Dear Friends,
I was cleaning out some books this week and came across one entitled, "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul." My tendency was to put it in the giveaway box. It's not that they don't have some good stories, but sometimes the constant need to have them always be (to use the line from a local radio station) "Positive and Uplifting" can seem a bit out of touch with life in this world . And out of touch with life as found in the Bible (Matthew 14:1-12 / Acts 7:54-8:1 / Acts 12:1-3 / II Cor. 1:8-10 ...). We obviously don't need everything to be "Negative and Depressing"! Yet, isn't the life of faith one that helps us face, endure, learn from, come to grips with, or overcome such things.
Then I noticed the last part of the title: "Stories of Tough Times and Lessons Learned." That's when I decided to rethink my decision and give the book another chance -- and I'm glad I did! I often tell people I'm not an optimist or a pessimist, I'm a faith-sustained realist. And that's what I like: real stories, about real people, with real struggles, seeking by faith to live a life of dependence upon God and His grace as they continue (hard as it often is) to put one foot in front of the other. This selection is a Christmas story. But like the real one, it deals with a bit of personal pain. It's by James Kisner, is shared in a poetic style, and is called: "A Sorrowful Lesson."
"The mall was overcrowded; shoppers rushed from store to store.
Nobody paid attention, as she crouched there on the floor.
She didn't look in trouble, and she didn't seem afraid.
Apparently she stopped to rest, she did not need my aid.
A little girl of eight or nine, and cute as she could be.
I wondered, should I stop and ask, if she needs help from me?
I wondered if her mother had just left her there alone,
I thought as I walked by her, in my haste to get back home.
As I left the mall I could not get her off my mind.
Did that little girl need help? Was I just acting blind?
It bothered me so much, I had to go back in the mall;
I had to get this settled in my mind once and for all.
The mall began to close, I heard some chain doors coming down,
But as I looked, the little girl was nowhere to be found.
Is it my imagination, that again is running wild?
Thinking I had lost my chance to help this poor lost child.
I guess she must be fine, or she would still be sitting here,
I get way too emotional at Christmastime each year.
I had to leave and get back home, where it is safe and warm;
The weather forecast for that night, a chilling winter storm.
Late that night it happened, as the weather station said,
Frigid cold and heavy snow, while I was snug in bed.
In the morning I awoke, to winter's nasty caper.
The only place I'd go that day, was out to get the paper.
Cozy in my kitchen, with my news and cup of tea,
But as I saw the front page, it just devastated me.
On the front page down below, a little headline read,
"At the local shopping mall, a little girl found dead."
It was 4 a.m. this morning when police received the call,
The caller said a little girl was dead behind the mall.
It was the chilling elements that brought her to her death,
As she lay down she fell asleep, and breathed her final breath.
I could not read the rest of it, as I began to weep,
While I slept safe, a little girl had frozen in her sleep.
Many years have passed me now, but it still haunts my dreams,
Was the little girl they found the same one I had seen?
I can't forget that little girl, no matter how I try,
But now when someone seems in need, I never pass them by.
The lesson I have learned from this was difficult but true,
The last chance that someone may have, could very well be you."
In the busyness of the Christmas season we all seem to have our many lists full of things we need to do and buy. In fact, we can become so focused on the task of finding those things we need before the second hand ticks down to ring in Christmas, that we can be blind to people in need all around us. Yet, the one pursuit need not obstruct the other. One of the messages of Christmas in the Gospel is people. And not just family. It's also about noticing the seemingly unnoticed, and a Savior who came "to seek and save that which was lost." Noticing people is what Jesus did, and teaching His disciples to do so was part of His instruction to us -- especially the lonely and otherwise neglected (Ps. 68:6).
So, as we go about "making our lists and checking them twice" we should make sure one of the items on that list is being conscious of those around us. For if Christmas is anything, it is a reminder that God did not forget us, or leave us to ourselves, but took notice of us and out of love pursued us - something he now sends us to do in like fashion.
