The personal relationships that we have with our loved ones are a gift that
should be cherished and thought upon throughout our life. We have been
given gifts that are meant to enrich us, strengthen us, encourage us, lift
us up, and simply be there for us and these gifts are called our family.
They are the ones who love us most and no matter what happens, they are
the ones who will be there for us in good times and in bad. That is why
we should be thankful for our family and do all that we can to let them
know of our appreciation and help to make their life just a little bit
better. Being there for one another is what strengthens our relationships
and proves to be the solid bond that holds us together for generations.
Be encouraged to both be thankful for your loved ones and make known to
them how much they mean to you. Making our love known is much more
valuable to them than just keeping it to ourselves. We may love someone
to know end, but if we don't tell them how we feel, then it is a missed
opportunity to brighten their day and encourage them with our love. Seize
every opportunity that you have to spend time with your family because in
the end they are the ones who will mean the most to us.
I hope this message encourages and challenges your heart to see the
importance of being with your loved ones. They are our greatest blessings
and inheritance.
CONNECTED SOULS
When she was in her eighties a lifetime of health problems finally caught
up with my Grandmother and forced her into a nursing home. It was a
difficult time for us all. I had grown up in her home as a child and lived
just across the road from her as an adult. It was hard seeing her then
losing weight and confined to a wheelchair. Still, we adjusted. My children
and I would load up the car every Saturday for the 25 mile trip to visit
her. She always had a tender hug and loving kiss waiting for us. The
nurses there fell in love with her too. Her loving but feisty spirit
touched them all. She made them laugh and smile and sometimes even taught
them a few choice words of Italian that they didn’t need to know. I can
remember the whole family gathering to celebrate her 90th birthday in that
nursing home cafeteria. The entire room was filled with love.
In the last few years of her life, however, my Grandma’s mind started to
fail her as well. Sometimes she would know us when we visited her and
sometimes she would not. As she got worse and worse I would often just sit
with her and hold her hand. Words were no longer needed. Her body may have
given out and her memory may have left her, but in those moments I felt
connected to her soul. I knew that her spirit would soon pass from this
world, but I also knew that the love we had shared would live on in my
heart always.
Even now years after her death I still feel that connection. I still feel
that love. It reminds me everyday that we are all one family in this
world. We are all Children of God. We are all here to love each other, to
help each other, and to grow in oneness with each other. We are here to
build bridges to each other’s hearts and to find connections to each
other’s souls. Don’t be afraid to love others then. Don’t be afraid to
share your life with them. Yes, you may suffer pain and even loss. But as
my Grandma taught me so well, the love you share will live on forever.
By Joseph J. Mazzella
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
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.”
Galatians 5:22-26 “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also
walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another,
envying one another.”
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.”
Philippians 2:3-7 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in
lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself
of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in
the likeness of men.”
1 John 4:10-12 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at
any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is
perfected in us.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: GOD WON'T ASK
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem38.htm
Today's Selected Testimony: RESCUED FROM DEPRESSION
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony37.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |