Devotional, (Date)

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Each week you will be able to read a devotional
thought which we hope you will find
enjoyable and comforting
as well as
insightful and challenging.

"Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?"

"If you have the time," I said.

God smiled and said: "My time is eternity. It is enough to do everything. What questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

I asked, "What surprises you most about mankind?"

God thought for a few moments and then answered:

"That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again;

That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health;

That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future;

That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived!"

God placed my hands in his and we were silent
for a while.

Then I asked: "As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile:

"To learn that they cannot make anyone love them; What they can do is let themselves be loved.

To learn that what is most valuable, is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.

To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group, on a comparison basis.

To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.

To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.

To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.

To learn that money can buy everything but health and happiness.

To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally differently.

To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them ... and likes them anyway.

To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for a while enjoying my visit with God.

I thanked him for his time and for all that he has done for my family and me.

He replied: "Anytime. I'm here twenty-four hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me and I'll answer."

People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did.
But people will never forget
how you made them feel.

Have a great week!

In Jesus' name, Amen.

This weeks thought and comments comes from Thought-for-the-day, a daily devotional which you can receive daily on line by subscribing at:

or send an E-mail to:

thought-for-the-day@eGroups.com

It is created by Alan Smith,
Boone Church of Christ,
Boone, NC