What Difference Will It Make?

 My daughter who is sick was watching a movie about a girl who lived during a war. Her mum told her that she had made a casserole for someone whose son died in the war.

The girl looked astonished and asked, "What difference will a casserole make?"

That question made me laugh. Children always have good questions! But I could relate to that question. A casserole wouldn't change what had happened. When Lydia was sick and in hospital, all I wanted was for her to be better so we could go home again. So many people did kind things for us. Visiting us, taking us out for dinner, giving us gifts and cards, making us meals etc. Those things didn't fix our situation. They didn't change Lydia's health. But it made a big difference to how bearable that time was. 

That question also reminds me of Jesus' disciples. When they had an overwhelming crowd of people who needed food, one of them said to Jesus, "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" (John 6:9) In other words, what difference will it make?"

The answer is, "A big difference!" 5,000 men plus women and children were fed. A little boy's lunch in Jesus' hands can make a big difference.

Do you ever think, "What difference can I make? What difference do my efforts make? What is it among so many?"

The answer is, "A big difference." When our lives, our talents and all we have are given to God and put in His hands, He can make such a big difference through us. Because He is all-powerful. We need to keep our eyes on the greatness of God, not on the smallness of our efforts.

Give your life to God; He can do more with it than you can. D.L. Moody

How Do You Do That?

 I watched two little girls playing on a climbing frame. One of them was like a little monkey, moving along easily and quickly. The other one moved inch by inch. For her to reach the other end took huge effort. She said to the other girl, “How do you do that?” The other girl had no answer. She just does it!

What a picture of the different talents God has given us. There are some things we do effortlessly and naturally. Someone else looks at us and says, “How do you do that?” We don’t know, we just do.

We look at someone else who can do something so well that we struggle to do. “How do you do that?” They don’t know, they just do.

It’s easy for discontentment to creep in when we look at what others do. It’s easy to forget that others look at us and think, “How do you do that?”

We need to appreciate the gifts that God has given us, and the gifts God has given others. Instead of being discontent with the gifts we don’t have, we can still learn to get better at the things we can’t do well.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. Romans 12:6

As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

Useful or Comfortable?

I found a nice picture book of Florence Nightingale in a second hand shop. Last night I was reading it, and although it was made for children, it really spoke to me.
She grew up in a very wealthy family and was expected to enjoy a comfortable easy life. Instead she was unhappy at all the misery of the poor and sick around her. To the horror of her family, she spent her life helping better other people's lives.

The last paragraph of the book is very touching. 
It would have been easy for Florence Nightingale to live a life of comfort. Instead, she lived as she believed she should, working hard to help others. Her determination to be useful became an example for the entire world.

Compared to most people in the world, I am also very rich. I have a Christian heritage, a stable marriage and home, church family and friends, the Bible, a home in Heaven, a relationship with God, a house to live in, food on the table, clothes to wear and so on.
Am I like Florence or the rest of her family? Do I just sit back and enjoy the comforts? Or do I care about others and their needs? Do I sacrifice my time, money, energy, talents etc. to help others physically and spiritually? Is it my desire to be useful or comfortable?
 God didn't put me on this earth to enjoy myself and be comfortable. He put me here to serve Him and others. That takes sacrifice.
I am very thankful for all the blessings I have, and I do enjoy and appreciate them. But I don't want to be selfish and not care about people who don't have what I have. I can't help everybody, but I can share what I can with who I can, and God can bless it.