Keeping our Eyes (Especially at Christmas) Focused on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, Pastor Jeff
I was cleaning out some books this week and came across one entitled, "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul." My tendency was to put it in the giveaway box. It's not that they don't have some good stories, but sometimes the constant need to have them always be (to use the line from a local radio station) "Positive and Uplifting" can seem a bit out of touch with life in this world . And out of touch with life as found in the Bible (Matthew 14:1-12 / Acts 7:54-8:1 / Acts 12:1-3 / II Cor. 1:8-10 ...). We obviously don't need everything to be "Negative and Depressing"! Yet, isn't the life of faith one that helps us face, endure, learn from, come to grips with, or overcome such things.
Then I noticed the last part of the title: "Stories of Tough Times and Lessons Learned." That's when I decided to rethink my decision and give the book another chance -- and I'm glad I did! I often tell people I'm not an optimist or a pessimist, I'm a faith-sustained realist. And that's what I like: real stories, about real people, with real struggles, seeking by faith to live a life of dependence upon God and His grace as they continue (hard as it often is) to put one foot in front of the other. This selection is a Christmas story. But like the real one, it deals with a bit of personal pain. It's by James Kisner, is shared in a poetic style, and is called: "A Sorrowful Lesson."
"The mall was overcrowded; shoppers rushed from store to store.
Nobody paid attention, as she crouched there on the floor.
She didn't look in trouble, and she didn't seem afraid.
Apparently she stopped to rest, she did not need my aid.
A little girl of eight or nine, and cute as she could be.
I wondered, should I stop and ask, if she needs help from me?
I wondered if her mother had just left her there alone,
I thought as I walked by her, in my haste to get back home.
As I left the mall I could not get her off my mind.
Did that little girl need help? Was I just acting blind?
It bothered me so much, I had to go back in the mall;
I had to get this settled in my mind once and for all.
The mall began to close, I heard some chain doors coming down,
But as I looked, the little girl was nowhere to be found.
Is it my imagination, that again is running wild?
Thinking I had lost my chance to help this poor lost child.
I guess she must be fine, or she would still be sitting here,
I get way too emotional at Christmastime each year.
I had to leave and get back home, where it is safe and warm;
The weather forecast for that night, a chilling winter storm.
Late that night it happened, as the weather station said,
Frigid cold and heavy snow, while I was snug in bed.
In the morning I awoke, to winter's nasty caper.
The only place I'd go that day, was out to get the paper.
Cozy in my kitchen, with my news and cup of tea,
But as I saw the front page, it just devastated me.
On the front page down below, a little headline read,
"At the local shopping mall, a little girl found dead."
It was 4 a.m. this morning when police received the call,
The caller said a little girl was dead behind the mall.
It was the chilling elements that brought her to her death,
As she lay down she fell asleep, and breathed her final breath.
I could not read the rest of it, as I began to weep,
While I slept safe, a little girl had frozen in her sleep.
Many years have passed me now, but it still haunts my dreams,
Was the little girl they found the same one I had seen?
I can't forget that little girl, no matter how I try,
But now when someone seems in need, I never pass them by.
The lesson I have learned from this was difficult but true,
The last chance that someone may have, could very well be you."
In the busyness of the Christmas season we all seem to have our many lists full of things we need to do and buy. In fact, we can become so focused on the task of finding those things we need before the second hand ticks down to ring in Christmas, that we can be blind to people in need all around us. Yet, the one pursuit need not obstruct the other. One of the messages of Christmas in the Gospel is people. And not just family. It's also about noticing the seemingly unnoticed, and a Savior who came "to seek and save that which was lost." Noticing people is what Jesus did, and teaching His disciples to do so was part of His instruction to us -- especially the lonely and otherwise neglected (Ps. 68:6).
So, as we go about "making our lists and checking them twice" we should make sure one of the items on that list is being conscious of those around us. For if Christmas is anything, it is a reminder that God did not forget us, or leave us to ourselves, but took notice of us and out of love pursued us - something he now sends us to do in like fashion.
Keeping our Eyes (Especially at Christmas) Focused on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, Pastor Jeff
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