Buddy, on July 10th I spoke at Ladies Night Out at Church. I talked about having faith and walking through the valley. I'm putting my notes here but you know Mama...I said a lot more than what my notes say. Anyway I think it went alright. I ended with telling them that to be in the valley isn't such a bad place to be. There is beauty in the valley. It's where we grow and it's what it takes to make it to Heaven and I want to make it to Heaven someday.
Plain and simple Buddy, I spoke because I want your life and death to continue to make a difference and I know it is.
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One day, two frogs were enjoying the day in the barn when they accidentally fell into the farmer's bucket of cream, and they couldn't get out. The two frogs kept swimming around to keep from drowning, and every once in a while they would try to climb out, but this was becoming very tiring.
One frog kept saying, "This is useless, we should just give up." But the other frog just ignored the comment and kept swimming. Finally, the pessimistic frog gave up and drowned. The other frog was sad at the loss of his friend, but he wasn't going to give up. He kept swimming and swimming, and, finally, the cream turned into butter and the frog simply climbed out.
This story shows that even if we stumble and others try to pull us down, we got to keep on swimming because, eventually, the cream will turn into butter and we'll make it out of the pail.
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One of the worst things you can do as a Christian is to go around with this plastic mask on saying, 'I love God, and He's so good,' when your heart is breaking inside,"
We need to be honest. Though we can say, 'God is good,' with tears running down our cheeks, but He is good, and He will see you through, and He never wastes your sorrows. He, as only He can… will transform them into that which is good—that which brings gain to the kingdom and glory to His name.
Surrendering your burden to the Lord is a step of faith and an act of will. He’s more interested in the sincerity of your heart and not the words you pray. He recognizes a genuine desire to surrender to Him.
I know that in your heart if you say, Jesus, I believe in You, He hears it. He hears your heart, I think He pays a lot more attention to your heart than your words.
Everything God does is good. Believe this with your heart, and hold on to this truth for strength in hard times.
Lord God, I cannot pretend that everything is fine, that everything is good because it's not. But I want to be completely truthful when I say that You, God, are good.
God is honored when deep inside you turn to Him and cry out, Oh God, You are awesome. Your ways are beyond finding out. Lord, I don’tt understand, but I bow before You because You are an awesome God.
Hezekiah was a king who trusted God with wholehearted devotion both in good times and in bad. The Bible records that "there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him" 2 Kings 18:5 Even in the midst of bitter tears, Hezekiah approached God with a reverent, worshipful heart, and God heard his prayer: Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 2 Kings 20:3
But we also have got to realize that the Lord isn’t just a therapist that we only go running to to make it through a difficult time. He is Lord and Savior. Your greatest joy will come when you yield your whole life to Him.
Know that you have to leave it up to Him, and you have no control over some things to come against you.
When you honor Him as God, you are better able to accept the circumstances of life.
Jeremiah 10:19 says, Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
1 Peter 5:6-7 says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
In Matt. 6:11 it says, Give us this day our daily bread. Daily the Lord was providing me with what I needed but I still was looking for that pouring out of His grace and peace, and hoping I was going to have this overwhelming feeling of peace in my life, but it was not like that. It was just a day-by-day supplying of the bread that I needed for that day.
Psalm 9:10 says, Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Rev. 7:17
There hath not failed one word of all His good promise. 1 Kings 8:56
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Cracked Pot Inspirational Story
A water bearer in India had two large pots,
one hung on each end of a pole which he carried
across his neck. One of the pots had a crack
in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always
delivered a full portion of water at the end
of the long walk from the stream to the
master's house. The cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it
spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
Why?" asked the bearer.
"What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house.
Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.
But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side?
That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers
to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there.
There is a lot of good in us!
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!
Thank you to the cracked pots in my life.
You have made life more interesting and beautiful.
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After I was finished Sister Yancey called me into the Sanctuary and sang the most beautiful song that said just what I spoke about...it made Mama cry. When she was finished she told me that the Lord gave her the words as I was speaking. Isn't that special? Some day I want to get a copy from her and put it here for you.
I love you B.J. I always have and I always will!
Love, Mama