Kissed by the Spirit

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

James 1:17 ( NASB)

All the right things have to line up to have a successful ending to any challenging situation. God can send the right person with the right attitude at the right time, and it all lines up perfectly, resulting in those moments we know to be gifts from God.

Scripture says that every good thing and every perfect gift is from above. Not just some, but every good and perfect gift comes from God. We may think we have achieved something on our own by using our skill, but heaven knows how many things are gifts from above. 

In every stage or journey, if we commit our life into God’s hands, we will see His hand in every part of our life. I see the reality of this in the many unexpected blessings in my son’s life at the Nursing home. 

His nails grow fast, and yet he is so unpredictable about allowing someone to clip them. One time he walked up to a nurse assistant and clearly asked him, ‘Can you cut my nails?’ In another rare moment, Martha, Andy’s mother, approached Jon with clippers and he calmly let her clip all his nails. That was a few months ago, but between those rare moments, Jon usually refuses and can be totally uncooperative. Meanwhile, his nails are growing to out-of-control lengths. 

Last week, Martha was clipping Andy’s nails at our table, and she asked Jon if she could clip his too, but he ignored her. So I asked him again, showing him my nail scissor. He held up his middle finger to me. I was shocked. Was he giving me the finger? That would be a first, but then I looked more carefully at that middle finger and saw a very long but partially cracked nail. Jon was trying to say without words that he wanted me to trim that nail. So I did it as he nodded yes, in approval. Then I asked if I could cut the other nine and he was totally cooperative. That was a gift!

Martha and Ray were cheering us on since they know how challenging Jon can be. Ray started to take a video of me cutting his nails. We were all happy that Jon allowed it, and Jon seemed relieved in the end as well. It may sound like a silly thing to rejoice over, but just as the scripture verse says, ‘Every good thing is a gift from God, the Father of lights.’

Lord, thank you for shining your light on us through the many good gifts you send down each day, which all come from heaven as simple, everyday graces. Amen

“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”

1 Corinthians 9:22 (NIV)

The heart of Paul’s teaching is to become all things to all people, in order to win some people for Christ. His thinking parallels the image Jesus shared about scattering our seed on all ground, to see which seeds take root and bear fruit. To become all things to all people is to show respect to what is sacred to people of other faiths and cultures.

Different faiths have different holy days on the calendar. For Christians, of all denominations, Easter week is their most sacred time. Islam’s holy days occur during the month of Ramadan, and the major Jewish holy days are The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Passover. Hindus have the holiday of Diwali, a Festival of Lights that celebrates good over evil. Showing respect to what other faiths hold sacred, is one of many ways to become all things to all people.

Jesus mingled with many gentiles who had beliefs contrary to His Jewish culture, but He did it with gentleness, truth, and respect. I found an interesting example of being all things to all people, in a hair salon that I have been going to every two months. Rania, the salon owner, is a non religious Moslem woman from Jordan, who is beautiful both inside and out. She welcomes clients of all cultures, including orthodox Jewish and Moslem women, who both adhere to the rule of never showing their hair in public. Rania has a special room for them with a big curtain that is pulled closed to give them the privacy they require while having their hair styled. 

She is not only sensitive to Jewish and Moslem religious clientele, but has employees who are Christians. One of her stylists is a devout Christian from Iraq, who has personally witnessed the persecution and suffering of Christians at the hands of Islamic extremism. Yet, she works in unity with Moslems, Jews and other Christians in the salon. Arabic is a common language to all of them, but they speak fluent English as well.

I am always amazed at how Rania has created a melting pot of people from faiths that don’t usually blend well together. Her salon is a perfect example of how the world could be. Rania has become all things to all people, as Paul described, even though she never read a Bible in her life.

I learned how to say thank you in Arabic, so after my hair appointment was done, I turned to Rania and said, ‘Shukran’ for the first time. She was so delighted that she hugged me. If only the whole world could let go of all hatred, racism, and bigotry, what a beautiful world it could be.

