God Said, “No!”

I asked God to take away my pride, and God said, NO!
He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, NO!
He said her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant patience, and God said, NO!
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation. It isn’t granted, it’s earned.

I asked God to give me happines, and God said, NO!
He said He gives blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare my pain, and God said, NO!
He said, “Sufferings draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.”

I asked God to make my spirit grow, and God said, NO!
He said I must grow on my own, but He will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me, and God said, YES!
and I will be in Heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me, and God said,
“Ah……finally, you have the idea.”

How Heavy Is Your Bag?

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. For every person we'd refuse to forgive in our life, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.

We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work. The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually, and how we had to pay attention to it all the time to not forget, and keep leaving it in embarrassing places.

Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime. This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy negativity! Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, and while that's true, it clearly is also a gift for ourselves! So the next time you decide you can't forgive someone, ask yourself...

Isn't MY bag heavy enough? And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. - Mark 11:25

A Time To Fast

Lent should be more than a time for fasting. It should be a joyous feasting. Lent is a time to fast from certain things and to feast on others. It is a season when we should :

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ indwelling them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negative; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplifts.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossips; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that under grids.