Growing strong together
- At July 18, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Meeting Needs
0
What to say that might be of some encouragement to you in your life journey today?
Can I say that even though we have never met, and likely never will, that I am proud to be identified with you? Yes, you. Would it sound too personal to mention that I am privileged to be associated with you? A complete stranger, perhaps. And would it come across as naive or even foolish to add that I know you are going to make a big difference with your life?
Yes, this world will be different – better – because you were here. When you leave this old world there will be a sense of loss. Do you believe that?
It may not mean much for you to hear some guy on the Internet say this. Understandable so. Somebody much more significant in your life should really be saying these words. But if you haven’t heard them for a while, or if you haven’t really been listening when they came, here they are again: “You matter. Your life matters. You have potential. God made you for a purpose. There is something important for you to do while you are here. Try to gain a glimpse of what that might be. Work at it. Find your place. Live your life. Let it shine!”
Read More»Free at last
- At January 11, 2012
- By Nathan
- In Meeting Needs
- 4
“You can’t make me hate you.” This stunning sentence sticks in my mind after skimming through a book by Richard Wurmbrand, founder of Voice of the Martyrs. There is already more than enough sorrow hanging in the air, from the previous post, so I won’t go into his situation in great detail. But this Romanian pastor suffered greatly. He was at the mercy of his communist captors, and they offered him none.
But at least on one occasion, he still responded to his enemies with these words: “You can’t make me hate you!”
A Christmas carol, penned during the Civil War in the USA, suggests that this is not a common human response to pain. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas day” contains this familiar line: “But hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men.” How many people reading this can honestly say that they have never been overcome, even temporarily, by this powerful emotion? Confinement. Injustice. After too much of it, for too long, even righteous anger can give way to rage. Hate is strong.
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