I once had an experience of briefly becoming all things to all people. As a volunteer for the chaplain ministry at the hospital, they occasionally ask us to escort a rabbi during a Jewish holiday, to help him find the patient rooms that are on his visitation list.

I was scheduled to meet a Rabbi that day but instead I met two young men in their early twenties, who were in training to become Rabbis. Their visitation in hospitals and Nursing Homes is part of their clinical training. 

I could see that they were religious Orthodox Jews, wearing black hats and suits, with tassels hanging down from a prayer garment worn under their street clothes, called Tzitzit, prescribed by Mosaic law.  As I glanced at their tassels hanging down, I thought of the woman in the gospel story who touched the ‘fringe’ or ‘tassels’ of Jesus’ garment and she was instantly healed. I had a mental image of Jesus wearing Tzitzit in observing His faith culture. 

Anyway, my job was to escort these young Rabbis in training, to every room they needed to visit. I also showed them how to put on the protective equipment, like gowns, masks and gloves if required, before entering a patient room. I waited in the hallway outside each room, until they were ready to go on to the next. They read from the Torah scroll, which contains the first five books of the Bible in Hebrew, and concluded with a prayer and a worship song.

When we returned to the chapel office, they proudly unrolled their Torah scroll to show it to me. It was beautiful and as I looked at the Hebrew script, I remembered how in 1984, I studied some Hebrew with a Berlitz book and tapes, to prepare for a trip to the holy land. Though I can only read Hebrew at a first grade level, I wanted to have a little fun with the students, so while the scroll was open, I started to sound out the letters of each word on the first line of the scroll, reading from right to left, as best I could. 

They looked at each other in amazement, and I just laughed, telling them that I can read it, but I don’t always know what it means. They were so shocked that a gentile woman could read a sacred Torah scroll. For a brief moment I felt like I became all things to those young men, by reading their sacred scroll. We thanked each other for a great day and then said our good byes. 

Paul inspires us to become all things to all people, and one way to do it, is by respecting a person’s culture and faith. It’s up to us as followers of Jesus, to be all things to all people, to plant the seeds of mutual respect, and then let God bring the growth. It’s a way of loving our neighbor which Jesus called the 2nd greatest commandment. Everyone desires respect, and anyone will be more receptive to Jesus, if they first feel loved and respected for who they are.

Lord, show us how we can become all things to all people, so that we may reflect the compassion of Jesus, wherever we go. Amen 

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go.”

Hebrews 11:8 (RSV)

Abraham had no ancestors for many decades, since Sarah did not conceive a child until miraculously, in her nineties. For decades, Abraham went wherever God led him, trusting His promise to make a nation out of his ‘ancestors.’

The first example in scripture of a person leaving their comfort zone, is Abraham. He was called to start a new nation, but he never understood how a nation could come from him, since he was childless. 

Abraham trusted and believed God by leaving the place where he grew up, his friends, family and the empty religions of his community, to begin a journey that never made complete sense until the age of 100. That was when he finally witnessed the birth of his and Sarah’s biological son. Isaac was the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise to him. Although Abraham never saw the nation that would come from Isaac, he believed God’s promise, which was actualized through his twelve grandsons, long after Abraham was gone. 

Abraham’s story shows us how leaving our comfort zone can reap blessings long afterwords and that some prayers are still answered long after the person who prayed, is gone.

Many other heroes of faith left their comfort zone to trust God and they reaped blessings long afterward. Moses left a royal palace in Egypt, to began a new life as a shepherd. One day, God called him from a bush that was on fire. Moses obeyed God but he faced many uncomfortable circumstances, while leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The people grumbled, complained and criticized him every step of the way. It was an difficult task, but Moses prayed and interceded for them, and God parted the sea and led them all to their promised land.

Queen Esther was one of the many wives of a powerful King of Persia. Upon learning of a genocide plot towards all the Hebrew people, she left her comfort zone by revealing to the king that she was a Hebrew. 

She interceded for the people by choosing to speak up and saved her generation from genocide.

There are many other people in scripture who left their comfort zone to pursue what God led them to do, like Peter and all the apostles. We all  go through new phases at times in our lives, which require us to let go of the familiar and take some new risk. It may not be comfortable but by trusting God’s plan, He gives us His grace to do all things.

Like the heroes and heroins of scripture, a certain situation may push us out of our comfort zone, and  test our faith. I am more aware these days how getting older brings conditions that require us to leave a comfort zone of some kind, and move on to a new phase in our life. 

I met an elderly patient last week at the hospital during my volunteer ministry. She was recovering slowly from a stroke and asked me to pray for her to die. I told her as long as she is breathing, God still has something for her to do, even if it is to pray for others. So, I prayed for her, she thanked me, but I hope she can let go of the comfort zone of how life used to be, and embrace a new purpose during her recovery phase.

If we are still breathing, there will always be a new phase with a new purpose, for us. We tend to cling to the familiar and comfortable, but when we let go, God can lead us to the next phase in our life. He also gives us a new comfort by placing our trust in a good and loving God, who will never forsake us, and has many new blessings to give us tomorrow.

Lord, help us not to fear leaving our comfort zones and to trust wherever you lead us, as you did for the many heroes of faith in scripture. Amen

“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.”

Exodus 1:17 (NIV)

Before hospitals existed, midwives were essential for women during childbirth. The midwives in this story were strong faith filled women, who lived under a very cruel, controlling Pharaoh in Egypt. He commanded all midwives to kill every Hebrew male newborn, hoping to get control over the robust Hebrew population that was quickly multiplying in the land. 

Two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, outwardly agreed to Pharaoh’s new demand, but they actually defied his ruling, and continued to deliver every baby, helping each one, including males, to live after birth. Asking a midwife to kill all male babies they deliver, is like asking a fireman to burn down half a city. It goes against their whole purpose and calling in life. These two midwives were women of courage, who feared God more than Pharaoh, and defied his ruling, putting their own lives at risk. 

Life presents many hardships that can challenge our central purpose, and make us wonder why we are here. There are many things to fear these days, but if a fear of God comes first, as it did with Shiphrah and Puah, our purpose will be fulfilled and souls will be saved in the end. A healthy fear of God means standing firm, even when no one else supports you. 

I had a grandmother in Greece, who I never knew, who was my father’s mother. She was a midwife and helped in the births of many children, including ten of her own. Although some of hers died as infants, six of her children lived and my father was her first born. Then the unthinkable happened. Her husband, my grandfather, deserted her and she was left to care for herself and the six children. 

Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she began offering more of her midwife services to the women in the surrounding villages of Greece, and was able to support her family by delivering babies in exchange for food. 

Eventually, my father emigrated to America as a teenager, and worked for his uncle in Chicago. Later, he sent for his mother and siblings. Like the story of many immigrants, my father brought his family here, and they settled in the U.S. for the remainder of their lives. 

It’s a story that could have ended in tragedy, but because of a strong woman of faith and courage, the story ended happily. She defied all the odds against her, by being an abandoned woman, living in poverty, and raising six children alone, yet she and her children all survived. My grandmother used her faith, courage and her midwife skills to provide for her children. Because of her, I am here today, and am proud to be named after her. 

The midwives in the Bible story today were strong, resilient women, like my grandmother. They didn’t shrink back in fear, though they were slaves in that society. They had the courage to do the right thing, by risking their own lives, by keeping all the babies alive. 

Shiphrah and Puah made a bold decision to disobey Pharaoh and prioritize the lives of the babies over their own. One of the many babies that they saved, was Moses, who grew up to deliver their people from slavery. God gives us courage in hard times, to follow through, and fulfill our purpose. As a result, deliverance comes and souls are saved in the end.  

