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There are many moments in life when we simply need to be reminded that we
are loved and cared about. When the discouragements of life come our way
it is good that others are there for us to lift us up and let us know that
all will be well. Sometimes all we need is an encouraging word to bring
our spirits back up and remind us that no matter what may come our way we
can rise up again and be victorious over that situation. We must always
remember and keep in mind that giving and receiving in encouragements is a
sure way to keep all of our spirits lifted up despite what we may be going
through. By holding on to one another, we can overcome anything. There
is nothing the enemy can do to make us quit when we know we have the love
of our family and friends backing us up and cheering us on towards a
brighter day. Always remember that everyone has difficulties in life.
You are not the first person and definitely not the last to face challenges
that you wished had not come your way, but know that overcoming them will
strengthen your resolve and make you better than you were before it.
Let this message be an encouragement to your heart to know that it's okay
to seek advice, to ask for prayers and to let those around you know that
you need their encouragement. When we make our needs known that is when a
change can come. No matter what difficulties are in your path, call upon
those who know you best and you will be pleasantly surprised to know how
much they love, care about and wish to see you doing well. All we have in
life is the relationships that we have nurtured and invested in. We need
each other more than we sometimes realize, so let us be there for one
another to nurture, lift up and encourage each other so that no difficulty
will be able to keep us down. The Bible says a threefold cord is not
easily broken. Remember there is strength in numbers and the more support
we have for one another, the greater our triumphs will be. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
I hope this message encourages your heart to know that the love that we
share with one another stays with us longer than we could ever think or imagine.
GENTLENESS AND HUGS
In my life I have experienced a lot of different types of hugs. I have
gotten the warm hug that goes on forever. I have gotten the bear hug that
squeezes the air right out of your lungs. I have gotten the neck hug where
the little child jumps in your arms and wraps lovingly around your neck. I
have gotten the back slapper hug where the hugger gives you the bam, bam
on the back. I have even gotten the leg hug which toddlers all over the
world use to melt your heart. The most memorable hug I ever got, however,
came when I was a teenager.
I was visiting a monastery in the Midwest with several other boys. Our
guide took us through the simple rooms where the Priests and Monks lived,
worked, and prayed. As we entered a small kitchen one of the Brothers
walked in. To say he was intimidating would have been an understatement.
He was a giant of a man. He stood well over six and a half feet tall. He
must have weighed over three hundred pounds as well. He looked like a
lineman for a professional football team dressed in a brown, wool robe. As
we talked, though, his kind spirit and delightful sense of humor put us
all at ease. That is until he rose to leave. Then he walked right at me to
give me a hug. At first I feared he might crack a rib, but when he took me
in his huge arms all I felt was the love from his soul. It was the gentlest
hug I ever got.
Leo Rosten said: “It is the weak who are cruel. Gentleness can only be
expected from the strong.” I learned that lesson first hand in the arms
of one of the strongest but gentlest spirits I have ever met in this world.
He showed me with one hug that God is love and that our real strength
comes from loving each other as He loves us. He showed me that our true
power comes when we aren’t afraid to embrace our goodness or express our
joy. He showed me too that gentleness and hugs will forever go together.
May your life always be full of both.
By Joseph J. Mazzella
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Romans 12:14-17 “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of
the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to
men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no
man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
Galatians 6:1-4 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own
work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity
never faileth...”
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are
unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all
men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that
which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: THE CHOSEN VESSEL
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem42.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: OUT OF DARKNESS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony103.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
