DAILY (almost) 
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

OCTOBER 2004

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OCTOBER BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO:

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(Friday, October 29)

SEE YOU IN THE MORNING

Sometimes things come up that get us down.  We see no way out.  The situation looks hopeless.  What should we do at times like these?

Wait on the Lord.

Most of us know how to pray.  We're good at sharing our feelings with our heavenly Father.  Waiting on Him is harder to do.  We want our problem solved now, immediately, pronto.  We don't want to wait.

But waiting can teach us important things such as faith, patience and endurance.  How many times have you given up on something minutes too soon?  That telephone call you were expecting came right after you walked out the door.  The jacket went on sale the day after you paid full price for it.  That person you were waiting for showed up less than five minutes after you left.

The answers to our problems can come the same way--right after we give up.  But we get impatient.  We think the answer has to come today, but God knows when we really need it.  So wait.  No matter how dark the night, morning is always just around the corner.

from If the Pasta Wiggles, Don't Eat It...And Other Good Advice by Martha Bolton

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(Thursday, October 28)

GOING, GOING, GONE

"They're going to give us twenty bucks for it?" I asked my sister, Melva, in disbelief.  "Are you sure?"

"They said twenty," my sister repeated.  "Thirty, if we throw in the old cabinet radio."

"Sold!" we exclaimed in unison, giving each other a high five.  We couldn't believe what was happening.  All we did was post a sign that said "Garage Sale," and our yard was swarming with shoppers.  We sold the baby crib I'd long since outgrown, clothes, jewelry, dishes, antique records, whatever we could find around the house that was old and seemingly useless.  Mom and Dad were away on vacation and we were determined to surprise them with more money than they could ever make in one weekend.  Each time the stock on the front lawn ran low, one of us would excitedly return to the house to find more items to sell.  On one trip, we weren't quick enough and a few of the customers came in after us.

"How much would you take for that two-piece sofa set?" one woman asked.

My sister and I looked at each other.  It certainly wasn't new, and Mom had been talking about replacing it.  Still, it was our living room furniture.  If we sold it, what would the family have to sit on?

"We don't really know if we can sell that..." we hedged.

"I'll give you ten bucks for each piece," she coaxed.

Ten dollars?!  That would be twenty bucks for the whole set!  We had no idea how much it would cost to replace, but we did know another twenty bucks would bring our day's total to over three hundred dollars!  Mom and Dad were going to be so proud of us!  They were going to be. . .

"You did what?!" Mom said as she walked into the house and saw the empty spaces where furniture used to be.

"But we made over three hundred dollars!" we said, handing her the wad of bills.

"Do you have any idea what the things you sold were worth?" Her tone of voice made it hard to tell whether she was laughing or crying.

"More than three hundred dollars?" we asked meekly.

By our calculations, we can come out of our rooms in just three more years.

We learned a lot that day.  And we can apply what we learned to life, integrity, and innocence.  In one brief moment we can give it all away ... without even realizing its full value.

from If the Pasta Wiggles, Don't Eat It...And Other Good Advice by Martha Bolton

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(Friday, October 22)

PUTTING LOVE INTO PRACTICE

The following story seen in "Sunshine Magazine" about a professor of psychology illustrates how difficult it is to love others.

Although he had no children of his own, whenever he saw a neighbor scolding a child for some wrongdoing, he would say, "You should love your boy, not punish him."

One hot summer afternoon the professor was doing some repair work on a concrete driveway leading to his garage. Tired out after several hours of work, he laid down the trowel, wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and started toward the house. Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw a mischievous little boy putting his foot into the fresh cement. He rushed over, grabbed him, and was about to spank him severely when a neighbor leaned from a window and said, "Watch it, Professor! Don't you remember? You must 'love' the child!"

At this, he yelled back furiously, "I do love him in the abstract, but not in the concrete!"

That's so true. It's easy to love people "in the abstract". It's easy to talk about love and the importance of love. What's much more difficult is to love people in "concrete" ways, especially when we're dealing with people are very unlovable, who have been unkind and irritating to us.

But love is not something for us to talk about -- it is something for us to demonstrate in some very practical ways, as John makes clear in this familiar passage:

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John
3:16-18)

How about it -- are you loving in the abstract, or in the concrete?

