Don't shirk your responsibility

A patient in a Georgia hospital once knocked over a cup of water onto the floor next to his bed. Fearing he would slip on the spill, he called the nurse's aide to clean up the mess. What he didn't realize is that hospital policy stated that if a spill was small, the nurse's aide had the job of cleaning it up. However, if the spill was large, hospital housekeeping would need to take care of the problem. Upon arriving at the patient's bed, the nurse's aide determined that the spill was too large for her to clean and called housekeeping. When someone from housekeeping arrived, they deemed the mess too small for them to clean. A large debate ensued between housekeeping and the nurse's aide over the size of the mess. Exasperated, the patient grabbed a pitcher of water on his night stand, poured it on the floor, and asked, "Is that puddle big enough for you two to figure this out?"

The two hospital workers were so busy debating the details of their duties that they forgot their main purpose for work-to meet the needs of the patient. Did it matter who cleaned up the mess? Would either one have gotten more or less pay for their duties? Not at all. Yet both shirked their responsibility to the patient by focusing on a petty discussion.

We as parents have a great responsibility toward their children and too many are shirking that responsibility.  We have the responsibility of training our children, being the right kind of example by attending church, working diligently at our jobs, etc.  Sometimes we are so focused on our jobs at work, that we forget that our most important job of raising our children is lacking.  Many times when parents send their children to school, they turn the responsibility over to the schools to raise their children.  It is not the school's job to raise our children, it is ours.  Many times children are dropped off at malls, parks and theaters and parents do this to get a "break" from their responsibility.  There is no such things as a break from the responsibility of our children as long as they are our children!  Our children are OUR responsibility and our responsibility alone. 

Let's determine to stop expecting the government, schools and places of recreation to raise our children.  We need to take a stand and own up to the responsibility of raising our children.  If we raise our children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, God promises to bless us for it.  No, it is not easy, I know that all too well, but it is something that has to be done no matter how hard it may become. 

Our children are depending on us and so is God.  Our children are our future.... how is your future looking?

Don't forget God's blessings

He remembered where he was, how he felt, and the bleak outlook of the future. He remembered being able to taste death, being days, hours, even moments from it. He also remembered the feelings of relief and rescue when he caught the bird......

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was a soldier during the second world war. One night he was on a mission to deliver a message to General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea. Somewhere over the South Pacific his aircraft lost radio signal, leaving him unable to radio for help once his fuel ran low. Having no other option, Captain Rickenbacker ordered his men to bail as he ditched the plane moments before his engines shut off.
For nearly a month, Rickenbacker and his men floated in the Pacific Ocean, fighting thirst, hunger, and the sun to survive. Sharks circled the crew and rammed the men's rafts at night. Despite the many factors they fought, one seemed to doom them all-starvation. After eight days into the ordeal, rations ran out. The men realized a miracle was needed to survive on the rafts, and that's just what they got.
Rickenbacker tells the story this way:

"Something landed on my head. I knew that it was a sea gull. I don't know how I knew, I just knew. Everyone else knew too. No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull. The gull meant food...if I could catch it."

And Eddie did catch the bird which helped sustain the survivors until help came. But why was a seagull so far from land? It was uncharacteristic for a gull to be so far out at sea, yet the miracle they needed came just in time.

Eddie Rickenbacker never forgot that miracle. In fact, every Friday night, he would walk to the dock near his home in Florida with a bucket of fish and he would feed the seagulls to always remember the second chance he had been given.

Don't allow God's blessings to become distant memories.  Remind yourself of the "bird(s)" that came just in time in your life.  I am reminded of the times when I barely had enough money to buy food for my children and someone lovingly placed money in my hand, or I received an anonymous envelope with just enough money to buy groceries.  I am also reminded of times that I did not know how I would be able to put Christmas presents under the tree for my children and a caring person provided a wealth of toys and other items to more than make their little eyes twinkle on Christmas day.

Sometimes when we get past the days of very little, we forget how God worked in our lives and provided when we thought all was lost.  Perhaps you are currently in those times of very little.  Don't despair!  God knows where you live and He will provide the "birds" that you need.  But don't take God's blessings for granted and don't be too discouraged to see the blessings of God.