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom  for many." Mark 10:45

Gifts That Anybody Can Give

There's a little lesson I've learned from watching my children. Usually when my children are invited to a birthday party, I take them to a shop and they pick out a small present. And when it is their sibling's birthday, I get extra presents so they each have one to give.
But a few weeks ago, it was Lydia's birthday. Since she still doesn't really know what birthdays are about, I just brought her one big present. I forgot about getting one each for the children to give.
So what did they do? Did they ask to go shopping? No. They, of their own initiative, looked through their own things and each picked out one of their own toys/things that they thought Lydia would like and wrapped them up!
Another time it was a friend's birthday from school. Esther asked me if she could give her one of her own birthday presents that she had been given. It wasn't that she didn't like her present anymore, but she wanted to give it as a gift. How could I say no? I want them to be giving, and also not to love things too much, so I said she could.
These are only two examples. Today Esther told me what she wants to give to another friend for her birthday. Her own doll! I'm not quite sure what to say about that!
But the point is---There are always meaningful gifts that we can give. We don't even have to have money. We don't even have to go shopping. It is nice to buy gifts, but there are many other kinds of gifts we can give too.
 Here's a list I came up with. Not everyone can do (or has) all of these. But there is at least something we can all do.
*A Card
*A cake
*Biscuits
*Buns, bread or other baking
*Soup
*Babysitting
*Prayer
*Lend a book
*A poem
*An invitation to come visit or go visit them yourself
*A meal
*A phone call/text message/email or letter
*Practical help
*Vegetables or fruit out of your garden
*Flowers from your garden
*A favorite recipe 
*Canned food (If that is something you like to do)
*A listening ear
*Words of encouragement
*Homemade gifts--if you make anything as a hobby
*Hand-me-downs
*A smile
*A question--"How's your week been? How are things going?"
*Whatever you're good at--I remember two of my sisters who sing well together singing on the phone to someone in hospital for heart surgery--they gave the gift of a song.Whatever you are good at doing, can be used as a gift for others.

The thought behind gifts is often what is the most touching.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

There is one thing my parents taught me and my siblings that I am so thankful for!
They taught us that we are blessed to be a blessing. They taught us to use our talents and time to bless others. They taught us to serve others. They taught us to be givers. They taught us to be others- focused instead of self-focused.
For example, we are a very musical family. Instead of using our talents to win awards and things like that, they took us to resthomes every Easter and Christmas. We learned to use our talents to share the gospel and bless others. 
We had a very large home with outside flats, and my parents used these to have tourists stay with us, to reach out to them and try to share with them the blessings of the gospel that someone shared with us.
These are just two examples.
A year ago, my husband brought a little shop to make into an outreach center as a way to bless others and share the gospel with them. Straight away my family jumped on board and have done everything they can to support us in it. During the school holidays one of my sisters had some time off her job, so she offered to travel down here and use her holiday time to paint the shop!
My parents have done us a huge favor by teaching us to serve others! Life lived for ourselves is so empty and not worth living. But a life lived first of all for God and then for others, is the most fulfilling life there is. What is the greatest commandments? To love God first and then to love others as ourselves. This is what my parents taught us.
So the first challenge to you and me is...Are we servants? Do we look for ways to bless others with what God has blessed us with? Are we others-focused? Do we use our talents, time, money, energy etc. to bless others and honor God?
And the second challenge is...Are we teaching this to our children? Are we teaching them to be servants or to be selfish and self-centered? Are we teaching them to live for themselves or for God and others? Are we teaching them to be givers or grabbers?

Are you teaching your children how to be fulfilled and satisfied?
Are you doing your children a favor by the way you are raising them?

A Great Purpose

Some days I feel like I am going in circles just trying to keep on top of washing, dishes, nappies, meals, children and never ending cleaning and tidying.  One day I was starting to think negatively and feeling that my life didn't have much purpose, so I wrote out a list with all the purposes of my life on it. It made me feel much better!! I was surprised at how long the list was. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

I am a mother--training my children up in the way they should go.
I'm influencing the next generation.

I am a wife--a helpmeet to my husband, his supporter, encourager and his best friend.

I am a ........(whatever talents I have)--using my talents to glorify God and to bless and encourage others.

I am a friend---making a difference to other peoples lives.
A listening ear, an encouraging word, a word of advice, a helping hand etc.

I am a Prayer Warrior--changing the world by prayer.
Learning to move men by God through prayer.

I am a Christian--giving God's name honor through the way that I live. Trying be a good testimony to everyone that crosses my path.

I am a Child of God--loved by Him far more than I could ever love my own children.

I am a missionary--sharing the gospel with my own children and then looking out for opportunities to reach the lost around me.

I am a 'Work in Progress'--becoming more like Jesus Christ every day.

Small Things

“...who hath despised the day of small things.” Zechariah 4:10

I learned a very important lesson this week that I wished I had learned a long time ago.