When I first heard the story of my grandmother, I wondered how she found so much strength, but then I realized that we all have that same strength and courage within us. If we turn to the Lord, He will help us through every tribulation that we face in our lifetime. He helps us overcome our fears, and gives us the courage, not only to survive, but to inspire others and change the world forever. 

Lord, help us to draw from the strength that you have placed within each of us. Give us courage over our fears, to live by faith and fulfill the purpose you have called us to. Amen

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us, spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 (RSV)

This scripture says a lot with very few words. God wants to spread the fragrance of His Son to the whole world, through those who believe in Him. Spreading the fragrance of Christ, at first, sounds like an overwhelming mission, as if we are responsible to persuade everyone to turn to Him. Our part in fact, is small, in spreading His fragrance, because the Holy Spirit does most of the work.

A simple way to think about it, is that any time we express kindness or lend a listening ear to someone, we are spreading the fragrance of Christ, but a very simple way is to show gratitude to others. Just thanking someone with words of gratitude, spreads His fragrance. 

Jesus talked about gratitude when  the ten lepers were healed by Him, but only one returned to thank Him. There’s no doubt that God desires our gratitude, and since we are made in His image, we naturally desire gratitude as well. Receiving  words of gratitude lifts our spirit and makes us feel appreciated by God as well as by people.

The beauty of gratitude is that it’s not about telling people what they should or shouldn’t do. Gratitude has no interest in telling others how to live. It’s just about thanking them for who they are. We are psychologically pre-wired by God to thrive on  encouraging words of gratitude from others. It’s what keeps the fragrance of Christ’s love flowing.

When we think of anyone who once left a positive impression on us, they are usually people who are filled with an attitude of gratitude. They have a thankful spirit, which emanates the fragrance of Christ to all around them. There is an old saying, “Out of 100 men, one might read a Bible, but the other 99 will read a Christian.” 

Most people we meet are reading us instead of a bible. I need to remind myself every day that the people in my life are there for a reason. Our next door neighbors, church friends, family, coworkers, and loved ones may only be in our lives for a certain amount of time. Some people are very challenging to be around, but we can still find something in each person, to be grateful for.

Some people have lived their lifetime never feeling good enough, but when they receive words of gratitude, their self worth is boosted. It’s especially true among Nursing home residents. I visit Jon’s Nursing home three days a week, and see many people who feel forgotten and of no value to God,  much less anyone else. 

There is a certain lady who never receives visits from family or friends, but is always selflessly caring for her roommate of many years. I often remark on how kind and caring she is to her roommate, and I know that my gratitude adds a bit of dignity to her soul. 

If I ever had any regrets after being the primary caregiver for my late husband, it would be for being so busy, that I didn’t express enough words of gratitude to him during those trying days. Gratitude gives the recipient a fresh awareness of their worth and value to God. 

Gratitude can even send an aroma of Christ to people who have argumentative personalities. The wisest answers can fail, but words of gratitude can soften any heart. Gratitude leads lost lambs back into the arms of their Shepherd and reminds the older sheep that they are still seen and loved. 

Lord, thank you for showing us the many ways to spread your fragrance to those around us. Use our words of gratitude to gather your lambs closer to you. Amen

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 (NIV)

I was watching the news one day, which was pretty dark, more of the usual violence, sorrow and injustice, both locally and globally. As I was talking to God, I asked, “Lord, what do you have to say about all the sadness in this world?”

Later that day, I think I received His answer. It was in 2023, and I was visiting the Nursing home shortly after my son’s motorcycle accident. Jon was a new resident, and due to his traumatic brain injury, wasn’t yet walking or eating on his own, as he does today. He was sitting in a chair with other residents in the community room, and while visiting, I observed a young woman who entered the room and walked around greeting all the residents, calling each one by name. 

She was like a light shining in the darkness, greeting some residents with a hug and giving attention to those who have no visitors. Some residents in wheelchairs reached out to hug her as soon as she walked in. At first I thought she was a therapist, or a ministry person or an employee on staff. 

