When you feel like God has let you down, it's OK to tell God that you're drowning. Real honest prayer is one way to respond to what seems God's absence.
Listen: Chris Witts presents Morning Devotions.
Sometimes on this segment I have spoken of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, someone who is known by millions of people worldwide. Through Mother Teresa’s nearly 4½ decades of life, a grateful world bestowed upon her many awards. The most distinguished was 1979’s Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1985 President Reagan presented her with the U. S.
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. She received honorary degrees from Harvard University and from Cambridge University in England. She addressed the United Nations in 1985, on its 40th anniversary. At her funeral, nearly a half-million mourners came to say a final goodbye to the little nun who cast such a big shadow on the world. Remarkable to say the least!
Listen: Chris Witts presents Morning Devotions.
As we go through life, I wonder if you’ve ever stopped to ask yourself a question:
Am I a grabber and a clutcher? Do I hang onto the things in life that I want, and hang onto them tightly?
It’s an interesting question I think, by nature, we are grabbers and clutchers. I read this story:
When you were just a newborn infant, like all babies, you came out with your hands closed. And every time somebody put their little finger by yours, you would wrap your hand around it, hold on tight, and not let go. As a toddler, your started grabbing rattles and little toys. When another kid came in your direction and wanted to take them away from you, you said, ‘Mine’ and held on tight. When you were in Junior High School, you hung on tightly to bicycle handlebars and batons and other things. In High School you hung onto the hand of a special girl…and you were not about to let that go. In college you hung onto a lot of different stuff ma
What do the letters stand for? His answer:
It means Boy Am I Confused.
His friend was puzzled:
But why do you spell the word ‘confused’ with a ‘k’?
Well, that shows you how confused I am. We may laugh at that quaint story, but it does introduce my thoughts today about confusion.
The two mischievous boys
A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved. The boys’ mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys.
Listen: Chris Witts presents Morning Devotions.
Is there anything wrong with being a self-centred person? Some learned psychologists say that the ego is the centre of the personality.
Now, I don’t know enough on this topic to agree or disagree. But I do know that self-centredness is rife in our society. The number one theme is “take care of yourself” and many books that are available to buy push this theme.
One book is called
Pulling Your Own Strings, by Dr Wayne Dyer. He says “If you are not pulling the strings, then you are being manipulated by someone or something else.” He’s trying to help people be more assertive and stand up for their own rights. That’s OK up to a point.