A Hurting Woman

The other day I was having lunch with a group of dear ladies.

One beautiful woman was telling her story of heartache…a bad breakup after 3 years of being together. This had happened at the beginning of the year. She was recently retired and alone now. Desperately searching for a new ‘love’ she was dating and doing many foolish things putting herself, her health and safety at great risk. But she was desperate.

Too often men and women, trying to make up for their own losses and hurts, do things they wouldn’t otherwise do because of their pain. The pain causes them to not think clearly and make unwise decisions – decisions, they later come to regret.

I listened to this dear woman, whom I’d never met before, I didn’t say anything, but I hurt with her. When we all left, we hugged each other and I said, “Take care of yourself.” and prayed for her as I drove home.

My prayer was for her to see past the pain and see her value…that just because someone she’d loved had ‘tossed her away’, that she’d not ‘toss herself away’, but become stronger and better in spite of it all. She is a valuable person.

Do you know someone who needs to be told they are valuable? Can you see in another’s eyes or hear in their voice the cry for help?

Be on the lookout and ask God to help.

What’s Wrong with Me Looking Good?

Most of the women I read about in God’s word were beautiful women. God made them – so it must be okay with Him.  Even the men were made strong and handsome.

Job 42 says of his 3 daughters, “There were none found so fair in all the land as Job’s daughters.” Incidentally, one of them was named Jemimah – remember Aunt Jemimah? Good things 🙂

I believe God wants his human beings to take time for themselves to look good, to put on a good face, to be attractive not only for themselves but for the world to notice. To let the beauty of God’s human creation show!

I’m not talking looking sexy, save that for your spouse. (That also is part of God’s design). But taking time for our more public appearance – man or woman – is part of our responsibility. Casual is okay, but why choose sloppy?

Plus, when we take care of ourselves we feel better!

Let’s start out this new week looking good!

We America

We America, yes us in the land of the free and the home of the brave, living in the land God gave us, the beautiful land of freedom that most of the world wants to come live in because of her abundance, wealth and freedoms.

Many of us have lost our compass, not knowing right from wrong or wrong from right ‘It’s all relative anyway, whatever I want is the way it’s going to be…all for my comfort and satisfaction,’ some say.

We end up living our lives thinking pretty much only about ourselves and not others or the long-term effects of our thoughts and actions. I don’t think this has been intentional, it has crept upon, causing us not even to consider other peoples’ well-being on a personal level…maybe even our own well-being.

We may donate to charities, we may go to church, we may live in a nice house and have good kids, but are we setting a good example? Do we run people off the road when we’re in a hurry to get somewhere? Do we take out our frustration behind the wheel, intimidating others because of weaknesses in ourselves? This week in a parking lot a woman was almost run over at the crosswalk where she exited the store, by a driver who didn’t see the stop sign at the crosswalk. As we passed each other walking, she said, ‘I think people are so busy and distracted these days, they don’t even notice.’

This softened my heart. People – we – us – are trying to live our lives, keep up with family needs, and get out doing what we need to do.

I ask that we slow down and begin to see other human beings as like flesh and blood as ourselves. We all bleed the same.  People are not just another ‘face’. They have a family, they have work to do and places to go just like we do. Life is too precious. It goes by so fast and can be snuffed out quickly.

Today, I will not allow myself to be so preoccupied that I cannot look out for others, because I hope others will be looking out for me.

Amen.