When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults, you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes. Instead, you fight the mistakes, you accept the faults, and you overlook the excuses. Never abandon an old friend, you will never find one who can take his place. Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older.
A friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.
The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've ever had.
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.
A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.
The greatest challenge in being a friend is not listening when words are spoken, but hearing and feeling even though there is nothing but silence.
When it hurts to look back and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Forgiveness
Everyone has been hurt, offended, betrayed and mistreated at some point. Sometimes those wounds are small and easy to move past, but other times they are deep and take time to heal. The important thing is that we choose to forgive so that we can open the door to God's forgiveness in our own lives.
Forgiveness is such a powerful tool. It sets you free and draws you closer to your Heavenly Father. Whenever you pray, invite the Lord to search your heart. Choose to forgive anyone that has hurt you. As you walk in forgiveness, you'll experience His hand of blessing in ways you never thought possible.
Forgiveness is such a powerful tool. It sets you free and draws you closer to your Heavenly Father. Whenever you pray, invite the Lord to search your heart. Choose to forgive anyone that has hurt you. As you walk in forgiveness, you'll experience His hand of blessing in ways you never thought possible.
Life
Life doesn't always go the way you want or plan that it will go. It hardly ever looks the way you first envisioned that it would look. It rarely feels comfortable or as if you have it under control, and quite often there are things that you cannot control! That's life! Life is usually what happens just when you are planning something else.
It moves at its own pace, which is usually faster or slower than you would like it to. It moves in its own direction,which is often not the direction in which you are going. It opens up when you least expect it and shuts itself down at the most inopportune moments. It gives for no reason and takes the same way. It starts abrubtly and stops just short of the goal. It changes. Then it refuses to change. It runs smoothly, then hits a bump. It feels good for days, weeks or months at a time. Then, all of a sudden, it makes you sick. It loves you. Then it leaves you high and dry. It will help you out when you need it most, then knock you down and roll right over you. It will present you with an answer. Then it will present you with questions that do not match the answer you have been given. It is good for awhile. Then it sucks all of the goodness out of you. That's life!
It moves at its own pace, which is usually faster or slower than you would like it to. It moves in its own direction,which is often not the direction in which you are going. It opens up when you least expect it and shuts itself down at the most inopportune moments. It gives for no reason and takes the same way. It starts abrubtly and stops just short of the goal. It changes. Then it refuses to change. It runs smoothly, then hits a bump. It feels good for days, weeks or months at a time. Then, all of a sudden, it makes you sick. It loves you. Then it leaves you high and dry. It will help you out when you need it most, then knock you down and roll right over you. It will present you with an answer. Then it will present you with questions that do not match the answer you have been given. It is good for awhile. Then it sucks all of the goodness out of you. That's life!
On That Day....
God won't ask what kind of car you drove; He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
God won't ask the square footage of your home; He'll ask how many people you welcomed into it.
God won't ask what kind of clothes you had in your closet; He'll ask how many people you helped to clothe.
God won't ask what your highest salary was; He'll ask if you compromised your character or trampled over any people to obtain it.
God won't ask what your job title was; He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
God won't ask how many friends you had; He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived; He'll ask how you treated your neighbor.
God won't ask about the color of your skin; He'll ask about the content of your character.
God won't ask why it took you so long to seek salvation; He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in Heaven and not to the gates of hell.
God won't ask what social class you were in; He will ask what kind of class you displayed.
God won't ask how many material possessions you had; He will ask whether or not those material possessions dictated your life.
God won't ask how much overtime you worked; He will ask if you worked overtime for your family.
God won't ask how many promotions you received; He will ask what you did to promote others.
God won't ask how many times you didn't run around on your spouse; He will ask how many times you did.
God won't ask how many degrees you had; He'll ask how many people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.
God won't ask what your parents did to help you; He'll ask what you did to help your parents.
God won't ask what you did to help yourself; He'll ask what you did to help others.
God won't ask what you did to protect your rights; He'll ask what you did to protect the rights of others.
