There are many moments in life when we are critical of ourselves for things
that we've done as well as for things that we shouldn't have done. What we
must understand is that we are all imperfect and flawed human beings who 
have all fallen short at one time or another. We are to let the past stay
in the past whether good or bad and strive to be and do our best this day
and the days ahead. (Romans 3:23-27) (Psalm 103:10-12) (Philippians 3:13-14)

When we ask for God's forgiveness for our past mistakes, the Lord forgives
us and He cleanses us of our unrighteousness. Be encouraged to love 
yourself and know that you are original and unique created by the Hands of
Almighty God who loves you and calls you His child. Stand in who you are
and enjoy every moment that you are alive. (1 John 1:8-10) (Psalm 100:1-5)

I hope you are blessed and encouraged by today's message.


THE GIFT OF LIVING

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was 
taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction,
she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting
question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my
life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime 
despair over my body... the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt.
And often I am taken aback by that old person who lives in my mirror, but
I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family
for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to
myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't 
chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for
buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant garde
on my patio.

I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too
many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the 
great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 
a.m. and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60s. I will wear a
red hat with a purple outfit proudly! And if I, at the same time, wish to 
weep over a lost love... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body,
and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the 
pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as
well forgotten, and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break
when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved
pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and 
understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile
and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to
have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So
many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn
silver. I can say “no,” and mean it. I can say “yes,” and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what
other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the
right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like
the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am
still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or 
worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day.

Author Unknown


Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but
be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is 
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Psalm 103:10-12 “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so
great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from 
the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken 
spirit drieth the bones.”

John 15:9-11 Jesus declares, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved
you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in
My love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His 
love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My Joy might remain in you,
and that your Joy might be full.”

All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.


Today’s Selected Poem: HOLD ON TO YOUR DREAMS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem172.htm

Today’s Selected Testimony: I WAS ONCE LOST
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony21.htm


In Christ’s Service,

Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry