"as you do unto others, so you have done unto Me..."



 Wondering how to celebrate Christmas? Here are some ideas...hug the hurt, kiss the broken, befriend the lost, love the lonely...the perfect gifts to give in Jesus' name...

 As holiday time approaches, there are those who are cringing at the thought of being around two things: parties and alcohol that in all likelihood will be served there. As the night wears on, the drinking flows freely until soon folks are either stumbling around or pass out on whatever flat surface is available.
I get many letters from those who ask me how to deal with the drinking, not just at holiday time, but ALL the time. Drinking is not relegated only to holiday parties....it is a daily event/struggle for alcoholics who can't seem to deny themselves of the intoxicating fluids. As one reader put it, "how do I change him?"
The answer is simple, yet complex.
 It is better to be satisfied with someone you love than dissatisfied. From the goodness of your heart, you may want a loved one to change, and, yet, the only person you can change is yourself. Surely, you have learned this already.
How does a plant grow? By watering and sunshine. You can’t order a plant to grow. You can’t order a flower to bloom. You can’t order a tree to bear fruit. You can love an almond tree, but you can not ask it to become a peach tree.
In what you desire for another, you may be absolutely right. Nevertheless, it is not your place to demand. Your choice is to nourish. You cannot demand change from another. You can demand change only from yourself. It is not for you to give commands. It is for you to love and bless. Love and blessing come first. Love and blessing work wonders. If you really want to help someone grow, then love them. Love them as they are, and they will grow. There is nothing like love to nourish.
If you want to make someone strong, love him or her. Correction may dissolve another’s strength rather than strengthen. You must allow another free will. Free will does not infringe on another. Your jurisdiction is over yourself, not another.
You may desire peace. The way to have peace is to give it. 

this brings to mind another story I received last week:

 "Every morning when I got off the commuter train, I'd pass this homeless man on my way to work," Bonnie relates.  "I've never gotten involved with people like this, because I have mixed feelings---would my donation buy drugs for them, or enable them to stay helpless?"  Perhaps.  Yet, Bonnie seemed drawn to this particular vagrant. She found herself asking a different question: What would Jesus have her do?

    Gradually Bonnie made eye contact with this man.  Brief conversations followed.  His name was Phil, he told her, and he had been on the streets about a year.  Beyond that, he would not elaborate.  Sometimes Bonnie's only connection with Phil was a smile, and a cheery greeting.  At other times, she'd bring him a sandwich, or give him some coins.  "The people at my office teased me unmercifully," she says."They felt I was a "soft touch," and hopelessly gullible."  But she kept on; somehow it just seemed right.

    One day, however, Phil was not at his usual post.  Weeks passed, and he didn't return.  Bonnie was concerned, but the merchants and police officers along her route didn't know what had happened to him.  Gradually, she forgot too...
Until one morning when, as she passed the corner, someone called her name.  She turned around.  Coming toward her was Phil!  But not the same disheveled beggar she had befriended over a year ago.  No, this Phil was clean-shaven, clear-eyed, wearing a suit and a smile.  "Phil!" she gasped, "what happened to you?"
 "You did, Bonnie."  He was standing in front of her now, and she could hardly believe the change in him.
    "Me? I didn't..."
    "Oh,  but you did.  You, and two men who work together on the next block.  For that whole year I lived on the streets, you three were the only ones who saw me a person.  You looked at me, and talked to me.  One day I asked myself: if there are three people in the world who believe in me, why can't I believe in me?  So I went into rehab, and here I am."
    He had a job, he explained, and wouldn't be downtown any more.  So he had come to his old corner one last time, to see if he could locate the three who had changed his life.  "I found the men yesterday," Phil explained. "I was just waiting for you."
    "Whatever you do to the least of My children, you do to Me."  Bonnie could hardly see Phil through the tears in her eyes.  But she knew now the Source of that unusual urge to "get involved, if only in a small way."  How glad she was that she had listened to that small voice within her!
 

Comments

  1. Everyone thinks that drunks drink to just get drunk or stay drunk. Many don't realize what the struggles are, of denying ourselves something that our bodies crave. For those who can abstain, God bless you. For those who can't, God be with you.

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  2. struggles? what about the ones who sit and watch you guys drink! the What Ifs...he gets into a car accident and kills someone, or gets a DWI and loses his job? or ignores his family for booze? or a whole lot of reasons! Give up the booze and save your loved ones the struggles, pal! It really isn't all about you!

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  3. Philly....you need to see it from Reverend's eyes....to be compassionate and forgiving...didn't you read the blog? You never know what your actions will do, either positive or negative. So do something good in the hopes it will work out for good. your attitude just says, "I have written you off until you as I am." Wow...real Christ-like!

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  4. Please pray for George,he has a battle with the booze and its taking him down,I fear he will lose his life,he has been caught by this disease for years now,pray for him to see the light and the graces of god,he only 41 and has so much to live for,thank you,God bless

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  5. Lord, please help my uncle in all his trials in life esp of his sickness right now. Give him strength, courage, help to ease all his pain & hope to all the people who surrounds him.please Lord help him & take care of him...I know Lord, You know what's best for him...Thank you! Amen!

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  6. I'M MARRIED TO A WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND WE A BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER THAT IS JUST A LIL OVER A YEAR OLD. I'VE BEEN ON DRUGS FOR ABOUT 15 YRS; I SEPARATED FROM MY HUSBAND FOR 9 MONTHS AND FINALLY DECIDED TO GO BACK HOME TO WHERE I KNOW I NEEDED TO BE. DHR GOT CALLED ON ME AND I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THEM SINCE THE FIRST OF FEBRUARY NOW MY HUSBAND IS HAVING TO DEAL WITH THEM ALSO. WE ARE ALSO TRYING TO GET A HOUSE AND FIX OUR MARRIAGE BUT THE SYSTEM IS MAKING THAT VERY DIFFICULT. THEY WON'T LET US LIVE TOGETHER OR FOR OUR DAUGHTER TO GO TO HIS MOM'S HOUSE. IT'S REALLY ALL JACKED UP. IS ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT YOU PRAY FOR ME TO HAVE THE STRENGTH TO GET THROUGH ALL THIS MESS AND THAT DHR DON'T TAKE OUR CHILD. ALSO PRAY FOR ME AND MY HUSBAND. THANK YOU!!!! AND GOD BLESS....

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