Small Prayers

I was visiting with people at my church food pantry and a woman was talking to me about how she wished her daughter could get things right with God. She said, "Why this morning I heard her praying for her truck to start. I told her that wasn't right to say prayers like that. Only supposed to bother God with the big things." Then she asked me if she wasn't right. She said, "God doesn't want to hear about your old, broken down truck, does he?"

I thought about the times I had prayed to God that my vehicle would take me where I needed to go, kept on working, and yes, even that it would crank. "Well," I said, "God loves to hear everything about our lives. He really wants to know it all; so, yes, praying that your truck works in order to do his will is a good thing. No prayer is too small. He will answer prayers in his time.

The woman furrowed her brow and nodded, "I guess you're right. He does want to hear them all. He does answer prayers." She paused, "In his time, like you're saying."

God really does want to hear ALL our prayers. He's waiting on us to hand everything over to him because he wants to help us on all the roads of our lives. We just have to move our stubborn butts over and let him drive the old truck. Pray to him about everything. It really is the only way.

Have a blessed day!
TAH

God loves me!!

Did you know God loves me? He has been knocking on my door for years, wanting to use my writing talents for his glory. Guess what? I'm finally listening!! I am finally answering his call. I should have done it many years ago! Alas, I am doing it now, and he's happy about it! I'm on the right path.

I wasn't really on the wrong path, as some people would say, just my version of God's path. So, yes, I was on the wrong path. God wanted me to write; but, he wanted me to write things that would set people to thinking about him. In this world we are told to not think about God and a whole lot of other "good" things. That's not right! God wants us to think about love and life and happiness! He wants us to look at each other and see the good instead of the differences between us. He tells us to love each other; it's the most important commandment to remember because the rest will fall into place if we are loving each other.

Loving each other doesn't mean that we have a romantic love for each other. That's a different type of love. This is a love that is hand in hand with respect and no judgement. It's being happy for a person and showing kindness to someone no matter what. Even if someone is bad to us, we have a decision to make. We can either return the hatred, or we can return it with love. How much greater is the force of love than the force of hatred? That doesn't mean that if a woman loves an abuser enough he'll stop. NOT the same thing. I am talking about the everyday life. You're standing in line at the market and the men in front of you smell. Don't turn up your nose at them. You have no idea what those men have been doing to smell as they do. They might have been working on the septic system of your daughter's school all day. They had to get milk on the way home, just like you!The woman with the 4 screaming kids. I bet she doesn't like them screaming any more than you. Smile at them! Maybe your smile will carry her through to know she's not alone with these screaming children! Maybe your smile will let her know Jesus loves her and is smiling at her. We never know what kind of influence we have on people in our passing. Make it a good one! Make it one that when you're saying your prayers at night you think about those people and say a small prayer for them.

God loves me. He loves you, too! He loves everyone and he'll wait forever for you to turn to him. He'll show you the biggest outpouring of love you've ever felt if you'll just allow him in your life.

Have a blessed day.
TAH