God won't ask how many times you told the truth; He'll ask how many times you told a lie.
God won't ask the square footage of your home; He'll ask how many people you welcomed into it.
God won't ask what kind of clothes you had in your closet; He'll ask how many people you helped to clothe.
God won't ask what your highest salary was; He'll ask if you compromised your character or trampled over any people to obtain it.
God won't ask what your job title was; He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
God won't ask how many friends you had; He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived; He'll ask how you treated your neighbor.
God won't ask about the color of your skin; He'll ask about the content of your character.
God won't ask why it took you so long to seek salvation; He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in Heaven and not to the gates of hell.
God won't ask what social class you were in; He will ask what kind of class you displayed.
God won't ask how many material possessions you had; He will ask whether or not those material possessions dictated your life.
God won't ask how much overtime you worked; He will ask if you worked overtime for your family.
God won't ask how many promotions you received; He will ask what you did to promote others.
God won't ask how many times you didn't run around on your spouse; He will ask how many times you did.
God won't ask how many degrees you had; He'll ask how many people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.
God won't ask what your parents did to help you; He'll ask what you did to help your parents.
God won't ask what you did to help yourself; He'll ask what you did to help others.
God won't ask what you did to protect your rights; He'll ask what you did to protect the rights of others.
God won't ask how many times you told the truth; He'll ask how many times you told a lie.
Bounce Back
Life is full of things that try to push us down. We all face disappointments and setbacks. Maybe you got some bad news concerning your health or maybe a relationship didn't work out. That was a setback. It's easy to get discouraged or lose your enthusiasm or even be tempted to just settle where you are. But if we're going to see God's best, we have to have a "bounce back" mentality. That means when you get knocked down, you don't stay down, you get back up again...There is no challenge too difficult, no obstacle too high, no sickness, no disappointment, no person, nothing that can keep you from your God-given destiny. If you stay in faith, then God will turn what was mean to be a stumbling block into a stepping stone.
Today Is The Day
God has planted seeds of greatness on the inside of you, and He has predestined that those things in your heart come to pass. You may have had more than your share of unfair things happen in your life. You probably have plenty of reasons to just settle where you are. But understand, the depth of your past is an indication of the height of your future.
If you've been through a lot of negative things in the past, it just means that your future is bigger and brighter and greater than you can even imagine. It's your time to step out and embrace all that God has for you! Are there dreams and promises that you've let go of? Are there things that God has placed in your heart, but because of time, because of disappointments, you've given up on them?
Today is the day to give your dreams a new beginning. Today is the day to allow faith to rise in your heart. Remember, what's happened to you is not nearly as important as what's happened in you, and you are stronger and wiser than ever before. It's your time, it's your season to move forward into the destiny that God has prepared for you.
If you've been through a lot of negative things in the past, it just means that your future is bigger and brighter and greater than you can even imagine. It's your time to step out and embrace all that God has for you! Are there dreams and promises that you've let go of? Are there things that God has placed in your heart, but because of time, because of disappointments, you've given up on them?
Today is the day to give your dreams a new beginning. Today is the day to allow faith to rise in your heart. Remember, what's happened to you is not nearly as important as what's happened in you, and you are stronger and wiser than ever before. It's your time, it's your season to move forward into the destiny that God has prepared for you.
People In Our Life
God will bring the right people in your life at the right time, and He'll also allow the right people to leave at the right time. You see, it's God's desire for us to continue to grow in Him, and to take every opportunity that's put before us to use for His glory. Sometimes, there are people in our lives that can keep us from being our best and can actually keep us from our God given destiny.
By seeing change in the right way and realizing when God closes a door, it's because He has something better in store, we won't get bent out of shape and have our joy stolen when these changes happen. When a person has served their purpose in our life, if we don't freely let them go, it's going to keep us from the new things God wants to do.
By seeing change in the right way and realizing when God closes a door, it's because He has something better in store, we won't get bent out of shape and have our joy stolen when these changes happen. When a person has served their purpose in our life, if we don't freely let them go, it's going to keep us from the new things God wants to do.
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