To my surprise, she was none of the above. Monica introduced herself to me and my son as another visitor, whose mother is a resident there. As I spoke with her, she pointed out her mother, sitting across the room, who was admitted after having a stroke. During Monica’s weekly visits to her mother, she made a point of greeting the other residents, calling them all by name. She told me how it broke her heart to learn that so many residents have no one to visit them. 

Watching all the people light up when Monica greeted them, it was apparent that she was a gift of light to their lonely existence. For those residents, the simplest and greatest joy in life is to have human touch, to be known by name and to be heard, regardless of their mental status. Even those who suffer from brain injury, like Jon, and live in an altered mental state, can still find joy in their current condition. 

That morning I asked God what He has to say about all the sadness in the world, and He answered me later that same day by showing me Monica. It was as if He was telling me that He has many other people in the world just like Monica. She is not the only one who is shining His light in someone else’s darkness. God is still doing miracles today, through small, simple blessings that make a difference, but rarely make the headline news.

Small and simple is how God usually works these days. He doesn’t part seas every day, or routinely rain bread from heaven, as He did for His people thousands of years ago. He chose to reveal Himself to us in a small and simple way, through a newborn baby, born to an unknown poor, humble couple. He showed the world how much He loved us, by becoming one of us. 

Our society is filled with news reports of trouble and bad news but God is still shining His light through small and simple things. He does it today through people who bless the meek, the poor in spirit, and those who suffer, mourn or are lonely. 

Monica’s mother passed away a few months after that, and Monica hasn’t returned to the Nursing home since. I hope I can pick up where Monica left off, and make a small, simple difference for the few residents I’ve come to know. 

I thank all the people who are shining a light in dark places, wherever they do it. It is through our small, simple acts of kindness, that the light we shine for Jesus, will never be overcome by the darkness.

Lord, your light is much greater than the darkness, so help us to do small, simple things, that will shine your light through us, and make a difference.
Amen

“The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.”

Acts 8:29 (NAB)

The book of Acts is filled with the adventures of first century believers as the Holy Spirit led them to do amazing things. The Spirit tends to give people directions, as He did with Philip, by saying ‘Go!’ 

The Lord may not speak audibly, but He does give us a sudden urge or a gut feeling to ‘Go’ somewhere or ‘Do’ something. If anyone has ever felt a an urge or a gut feeling to do what later proved to be the absolute right thing to do, it was the work of the Spirit.

I heard a true story like this, about a man who did something he never did before, and since he was willing to act on his ‘gut feeling,’ many lives were saved.

An Israeli tour guide named Elan, was working with his uncle in an area of the old city in Jerusalem where many people gathered daily to sit, talk and have their lunch breaks. While Elan was eating lunch, a large trash can was nearby to where he was sitting. He noticed a brown bag lying on the top of the pile of trash.

For no apparent reason he couldn’t stop staring at that particular bag. Then he had a strange gut feeling to go and look inside the bag. He finally got up and looked inside, and saw a watch with wires attached, which was ticking. Elan called the police, a bomb squad arrived quickly and a bomb in that bag was quickly disarmed. 

Elan sat at that same corner every day but never before had an urge to take a bag out of the trash and look inside of it. He had no logical reason for doing it, but thankfully, he acted on his gut feeling and many lives were spared that day.

I know a person who had a similar experience like this, which I once shared in a previous meditation. He was a young man who offered to drive a young lady home from a weekly youth group meeting at their church. He dropped her off at her Chicago apartment, watching her safely enter the front hallway of the building. As he drove away, he felt a strong urge to “Go back!”

He followed his gut feeling and drove back to her apartment building. He walked into the front hallway and found a man, holding the girl while she struggled. The attacker let go of her and fled out the front door. Thank God he followed his urge to go back. 

The strangest moment that I can remember in response to a gut feeling, was a day at a part time job I had during my college days. It wasn’t about saving a life or being in any danger. I worked part time at a department store after college classes, and there was a young man who worked in the janitorial department of the store. 

