on this earth. We are never promised tomorrow...so I will take advantage of this moment and share my birthday wish with you. But more than a wish - this is my prayer - for every future year I have on this earth. I've always had a list of birthday wishes widely ranging from out of town getaways to jewelry. This year my birthday wish is far more valuable than the most expensive things. My wish this year and every year after...is to help others. I guess I've finally grown up. I've been in ministry for many years now and I have always loved helping others...but now...it seems more urgent. My heart is instantly triggered by the cold - thinking of those without a warm place to find some rest. When I sit down to enjoy a meal whether alone or surrounded by loved ones, my mind drifts to those all over the world that do not know where their next meal will come from.  I've worked with so many hurting soul...

From the depths of my soul I cried out to God this morning that He would touch the hearts and the minds of the women that reached out to me just this week - then my mind drifted to every week since I’ve been in ministry - then for those hurting women that I do not even know...these beautiful precious women...these children of God...these desperate souls that just want the hurt to go away. I prayed. Broken marriages, children in trouble, sickness, lay offs, death and the list goes on. Life can be so unfair at times. We try to do our best, we try to live a good life, we try to honor God in our actions, our speech, our love for others - but there are some days when life is just too much to bear. I’ve been there...oh have I been there. I cry out to God just like you do...they do...we all do. And you know what? God has yet to let me down. Somehow - some way - in the midst of my desperate pleas to just make it all stop - He comes to me. He breaks through the tears, the heartache, the ...

Before I was a Christian, before I knew what asking Jesus to be my Savior meant and before I knew this was actually a scripture in the bible - I learned - “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”. It was boldly posted on plastic covered posters lining the walls of my elementary school, everyday it was repeated by my teachers and at home by my parents. They called it the golden rule. What they were saying...was simply - be kind. A golden rule indeed. Gold is considered valuable for many reasons but one I find most interesting is that it doesn’t oxidize and it is has the highest corrosion resistance of all metals. What does this have to do with kindness? As a society we used to look at kindness as something valuable and not easily corroded. It was esteemed as something as valuable as gold. In today’s world it seems that actual gold is far more valuable than an act of kindness. Human trafficking, school shootings, mass murders, war, government in turmoil and unfortunately...