Quiet Moments With God -- It Takes Spirit

My granddaughter Olivia and grandson Ezra both had surgery three days prior to Halloween. Ezra had repair work done on both of his ear drums and Olivia had her tonsils removed. Halloween arrived and both of them were feeling miserable. Ezra had started to rally a bit and was excited about the evening's fun. Olivia had been running a fever for two days and that afternoon it was steadily holding at 101. She couldn't eat or drink and was clearly dehydrated and suffering.

Olivia was so sick she had to return to the hospital where she was put on IV fluids and an IV antibiotic. When she was released she should have gone home to bed but . . . it was Halloween. She'd brought her costume with her to the hospital and after being rehydrated she was determined to go trick-or-treating. Managing to find her smile she joined in the fun, at least for a little while, before having to retreat to the comfort and warmth of the car.

It was "only" Halloween, but for my grandchildren it was an important day. Under awful circumstances, they both dug down inside and found the strength to do something that mattered to them. Even though it was "only" trick-or-treating they grabbed hold of their desire, spirit, perseverance and courage and went out and had a good time. The smiles on their faces inspired me.

My grandchildren are always teaching me lessons. They live full out, refusing to allow adversity to stop them . . . and they've had more than their share of troubles I can assure you.

Maybe we can do more than we think is possible. I don't know about you, but the next time I'm thinking about giving up I'm going to remember Olivia and Ezra and the lively spirits that carried them through their pain and exhaustion on their special night.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

Tips For Triumphant Living--Never Make Assumptions

My grandson, Corey, decided to play baseball this year. It’s his first time to be part of an organized sport. He’s a good athlete and we figured he’d have no difficulties picking up the game.

It’s not been as easy as we thought. There are many skills to be learned and the intricacies of the game don’t settle into place without a lot of experience. It’s been a challenge for Corey because most of his teammates have been playing for at least three years. Also, Corey’s small, really small. We knew that but didn’t completely understand just how little he is until he ran out on the field with the rest of the team.

Still, it’s been a good season. Corey’s worked hard and he’s learned a lot. His skills and knowledge of the game have grown tremendously.

His coach is a good guy, but he made an assumption about Corey’s skills. Corey has spent most of his games in right field. He’s longed to do something more, but when he's asked for permission to try something new he’s usually been turned down. At last night’s game the coach, for some reason, decided to let Corey play catcher and learned a valuable lesson about assumptions.

Corey has wanted to catch for some time. (The team needs a good catcher.) For weeks the coach turned a deaf ear to his appeals at a chance, assuming Corey couldn’t do it. But last night he gave the littlest kid on the team an opportunity. As it turns out, Corey’s a natural for the position. His size and agility are a perfect combination for the position behind the batter. He had a great game.

Corey hadn’t been behind home plate long when both coaches were beaming and shaking their heads in amazement. And I figure they were kicking themselves for not giving him the opportunity sooner. We have only a week and a half left in the season. They’d made a wrong assumption. We all do from time to time.

Assumptions can rob us of special opportunities, the treat of using unique gifts, of experiencing good times, and maybe even years of service to God. Too often we assume we can’t do something, that we’re not qualified or not gifted enough. Or we may wrongly believe that God wouldn’t ask that of us. And we miss out, too afraid to take a risk.

Next time you make an assumption, stop yourself and check with God. Maybe he has something unusual in mind, maybe even something bigger than we can imagine or hope for. Remember, He can do all things.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie