[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Monday, September 1, 2014

[Donna Elliott]

Paul, I'm way behind on emails since I'm at Guiding Eyes for the Blind training with my fourth guide dog.  This woman's sharing and yours touched my heart and has given me food for thought.  Thank you.  Prayers, Donna (&Amos)

Sent from my iPad

> On Sep 1, 2014, at 5:05 PM, Paul via Faith-talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello and good day to you all.  Sorry to be a bit late, but my friend Ed and his son haven't arrived yet, so I'm writing this message now.  If they don't arrive, maybe the tech people at the Microcenter headquarters in Ohio have a solution, at least I hope they will.
> 
> Have you ever in your life wanted God to show you a particular gift for His honor and glory, and secondarily for others? Well, our author had this problem.  I know I shared this one last year, but again there are people who haven't read it even for the first time, so for them here we go.  It was written by Ruth O'Neil and is entitled "Not My Gift," rendered as follows:
> 
> A few women at our church started a Bible study.  We had hoped that more women in the church would be involved, but only five to six came regularly.
> 
> That turned out to be a blessing.  During those meetings we all felt comfortable enough to share things with each other that we never would have shared in a larger group.  We could cry and turn to each other for advice.  We grew very close as friends, the kind of friends you can call at any hour of the day or night when prayer is needed.  Our Bible study also was a time when we could each develop the gifts God gave us.
> 
> I have to be honest and admit that at one point I was jealous of one of my friends.  It did not seem to matter where she went; an opportunity always arose for her to witness.  For some reason, people just seemed to open up to her.  I could not understand why they did not open up to me.
> 
> I prayed that the Lord would allow one person to give me a sign to show me that that person needed to hear the love of God from me.
> 
> Then it happened.
> 
> I was standing in line at the store while my items were being checked out.  The cashier complained about her job and how awful her employer was.  Her boss would not let her leave early to look for a place to live.
> 
> My sarcastic side brought plenty of retorts to mind, such as, "Be glad you have a job" and "I find it hard to believe that you didn't know until today that you needed a new place to live by tomorrow." Instead of saying anything, I left, leaving only a smile.
> 
> As I put my bags into my car, I realized that God had given me a choice to make.  I had blown it.  I should have said something (except, of course, what was on my mind).
> 
> It dawned on me then that God did not often put me in situations where I had to think quickly.  There is a reason.  I am not good at it.  I always say the wrong thing or answer sarcastically.  That I am very good at.
> 
> God gave me a desire and a talent for writing.  Those who read what I have written are not aware of all that has been scribbled out as I have edited and polished my articles.  I cannot scribble over what comes out of my mouth, however.
> 
> We all have different talents to use in God's church.  What is yours?
> 
> And there you have Ruth's article which I trust was either a blessing or perhaps an eye-opener.
> 
> Over the past five years I have gotten to know and appreciate the many email friends and acquaintances that I have made.  Actually the words "friends" and "acquaintances" are not the right words in English, in my estimation of them.  There's a word in Esperanto, my second language, that more accurately describes those with whom I have a real Christian connection with, and that word is "gesamideanoj." Now I know that your screen readers probably did a number on that one, but basically it means literally "men and women who are of the same idea." Maybe the Holy Spirit will enlighten you to the true meaning of that word.
> 
> Sorry I didn't have anything for Labor Day that was short enough to post, but I did the next best thing in regard to that.
> 
> Another thing about friends:  We all have in common blindness to one degree or another.  However, as we all know, even some blind people seem to think that, just because they can do one thing or another, that all blind people can do likewise.  I learned that almost 30 years ago when I sarcastically said that learning Braille was very easy and simple regarding an elderly lady who had just gone blind, and for some reason didn't want to use rehab.  Well, a six-year-old lass said to me in so many words, "Well, if learning Braille is so easy, why don't you go to her house and teach her yourself?" Wise words from that little one.  Well, the long and the short was that I did.  So, before any of us say that a particular job or task is very simple, and if you're able to do it, why not go to that person's house and physically teach her what needs to be done, if you can and know how to do what is required.  Never again will I say to someone that something is easy, God helping me in that direction.
> 
> And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Hope that you in the U.S. and Canada had a nice Labor Day, and that you gave at least a thought to the men and women who labor for God's glory and perhaps even our good, whether they are in construction, behind a reservations desk at an airline counter, a schoolteacher or whatever God has blessed them with a job.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another daily thought message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
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