Little Miss Susie-Q

This isn't going to be an original post. It was sent to me in an email from my friend Pat C.  It was so good, that after I wiped the tears away I thought I'd share it with you.

Come with me to a third grade classroom... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

 

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap… 

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and finds him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy was wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. "You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

God, help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good… then grant us the courage to act!

Remember... just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. 

Matthew 7:12

Common English Bible

¹² Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets.

May your week be blessed. My mind is still recovering from last week's training! I'm now a certified Equal Employment Opportunity Liaison with my agency. Oh, the things I've learned! Things and actions I never wanted to know about!

 Tamara

Comfort Ye

One of our society’s newest clichés is, “that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”  I don’t believe this. We have only to ask… 

• the survivor of a concentration camp
• the parent who has made funeral arrangements for a child
• the battered and abused child / woman / person
• the burn victim with horrible disfigurement
• the veteran who has returned home, yet suffers with post traumatic stress disorder
• the homeless person
• the survivor of a natural disaster
• the stay-at-home mother whose husband has walked out on her and their small children
• the husband who returns from work to find his wife has walked out on him and their children
• the person who has suffered atrocities due to conflict and war
• the family members of an addict 

Life is painful. We may survive. In some cases we may even thrive. But often there is brokenness left in the wake of personal disaster.  Today I  find comfort in the Psalms. 

Psalm 34:18
Common English Bible

18 The LORD is close
to the brokenhearted;
he saves those whose spirits
 are crushed.

Psalm 51:17
Common English Bible 

17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God.
You won’t despise a heart, God,
that is broken and crushed.

Psalm 147:3
Common English Bible 

3 God heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds

Tamara

Today's Devotional

TODAY’S VERSE

The LORD will guide you always.

Isaiah 58:10

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverb 3:5-6

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

John 16:13

TODAY’S THOUGHT

Have you ever watched a guide dog at work? It’s amazing to think a dog can be trained to lead a visually impaired person around through heavy traffic, through winding and turning walking paths, and even in the confines of the home. Well, we need a guide to get us through the mountains and valleys of this life. We need a guide to lead us through the difficult times and when we seem lost and all is hopeless. Isaiah promises that God will be our guide. In the book of John, Jesus promised that He will give us the Holy Spirit to be our guide. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. And in the wilderness, truth is King! There is no room for error; you need the truth to guide you every step of the way. So, where are you today? Where are you going? How will you get there? You need the Holy Spirit to be your guide. Proverbs warns us not to lean on our own understanding but to acknowledge our need for God. Come to God today and ask Him to lead you. Surrender to His guidance and let Him direct your paths.

TODAY’S PRAYER

Lord, You know how I need You to direct my path today. I can’t do it by myself. I surrender to you and ask that you would lead me through the power of the Holy Spirit. Guide me, direct me, lead me this day. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior ~Amen.