Testimony

2 Corinthians 8:21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

I went grocery shopping the other day, and when I got home and began putting the items away, I realized I was missing my bananas.  I looked at my receipt to make sure that, yes, I had purchased bananas, but now they were no where to be found.  So I called the Store and spoke to a gal that I have known for over 20 years and told her that I was missing an item I had purchased.  My husband was still at work, so she told me to tell him to come on back to the store and get the bananas.  No receipt required.

She said that, because she knows my testimony.  She can trust me.

Three days later, my husband and I got into the car, and found the missing bananas.  They had fallen out of the grocery bag and landed under the seat.  I was horrified!

I felt like Achan and the hidden treasure!  I knew I had to make this right.

I went back to the grocery store, found my friend, showed her the receipt for the purchased bananas that had been lost and then found and explained to her that I needed to pay for the 'replacement bananas' my husband had picked up the other day.  Of course, my friend laughed about it, but then when she looked at my stricken face, she patted me on the shoulder and said, "This must have been bothering you all week!"

She was right.  

It did bother me.  My friend trusts me to be honest and I did not want to do anything to break that trust.  Would she have ever known that I had found the missing bananas?  No, but I knew, and more importantly, God knew.

What about you?  If you get a little extra change back at the store, do you keep it, or do you hand it back?

I learned a lot that day.  I learned that I have a testimony in my community.  I learned that people trust me, and that I do not want to ever break that trust, even if making it right can be embarrassing.

I also learned that should I ever miss a grocery item again, the first place I look is under the seat of my car!

But that's just me!

"To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved."  George Macdonald

  

Laughter

I have a very distinct laugh, or, so I've been told.  I was in a store the other day laughing with one of the clerks that worked there, and a friend of mine walked up to me and said, "I thought it was you."  I asked her how she knew I was here, and she lovingly said, "I heard your laugh."  I was identified, not because my laugh was obnoxiously loud, but that it belonged to me.

I have the legacy of my Mom's smile and laugh and for that I am truly thankful.

My Mom had a laugh that was contagious.  She brought joy to those around her.  She felt her joy  way down deep into her very bones, and wrapped those around her in her happiness.  My Mom use to tell me, "Honey, if you're going to laugh, then laugh!  Share your joy-it will uplift others!"

And so I do.

Laughter can lift a hurting heart.  It's a response to an emotion that let's others know, 'Hey, it's going to be ok.'

I miss my Mom's laugh....until I begin to laugh, and then I know that she is still right here with me.

So go ahead and laugh.  I am...but that's just me!

Proverbs 17:22a A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:

"Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion"  Unknown

"Laughter is the most beautiful and beneficial therapy God ever granted to humanity."  Chuck Swindoll

Every Thing

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

As Creator, Jesus made every thing with a purpose and for a purpose.  Nothing is ever wasted, and there is nothing He cannot use to further His Kingdom.  Scripture is full of examples that God has used for His Divine purpose, from people, places, animals, weather, rocks, and yes, even trees.  

We all have heard the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.  Children in our Sunday School classes sing about the 'wee little man who climbed up in a sycamore tree to see what he could see.'  A tax collector, a cheater, a man who was small in stature, desperately climbed a tree to see the Saviour walk by.  Little did he know, that Jesus would be calling him out by name...personally, to dine with him in his home!

I recently read a devotion by Heidi Gaul about what spoke to her heart during this encounter in Scripture.  Heidi writes this, "It's not Jesus or Zacchaeus that captures my attention-it's the tree.  God had planted it years earlier for that specific purpose: to grow until one day a short man in need of salvation would climb it to see His Son."  She went on to say, "It's time to recognize the 'trees' in my life-the people and things Jesus has planted in the path of my salvation, and it's time for me to be a 'tree.'  Who can I help see the Saviour?"

I love that!

Think about it for a minute and let it really sink in:  Our Creator God planted, nourished and  grew a tree in that specific spot, in order to give this cheating tax collector a view of Jesus, Who already knew the exact place and time He would be standing, in order to meet the need of a lost Soul.  How very much like our loving Saviour, to meet our needs at the exact moment we need them!

I'm reminded of another tree-the tree our Creator planted that would grow into the very tree used to hang His Son on the Cross, to die in my place, for my sins.

There is a purpose for every thing.

Nothing is wasted-

I want to be a tree!  But that's just me!

Heidi Gaul is a Christian Author who writes devotionals for Guideposts and many Chicken Soup for the Soul.  The above quotes are from Mornings With Jesus 2021, Saturday, January 30th, Page 30.

You can connect with her at www.HeidiGaul.com and Facebook.com/HeidiGaulAuthor.

Quarantine

In the Old Testament we read that those who had leprosy were examined by the Priest, and then were placed without the camp.  The person who had leprosy had to walk around shouting, 'UNCLEAN!  UNCLEAN!' to keep others away from them and to avoid spreading this disease. 

The Old Testament had Priests, today we have our Local Health Department which sets guidelines for the protection of others.  We may not have to shout, 'UNCLEAN' but we sure feel that way. 

I've been exposed to Covid.  So, like many others, I have been quarantined in my own home.  It's not so bad, really.  I mean, I still have the comfort and luxury my home provides for me.  But I've noticed...although my physical needs are being met, loneliness begins to creep in.  I miss seeing my friends.  I miss seeing their smiles, giving them hugs and being hugged in return.

I'm thankful this will only last for 10 days.

During this time of isolation, we have the privilege of technology.  When we are separated from our friends, regardless of the circumstances, we can still reach out with a phone call, email or a text, and still feel like we 'belong.'   I'm thankful for that.

But then I am reminded that for some people, loneliness is an every day occurrence.  And it's not because they have been quarantined, but for the simple fact that they are alone.

Do you know anyone like that?  What are you doing about it?

Even though I am the one quarantined, I'm doing my part to reach out to others to let them know that I am praying for them and that they are loved and cared for...let's remember to not forget others!

But that's just me!

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth:  and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!  Proverbs 15:23

"I'll lift you and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together.'  John Greenleaf Whittier

"A helping word to one in trouble is often like a switch on a railroad track, an inch between wreck and smooth, rolling prosperity."  Henry Ward Beecher