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The greatest gift that we can give of ourselves is the gift of love. We
will be remembered far longer for the love that was shown towards others
than any other single thing that exists. Our acts of love can be shown in
many ways such as making special time to be attentive to ones needs, giving
a gift for no special reason, saying I love you and showing it to those who
are nearest to our hearts and simply letting people know that we appreciate
them and telling them how much they mean to us. Love implied isn't the
same as love shown, so encourage yourself to make an extra effort to let
your love be made known towards everyone whom you hold dear to your heart.
I hope you are encouraged and challenged by this message to make an extra
effort each day to let the love that is within your heart be shown where
all will be impacted for the better.
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
As a young child, upon my bedroom wall hung a poem stating, “The only way
to have a friend is to be one.” I'm certain I must have read that verse
dozens, if not hundreds of times while laying upon my bed, and yet, it's
simple but profound message continued to grow in my heart throughout my
adult life.
Whether it's friendship, marriage, or another form of loving relations, all
relationships entail a foundation built on the acts of giving and
receiving. As flowers soak up the rays of the sun, and droplets of dew,
offering to man their fragrant and bright blooms, so too does every loving
relationship require the loving gestures of both individuals.
For five years, Tom had his eye on Sandra, a peppy and pleasant young lady
who worked in his office. In the past, when Tom's schedule wasn't as
demanding, Tom and Sandra shared lunches and spoke to each other often.
Tom promised Sandra many a time he would take her out on a “proper date,”
but as the weeks, then months began to fly by and Tom's schedule became
more hectic, Sandra gave up hope. In Sandra's mind, Tom was disinterested,
so there was no sense in hoping for something that would never happen. A
year later, Sandra announced to her fellow employees that she was engaged
to be married! When Tom heard the news, he was so shocked he turned white
and had to sit down. “How can she do that to me? She should be marrying
me, not him,” whimpered Tom as a tear fell down his eye.
In that same office building, was employed a middle-aged woman named Helen,
who was a divorced mother of a thirteen year old boy. As Helen sipped her
coffee at her desk, she reflected on the messy argument she and her son had
just before work. This was not their first fight, but the result of years
of lack of communication and neglect. The truth of the matter was that
Helen's son never knew for certain if his mother loved him or not, and this
caused much conflict in their relationship.
The wealthy, elderly owner of the above mentioned building, Mrs. Emily
Hawkins, was on her death bed in the hospital. The doctor notified her
immediate family and friends, knowing they would want to say their final
good-byes. All of Mrs. Hawkins children came, shedding heartfelt tears, but
there were no friends to come because the wealthy Mrs. Hawkins never took
the time to nurture meaningful friendships.
Real Life Application:
What these three stories have in common is all their outcomes could have
come out very differently if only they would have watered their gardens
more carefully. Loving words unspoken, caring gestures never accomplished,
time never given; all of these resulted in seeds of friendship and love
being choked by bitter weeds of neglect, selfishness, fear, and all things
which destroy, rather than build up.
How does your own garden grow?
Is there a special one, two or three flowers you wish to see blossom, and
yet it never seems to grow? Then ask yourself how well you are caring for
that tender bud. Is it being watered with kindness and thoughtfulness? Is
the warmth of love freely administered as does the sun offer it's rays of
light? Are the leaves of the flower pruned and nurtured continually with
the gifts of time, energy, and self?
As I again ponder that verse which sat upon my wall for so many years of
my childhood, it is my hope that, for those people who I “say” I love, be
they spouse, children, or friend, that I will do my best to let my love,
not be mere lip service, but to let the true heartfelt emotions which fill
my heart, overflow and pour out, so that every blossom may be watered and
never wither. In like manner, may the reality of God pour out into your
own lives, so that your hearts can fully comprehend what is the height,
breath, and width of His love.
By Melanie Schurr
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.”
Hebrews 13:1-3 “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them
that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as
being yourselves also in the body.”
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
fulfil 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.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: THE RIGHT WORDS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem173.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: THE REWARD
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony105.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |
