Inspiration Shared By Lady Braids

Inspiration On 1/3/12

Because I have received kindness,
I have been spurred on to be kind.

Because I have caught the smile on another's lips,
I have found myself smiling.

Because I have known the joy of receiving,
I rejoice in giving.

Because I have felt pain,
I know what pity is.

Because I have tasted humiliations,
I know what consideration is.

Because I have seen Christ suffer,
I have had the courage to go on.

 -- Sister Mary Gemma Brunke

Inspiration On 11/10/11

 

I am optimistic about the future of the human race. Now many of
my friends have asked me time and again how I can have such
hope for the future in the face of the problems we have today.
Hunger, pollution, sickness, inflation, recession, unemployment,
wars, and terrorism fill so many hearts with fear. This world
seems to be overflowing too with greed, hypocrisy, anger,
hatred, prejudice, and intolerance. A better life for ourselves
and our children seems for many to be some impossible dream.
How then can I be so optimistic?

My optimism comes from looking into the hearts and souls of
all the people I see everyday. I see a little boy holding open
a heavy door for an elderly man walking with a cane. I see a
young mother carrying a baby in her arms buy an extra box
of macaroni in the store and put it in the food drive box to
help feed the hungry. I see 3 different people pull off the
road to help a motorist whose car broke down. I see a lady
going door to door to share the extra vegetables she had
grown in her garden with her neighbors. I see teenagers
giving up their Spring and Summer vacations to spend their
time helping to repair the homes of the poor and elderly.
I see a man taking off his one Winter coat and giving it to
a woman who has none.

I see people give their time, talents, and energies to make
the life of someone else a little better and a little brighter.
Everywhere I look I see people with smiling faces and kind
hearts. Everywhere I look I see people helping people,
people caring for our world, and people loving their neighbors
as themselves. Everywhere I look I see people living as God
meant for us to live.

That is why I remain so optimistic about us all. Sometimes we
fail, are selfish, and create more problems than we solve. Still,
in our hearts we are good. In our souls we are God’s children.
In our lives we are loving beings capable of saving this world
for us and our children.

 -- Joseph J Mazzella

 

Inspiration On 10/10/11

 

You're miserable and probably one of the rudest people
I've ever come across. 

When I approach you, you turn away and pretend that
I am not there, until you're ready. 

I have tried a thousand times to make you smile and
you have tried a thousand times not to. 

I have dreaded even having to deal with you. I even
tried coming at another time only to find you there
at all hours. 

The hard, staid, look on your face remains unchanged
no matter what day it is, what time it is or even what
season. 

A "Beautiful day!" gets a moan. 

"Hello, how are you today?" always returns "The same." 

I have given up on you, I have been angered by you, I
have even thought about complaining to the manager,
but didn't. 

Then one day I caught myself acting just like you and
realized that I must stop.

I finally resolved myself to the fact that you are who
you are and I cannot change that. 

You are a fact of my life and I must learn to deal with it. 

You made me. 

The one day that I permitted myself to return the
emptiness, rude behavior, terrible attitude and silent
treatment, you chose to say something. 

I approached the checkout and you said, "Are you Okay?"

I was stunned. I could actually feel my brow, my entire
face scrunch up apparently angry that you would ask. 

"Am I okay?" I said in disbelief. 

"Yes." you replied. "You are usually so upbeat and chipper." 

I stood in this dream-like state confused by what was going on. 

You looked at me and said, "I depend on you to lift my spirits
every time you come in. I work three jobs, my bills are piling
up, my kids need clothes for school, my husband left me and
three weeks later I found out I have cancer." 

I was speechless. 

"Now you come in with this attitude today," she said. 

I actually apologized. 

I never considered that you were much more than a clerk.
I never tried to understand that behind that face was
personal pain, life challenges and loss. 

Sure you should learn to separate work and life, but
sometimes life digs in, hurts, and you end up wearing it
like an ugly dress. Fits, but no one wants to see it. 

Knowing now how difficult your life is I will see you
through the eyes of love. 

Love is more than romantic. Love is compassionate. Love
is kind. Love is forgiving. Love is seeing beyond the pain.

 -- I Learned To Love You Today by Bob Perks

Inspiration On 09/15/11

To quote a phrase from a 1989 teen movie: "Be excellent
to each other." You never know when God will call you or
someone in your life to be another beautiful flower in His
garden.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
other, just as Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32 

Namaste,
Linnda

Inspiration On 09/07/11

 

Care for those around you. Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices in
life no more easily made. And give. Give in any way that
you can, of whatever you possess. To give is to love.
To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest
than how it is shared, and your life will have meaning
and your heart will have peace.