Have a great day!
Alan Smith

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(Thursday, October 21)

One day I asked God why
He loved me.
He seemed to say, "Because."
"But why?" I pressed.
"Because I chose to," He said.
It felt cold.
"But why did you choose to?"
"Because of who I am," He said.
It felt distant.  I wanted something more.
"Was it because of who I was?"
"No," He answered.
"You were lost, a sinner disgraced.
There was nothing to commend you to Me."
I was aghast.  "Then was it because of who
I would become?"
"No," He said.
"I have made you all you are."
I felt humbled.  Finally I said,
"But why, Lord?
There must be some reason
why you loved me."
"There was," He said.
"Before you ever were, I knew you.
Before you had ever done
anything right or wrong,
I wanted you for My own.
Before you had any potential,
before anyone else saw in you 
a glimmer of greatness or even goodness,
I saw you as a helpless child,
and I loved you."
I was amazed.  "So you have always loved me?"
"And I always will."
I laughed for joy, it felt so good.
I said, "Then I don't have anything
to worry about."  This time He laughed.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

from God Is! by Mark R. Littleton

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(Tuesday, October 19)

Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self-worth.  Each of us has something to give that no one else has.
-Elizabeth O'Connor

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(Sunday, October 17)

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(Tuesday, October 12)

Who is Flying the Plane?
 by Alan Smith

 This humorous story hits a little too close to home for many of us!

A photographer from a well known national magazine was assigned to cover the fires at Yellowstone National Park. The magazine wanted to show some of the heroic work of the fire fighters as they battled the blaze.

When the photographer arrived, he realized that the smoke was so thick that it would seriously impede or make it impossible for him to photograph anything from ground level. He requested permission to rent a plane and take photos from the air. His request was approved and arrangements were made. He was told to report to a  nearby airport where a plane would be waiting for him.

He arrived at the airport and saw a plane warming up near the gate.   He jumped in with his bag and shouted, "Let's go!" The pilot swung the little plane into the wind, and within minutes they were in the air.

The photographer said, "Fly over the park and make two or three low passes so I can take some pictures."

"Why?" asked the pilot.

"Because I am a photographer," he responded, "and photographers take photographs."

The pilot was silent for a moment. Finally he stammered, "You mean you're not the flight instructor?"

When it comes to our spiritual lives, we better be certain that someone competent is in control. If we assume -- as did the two men in the story above -- that someone else has the ability to guide us safely, we may well be headed for disaster. Disaster ultimately awaits anyone who thinks he or she is strong enough to be in control of a human life, unless that person in control is the Lord Jesus Christ.

And He [Jesus] spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." (Luke 6:39-40)

Take a moment to check the cockpit. Who's in control of your life?

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(Monday, October 11)

After spending three and a half hours enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a man stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for his son.

He brought his selection -- a baseball bat -- to the cash register. "Cash or charge?" the clerk asked.

"Cash," he snapped. Then apologizing for his rudeness, he explained, "I've spent the afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau."

"Shall I gift wrap the bat?" the clerk asked sweetly. "Or are you going back there?"

Ever had one of those days? Traffic, deadlines at school, rude customers, fussy children, registration for classes!!! There are perhaps some days that you're tempted to stop off at the store for a baseball bat.

What is the key to surviving all the stress we encounter? Simply this -- we must decide that we will not allow people and circumstances to determine our attitude (I said it was simple, I didn't say it was easy).

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:19-20)

May you deal with the difficulties you encounter today with the spirit of Christ.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

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(Sunday, October 10)

Many men and women deny who they are in order to fit in.  Intelligent young women pretend to be dumb because they think that's what is expected of them.  Creative young men suppress their sensitivity because it's not considered manly.

You'll never discover the real you as long as you keep comparing yourself with those around you.  God didn't make people in batches.  He gave you all of his attention and the best of his creativity.  Don't ask, "What do my friends expect?  What does the world want me to be?"  Instead ask, "What did God create me to be?"

from I Don't Remember Dropping the Skunk But I Do Remember Trying To Breathe by Ken Davis

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(Friday, October 8)

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