Faith of a Child

This is a short story I read in a magazine I subscribe too. The last line really stood out to me, because I am much the same. What the little boy said was special. But it is not enough to pray, but to take it to the Lord and leave it there.

As busy as cats on a tin roof, the carpenter crew was tearing off the sheets of steel and replacing them with shingles. The pitch was extra steep and the men needed to tread very carefully.

Inside the house, the noise was deafening to Mother's tense ears as the long sheets of steel crashed to the ground below. At times a drill or some other tool went thumping down with a noisy clatter. Mother could not relax, worried that a person might be falling along down, too.

Finally she went outside to get a full view of what was happening. "Oh no!" she exclaimed to her little boys who were watching at a safe distance. "I have to go inside again. I can't stand to watch them. " Daddy was stepping precariously along the slippery roof - or at least so it seemed to Mother's tense nerves.

Sammy, the youngest son, looked imploringly into Mother's eyes and said, "I'm not afraid at all, because I just pray about it."

"Good for you," Mother encouraged him as she headed for the house.

To herself she thought, "What a dear, innocent child. I was praying almost constantly, but I lacked the faith to leave it calmly in God's hands. Like a little child, I must learn to take my burdens to the Lord and leave them there.

Day By Day

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Power;
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
Ever to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.
By Karolina W. Sandell-Berg

This song has been a favorite of mine for years and still is. It has a lot of meaning. I thought I would share it here with you all!

Thy Brother Shall Rise Again

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give [it] thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. John 11:21-23

With so many deaths lately, it has been as it is bound to be; hard to except. The person gone was loved. Life is hard without our loved ones who once used to be. We're tempted to again and again to ask why. Why did this have to happen? Why did he have to die?

Today as I read through my daily reading I was reading of the death of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. Both Mary and Martha reproached Christ upon meeting him saying, "Lord if you had been here our brother would not have died." It was for their good that He allowed it to happen. "That your faith may grow." How hard though, how very hard, that even "Jesus wept." He loved them dearly, so dearly that he allowed it to happen, but it was so hard, so very hard that even our Saviour wept.

It is a long uphill climb. But one day when we reach the summit we'll understand why God has allowed these many young lives to be taken from us. I can't keep asking why because it would only drive me crazy. God knows and He understands and it is my place to trust Him. He weeps with us in our grief but gives us the reassuring promise: Thy brother shall rise again. We have this hope. One day altogether again, never to part anymore. It is a blessing to have this hope because many do not.

Until then I must trust all unknowns to our all knowing, all powerful God who rules the Heavens and the Earth, who is loving and caring and will carry my burdens. My job is to keep my eyes to that eternal goal, life everlasting.

God grant us strength to carry on. To trust in Thee and in Thy promises. Though how bleak and sad and hard the path between now and then will be. Christ walks the path with us and bears the part we cannot bear and helps us over the rugged path.

The shuttles of His purpose move
To carry out His own design;
Seek not to soon to disapprove
His work, nor yet assign
Dark motives, when, with silent tread,
You view some sombre fold;
For lo, within each darker thread
There twines a thread of gold.

Miles Crossed

I'm back to home sweet home after three weeks on the road traveling. It was great, we visited friends and family and had a wonderful time in fellowship with other Christians. It was special to share that time together, and I am grateful for it. I am not a great lover of traveling but it is wonderful to see friends and family!

Press on! Surmount the rocky steeps,
Climb boldly o'er the torrent's arch;
He fails alone who feeble creeps,
He wins who dares the hero's march.
Be thou a hero! Let thy might
Tramp on eternal snows its way
And through the ebon walls of night
Hew down a passage unto day.
-Park Benjamin