Let's determine today to remember the blessings of God and to share them with our children so that they can learn of God's blessings.  When God provides a "bird" in your life, point it out to your children and let them know who provided that blessing.

Look up and remember your blessings!

Does anyone care?

A family of four moved across country one summer and settled in a smaller town in which everyone was very close-knit. Feeling like outsiders, the family went about moving in without much outside help until one day their neighbor's small daughter came over and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Mary. What are you guys doing?" The family's young daughter of about the same age came over and began talking with Mary. The two became friends and as a result, the family was introduced to the community. They became part of the "family" of neighbors and enjoyed the friendship of many others on their block.

One day the sad news came that Mary had been hit by a car while playing in the street. After doctors did all they could to fix her injuries, she passed away. The neighborhood was in a state of shock. Their perfect community was rocked by the news. Everyone knew and loved Mary. While families scrambled for ways to sympathize with Mary's family, one single act comforted Mary's mother most. The little girl Mary had first befriended walked over to Mary's house, knocked on her door, and when she was ushered in, she walked over to where Mary's mother was sitting on the couch, climbed into her lap, and laid her head on the mother's chest while the little girl cried.

We all know what it feels like to experience grief, perhaps you are grieving right now.  The loneliest feeling is grieving alone, experiencing the loss, pain and emotional toil without anyone to comfort you.  Single parents know that feeling all too well.

Knowing how it feels to go through grief and loss by ourselves should encourage us to show compassion when we see others that are grieving.  Sometimes we don't even have to say a word but simply be there for the person, even a simple hug can "say" so much!  If you aren't the hugging kind of person then send a card, bake a cake, offer to watch their children for a couple of hours so that they can have some time to themselves, anything to let them know that you care and they are not alone.

Let's not forget that our children watch how we respond to others that are hurting.  When we encourage others, we teach our children how to respond when someone is grieving and we teach them the art of compassion which our Heavenly Father showed to us so many times in scripture.

Do you know someone that is hurting?  Let's determine to show our them we care by taking a few minutes of our busy day and expressing our love and compassion.  Someone really needs to know we care... let's show them we do!

Don't give up!

General William Booth is most often recognized as the tireless founder of the Salvation Army, an organization that sought to spread the Gospel through meetings and community outreaches in years past. He worked many years to establish a network of Salvation Army meeting places across the country and did much to spread God's love to the less fortunate. As he grew older, his eyesight began failing. One day doctors approached his son Bramwell and informed him that his father's eyesight would not be regained and nothing more could be done. Tasked with informing his father of the sober news, Bramwell told William that there would be no recovery. Booth replied, "Do you mean that I am blind?" His son informed him, "I hear we must contemplate that." William Booth thought then responded, "I shall never see your face again?" Bramwell choked back emotion as he replied, "No, probably not in this world." Booth reflected on the news then replied with determination, "Bramwell, I have done what I could for God and for His people with my eyes. Now I shall do what I can for God without my eyes."

I can only imagine how I would react given the news that General Booth was given.  Perhaps despair would have set in knowing I would never be able to see the faces of my children again, see my grandchildren, or even witness another sunrise or sunset.  But responding that way would not lead me to God's blessings.  God can't bless those that have given up and no longer serve Him.

Are you on the brink of giving up today?  Is there a problem and you just can't figure out how you are going to deal with it?  Does the future seem bleak and the present day even darker?  Take courage my friend and know that God loves you and wants the very best for your life.  The devil may throw obstacles into our lives, but learning to over come those obstacles makes us a stronger person and allows us to witness God's blessings.  A single parent's life is a very hard life, I know that all too well, but if we keep on for no other reason, we must keep on for the simple fact that our children are watching us.  They learn how to deal with the twists and turns in life by how we respond to the twists and turns in life.  Let's determine to teach our children to depend on God in their darkest days by us depending on God in our darkest days.  DON'T GIVE UP!!!

And as a side note, if you ever need someone to talk to, someone that knows what you are going through, please do not hesitate to contact me.  You can contact me through my Facebook page or through my email which is sandra.davis123@yahoo.com   I truly care and want to be an encouragement!