Encouraging Words Devotional

Whoever thinks parenting ends when a son or daughter turns 21 doesn’t understand that a parent never quits caring.

            I always feel a heart-tug when I read the apostle Paul’s words: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 1:19 (NIV). Isn’t that a good description of your concern for your kids’ spiritual welfare--it’s like childbirth. If you have a personal relationship with Jesus, you long for each of your kids to make progress on their journey into grace too.

In desperation, she grabbed two bottles--a bottle of whiskey and bottle of pills--and headed to the beach. At last she would end her pain. Two years of struggle and depression since her divorce had destroyed any thread of hope for the future. Why keep trying?

When Harold and I were first married, we visited the coalmining region of England for the first time.  The weather was cold and gloomy as we entered a little town whose buildings were darkened by the coal smoke. The laundry hanging on the clotheslines looked gray and dirty even though it had just been washed.

When does a child get his soul—that part of a person that never dies? It’s a question that people have debated for centuries.

To start with, let’s go back to Adam.  The record in Genesis says that the Lord formed Adam of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). The initial thought, then, might be that a child receives a soul when he takes his first breath.  But I, for one, believe it is much earlier.

They call her Sister Freda, and she is an inspiration to me!  She is a Kenyan nurse who saw great need and decided to do something about it. So she started a medical clinic in an area of great poverty.

“Oh, Terri, just look at that rose! See the delicate markings and shading? Absolutely gorgeous! Just look at it!”

Yes, when I see a beautiful flower, I immediately want to grab your arm and pull you over to take a look at its loveliness, the exquisite color, the unusual formation of the petals. Terri, my walking partner, is getting used to my exclamations as we pass by lovely flowers. She knows I just have to exclaim about them. And she knows she might as well stop right where she is until I’ve had time to take a closer look.

Talking is something most women enjoy. I guess it’s because women value relationships that we also value time to share feelings and thoughts with other women. But because of our fast pace of living, talking with friends is something most women do less and less these days.

I’m always fascinated to listen to people tell how God met them at their point of desperation. Take the Elegados, for instance. In his work for the copper and gold mines during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Mr. Elegado had the only car allowed to go back and forth to the mines near Baguio.  In order to be permitted to pass check points he had to have a Japanese sticker on the car.

A while back I was asked to speak to a group of women on how to live with infidelity, alcoholism or abuse. I was unqualified to speak from personal experience, so my walking partner, Terri, came up with a plan: “Why don’t I set you up to talk to some of my friends who have found God’s strength to survive this kind of pain?” Terri did just that. So for a week I listened and took notes.

In the area where we live, we have to be hooked up to cable TV to get any TV reception at all.  For me one of the best parts about that is that we get the Home and Garden channel—HGTV. It may be called something else in your area, but you probably have a similar channel. I love enjoying the creativity of people who design beautiful landscaping and choose lovely colors and decor for their homes.