 -- Kent Nerburn

     Letters To My Son: A Father's Wisdom On Manhood, Life and Love

 

 

Inspiration On 09/06/11

Study military strategy and you will find a re-occurring theme,
divide the enemy. Separate them. Isolate them. If you've ever
watched a nature episode on the Discovery channel then you
have seen how the animals hunt and divide the weakest off
from the herd. 

Satan, our enemy, wants to do the exact same thing. Separate
us. Isolate us. Make a man feel like he is all alone. "No one
else at your church would be able to help you with this," he
whispers. "No one else is struggling like you." And the big lie
he whispers to me all the time, "No one else really cares."
Which is just a step away from saying, God doesn't care.

Even though I know they are all lies, I can't believe how
quickly I will fall for them. I have to "speak" the truth to myself. 

But there is still something else we all need. It helps us carry on
during battles. We need encouragement. Some of us may not
realize how much we need it.

At our recent Men Who Win Advance, several men took the
scary risk of sharing their weaknesses and struggles. I call it
scary because Satan whispers in our ear, "These men will
reject you if you tell them that." That might be true if we
shared our struggles with men of the world, but never true
when shared with men of God.

Immediately each man received encouragement. We laid
hands on each one and prayed for him. Those men left
feeling restored and uplifted. They felt stronger. Part of
the reason for feeling stronger, they knew they were not
alone.

The next day after it was over, one man sent me a text,
"May the Lord rock your Spirit today." At the time I did
not know who it was, but it still immediately brought
encouragement. I did not feel alone. I knew if I needed
someone to cover my back, I had it.

You might be saying, "No one ever encourages me." First,
have you let anyone know of your struggles? Have you let
another man of God see your weakness? That's really
important. We can't help each other fight the enemy if we
don't know how or where the enemy is attacking us through
you. Secondly, I would remind all of us of the Galatians 6:7
principle, "You will ALWAYS harvest what you plant." (NLT)
If you want to harvest some encouragement, then go plant
some today. I guarantee you will be surprised how many
men need to be encouraged.

 -- Jamie Futrell
     Men who Win Ministries
     http://www.menwhowin.com/

Inspiration On 08/30/11

1. "I'm sorry."
2. "I love you."
3. "Forgive me."
4. "You were right."
5. "Maybe mama was right."
6. "I'll just let it go."
7. "It's not really that important."
8. "It's just ego, I'm acting like a baby."
9. "Let me just calm down."
10."Let me look at it from their point of view."

These are ten things that may help us see a simple solution to
what has been looking like an overly complicated problem.

 -- Excerpted from the MountainWings original issue, "Stupid Fix."
     http://www.mountainwings.com

Inspiration On 08/29/11

It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the
church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car
that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as
they walked to the church.

As I got closer, I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside
the church. He was almost lying down as if he was asleep.
He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat
topped his head that was pulled down so you could not see his
face. He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his
feet with holes all over them and his toes stuck out.

I assumed this man was homeless and asleep, so I walked on by
through the doors of the church. We all gathered for fellowship
for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man lying
outside. People snickered and gossiped, but no one bothered to
ask him to come in, including me.

A few moments later church began. We all waited for the
preacher to take his place and to give us the Word, when the
doors to the church opened.

In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head
down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his
way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit and he took off his
hat and coat.

My heart sank.

There stood our preacher. He was the "homeless man."

No one said a word. The preacher took his Bible and laid it on
the stand.

"Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching
about today."

Then he started singing the words to this song:
If I can help somebody as I pass along.
If I can cheer somebody with word or song.
If I can show somebody that he's traveling wrong,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 08/11/11

Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you
stop your car or are walking by, you will notice something
quite amazing.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is
blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has
made a good home for him. This alone is amazing. If nearby and
listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around
for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the
smaller horse in the field.

Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind
friend know where she is, so he can follow her. As you stand
and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always
checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then
slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him
astray.

When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she
stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't
too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away
just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or
challenges. God watches over us and even brings others into our
lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little
ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times
we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this. You don't always see them, but you
know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 08/03/11

Honesty is not a mask for cruel insecurity. You can try to justify
a hurtful remark by saying, "I'm 'only' being honest," but you're
'only' fooling yourself. There is no justification for making fun
of someone's dreams, insulting their appearance or belittling
them in any way. Self-satisfaction at someone's expensive, is
not honest. It's cruel.

Honesty relies on integrity for support. You endeavor to do the
right things for the right reasons. You seek a rightness for
yourself without judging others. You strive to silence your
internal critic.

Insecurity, blind to its own faults, points them out in others.
Honesty sees them in itself and keeps its pointing finger in its
pocket.

There's a line between telling the truth and purposely hurting
someone. Honesty and integrity walk one side of the line.
Cruel insecurity, 'masked' as honesty, walks the other.

Which side of the line do you walk?

 -- Living in love and loving life,
     Terri McPherson