One day we were in the employee lounge during our break. After some small talk, I felt an urge to pray for him. I asked Riszard if I could pray for him and then asked him to repeat after me, “Jesus, come into my heart and take charge of my life.” He was very kind and compliant and prayed that prayer with me. I have no idea why I felt led to pray with him that day. I eventually quit that job, so I never saw Riszard again. 

Thinking about it today, it’s a bit strange to ask a coworker who is a total stranger to let me pray with them. I only know that I acted on a gut feeling in that moment, so I hope God did some great things in Riszard’s life. Time passes and years go by, but certain moments can impact a life forever.

The Spirit sometimes leads us through our gut feelings, causing us to say or do something we’ve never done before, even without a logical explanation. A person may or may not know in the moment that the Spirit is leading them, but God often works through people, whether they realize it or not. 

Lord, help us to be tuned in to your Spirit, who is always speaking to us throughout the day, and every day  of our lives. May we always hear and act on the gut feeling that you place within us. Amen 

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

Matthew 24:37-39 (NIV)

Noah’s ark is usually viewed as a children’s story, taught through a multitude of children’s books filled with colorful illustrations of animals entering the ark in pairs. Most adults don’t think of Noah’s ark as a historic event, but I learned some interesting facts after watching a documentary from the perspective of Christian geologists and paleontologists.

The Grand Canyon contains information that spans over millions of years, but within the layers of sediment, there is a mystery that only a scientist would recognize. 

The layers of rock are divided into Precambrian and Cambrian layers.  

All Geologists and Paleontologists, who study these limestone rock layers, identify each layer of limestone as correlating to a time period. The Precambrian layers show life steadily existing over millions of years, but a Cambrian layer contains a mystery. 

There is a gap in a Cambrian layer that was caused by some type of  catastrophe of a global magnitude. Then, in the layer after the gap, many animal fossils suddenly appear fully formed, as if they were dropped onto the earth all at once. It’s a mystery to scientists but it fits the biblical account of animals that suddenly disembarked from the ark, back onto dry land.

That same gap, followed by a similar animal fossil layer, appears in the  limestone layers across the world, not just in the Grand Canyon.

Scientists named that mystery layer as, “The Great unconformity.”

Christian paleontologists and geologists share the opinion that the Great unconformity is a result of the global flood of Noah. 

Jesus talked about the days of Noah and the great flood, as if it was a known historical event, not a fictional story. He compared the days of Noah to the days before His return, predicting the same mindset among people, as in the days of Noah. 

This is not meant to scare us since the words, ‘Fear not’ or ‘Do not fear’, are mentioned in scripture over 300 times. Jesus said that those who believe, without seeing, are blessed. We are blessed because we don’t require science to prove what we already believe, but it is nice to know when science and scripture validate each other. The second coming of Jesus and the story of Noah’s ark are similar, in that both have happy endings for anyone who believes. 

Lord, thank you for how your word is occasionally validated by science. Help us to always live by faith, and to believe even when we don’t see. Amen

“I thank my God every time I remember you.”

Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

The words in this simple scripture can be said about many friends or loved ones, who have impacted our lives at some time, in a special way, whether they are still living or not. 

Today, I am remembering my friend Michelle, who left this world way too soon. We worked together for twelve years and became friends. She was young enough to be my daughter, but we still had good times together. She went with me to pick up the dog I adopted back in 2020. Ever since then, she called herself his godmother, visiting him and asking, “How’s my goddog?” We had so many laughs over the years. 

She was a talented craftsperson and her handiwork is in every corner of my home, from the bedazzled glass case where I keep my reading glasses, to the holiday wreaths I hang on my front door, and the  earrings in my jewelry box. Wherever I look, I see signs of Michelle’s work, which reminds me of our friendship over the years. Anyone who knew Michelle,  knew that besides crafts, she also loved babies, children and animals. 

