Among Friends

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends!  Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving day!  Weather here was very nice, the snow that was predicted didn't come! Nice getting together with family.  We do have so much to be thankful for - counting my blessings each day!!

Today let me find simple ways to bring joy to others. Lord, when I feel

that I have nothing to give, give me the confidence to believe in myself

so that I can touch the hearts of those around me.

S C R I P T U R E   F O R   T H E   D A Y  

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ~Matthew 11:28-30

M E D I T A T I O N   F O R   T H E   D A Y 

I can have faith, no matter what may come my way.  I can be patient,
even in the midst of troubles.  I need not fear the strain of life,
because I believe that God knows how much I can bear and will be there
to help me.  I can look to the future with confidence.  I know that
God will not ask me to bear anything that could overcome or destroy
me.

P R A Y E R   F O R   T H E   D A Y

I pray that I may put this day in the hands of God  I pray for faith,
so that nothing will upset me or weaken my determination to live in
God's way.

I CHOOSE
Author Unknown


It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The
world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day
will arrive.

It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness
of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of
the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race.

The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be
made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be
exposed to the day's demands.

It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to
choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE...
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the
temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse
to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I
will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to
see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing
the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than
complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment
to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face
them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for
they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse.
I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their
trust.
My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my
love.
And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice,
may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in
prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS,
GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL........

To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail,
I will seek God's face. And then when this day is done, I will place
my head on my pillow and rest.

THE BLESSING OF THORNS

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November 
gust and the florist shop door.

Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her 
second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole that from her.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over 
her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a 
transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she 
could not come for the holiday.

Then Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path 
to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.  She has 
no idea what I'm feeling, thought Sandra with a shudder.

Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? She wondered. For a careless driver whose truck 
was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life 
but took that of her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.

"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to 
challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving "Special?" 
asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. 
"Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that 
could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I 
have the perfect arrangement for you."

Just then the shop door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, 
Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward 
a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, 
bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were 
neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose 
stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara, replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after 
three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, 
but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her 
chest. And she left with her order.

"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no 
flowers!

"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it 
the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed 
Sandra.

"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," 
explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She 
had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into 
drugs, and she was facing major surgery."

"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first 
time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no 
husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always 
thanked God for the good things in my life and never questioned the good things 
that happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask questions! It took 
time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 
'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. 
You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His 
consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had 
tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby 
and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the 
balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving Special....12 thorny, 
long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped 
arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking 
why she wants something that looks like that?"

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly 
divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace 
and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. 
Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of 
what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took 
home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific 
"problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said. 
"It's all too...fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns 
make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during 
trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus 
wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she 
loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, 
please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first 
year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to 
Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to 
read it first."

It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a 
thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of 
the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed 
closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors 
of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for your roses; thank him for your thorns!

-- Author Unknown

A smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the 
head and the heating system of the heart.

November 26 - Jesus Calling

"This is the day that I have made! As you rejoice in this day of life, it will yield up to you precious gifts and beneficial training. Walk with Me along the high road of thanksgiving, and you will find all the delights I have made ready for you.

To protect your thankfulness, you must remember that you reside in a fallen world, where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely. A constant focus on adversity defeats many Christians. They walk through a day that is brimming with beauty and brightness, seeing only the grayness of their thoughts. Neglecting the practice of giving thanks has darkened their minds. How precious are My children who remember to thank Me at all times. They can walk through the darkest days with Joy in their hearts because they know that the Light of My Presence is still shining on them. Rejoice in this day that I have made, for I am your steadfast Companion."

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  —Psalm 118:24

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. —Psalm 116:17