I’ll never forget a true story that Michelle once shared with me, as it stands out above all else. She was at a gas station one day, pumping gas in her car, when she noticed a man choking in the car next to her. She rushed to take action, bringing him out of his car and doing the Heimlich maneuver on him, which saved his life. Naturally, the man was grateful and Michelle was very humble about saving his life, but I never forgot that story.

Sadly, Michelle couldn’t save herself, one day in 2023, when she was unable to breathe due to a blood clot in her lung. As she had trouble breathing, she called her sister, who quickly drove over to take her to the nearest hospital emergency room, but it was too late, because Michelle collapsed walking out of her front door. 

Paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but she passed away. She was only 44, and it’s heart breaking to lose a friend who was so young, creative, kind and generous. I still miss her, knowing she had so much to live for. 

The man she saved at that gas station, may never know about her fate, but he’s probably still sharing the story of how a woman, who was a total stranger, saved his life one day, when he was choking. 

I believe that angels surround us each day, and they may spare us without us ever knowing, from impending danger and accidents, through their divine intervention. In some instances, the angels that God sends are regular people, who are at the right place at the right time, responding to a need, and doing what it takes to save a life. Michelle was someone’s angel that day, as God used her in the miracle of saving a stranger’s life.  

Maybe we are all meant to be somebody’s angel. We may not save a life physically, but we can still be  there for someone at the right time. 

Lord, we open our hearts to be available as needed, to make the world a better place by becoming somebody’s angel. Amen

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

Yesterday I spent the day with a high school friend who moved to Israel forty years ago. We usually get together at least once whenever he comes in for a visit.

Larry is my age and we both lived on the same city block in Chicago, and attended the same schools growing up. We later lost contact with each other until one of our high school reunions a few years ago. I can still remember his tragic accident, when he was seven years old and hit by a car right on our residential side street. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, was hospitalized, and eventually recovered enough to return to school. 

His right eye turns outward ever since the accident, but he can see. Both his hands tremor, but over all, he recovered enough cognitively, to finish school all the way through to the college level. He has learned to use the steadier hand to hold the other hand, as he manages to eat and sign his name, but can no longer drive.

He shared a story with me from his childhood years, regarding how hard it was to adjust returning to school after his brain injury. Four years after his accident, we were in the same 6th grade class together with a teacher named Mrs. Snow. One day Larry became very frustrated and couldn’t complete his work due to his hand tremor, which made it hard to write. He started crying and said out loud, “I can’t do it!” Mrs. Snow firmly said “Don’t say I can’t, say I can and I will!”

At first that sounded harsh and incompassionate, but today Larry credits Mrs. Snow as the person who set him in the right direction to adapt and adjust to a new way of living, and he stopped feeling sorry for himself ever since that. He told me he never says the phrase, “I can’t.” Larry went on to graduate from high school, finished college and got a driver’s license. He even once took flying lessons and learned to fly a plane. I never knew how much Mrs. Snow had positively influenced him. 

When he came to the US for a visit back in 2009, he searched for Mrs. Snow to tell her how much she had helped him. He found a phone number, and spoke to her daughter in law, who told Larry that Mrs. Snow now lives in a Nursing home but still has perfect function, mentally. 

Larry got in touch with Mrs. Snow by phone and she remembered him as if it were 1963 when she taught our class. They talked about those days when Larry struggled with his injury related deficits, and he thanked her for never letting him sulk in self pity. He told her how she changed his life perspective for the best. Mrs. Snow was ‘105’ years old when they spoke that day, but passed away soon afterward.

All things are possible with God, including our restoration to spiritual and psychological wholeness, by adjusting to any new phase in our life. God doesn’t want us to get stuck in self pity, but to move forward and say to ourselves, “I can and I will.”That was the same spirit reflected by a strong inspiring, lady and departed grade school teacher, Mrs. Snow.

Lord, help all of us who are in a transition stage of life to adjust and move forward saying “I can and I will, in Jesus name.” Amen