Ed Christian's World

One day Grandfather walked me to the side of the pond and we sat down and prayed. Then he said lean over and smile into the water so I did. He asked what did you see? I saw myself smiling I responded. Make an angry face he then said and tell me what you see. I see myself making an angry face I responded. Hold your hand out as if giving the water a gift. Then hold your hand out as if taking something. Now what did you see? Well I said when I offered my hand, it showed a hand offering back and when I took it showed taking back.

Very good Grandfather said and what did that teach you? I responded it showed what ever I did as a reflection. That is correct Grandfather responded and that is your lesson for today.

When you smile and are happy, He is happy. When you are unhappy, He is unhappy. He wants you happy to share His love with others. When you offered your hand, He offered His, yet when you took from Him, He took back. What does that mean? I looked a little confused and responded I’m really not sure. He then said life is meant to share with others and as you share, you also receive. When you close your hand and don’t share, He doesn’t share with you. What you give, you also receive and what you withhold is withheld from you.

Put simply if you bless others, you will be blessed. If you withhold blessings, your blessings will be withheld. If you live by taking, in the end it will be taken from you. If you live a life of giving, it will, in the end be given to you. Condemn others and you will be condemned. Forgive others and you will be forgiven. Live with a closed hand and His hand will be closed to you. What you give will be given back. What you take will be taken back. Therefore, live a life of love, of giving, of blessing, of compassion, of an open hand and heart. Whatever you do, remember what you saw here. Live your life in view of the face in the waters.

What is it that you seek from life and others? Today, make it your goal to give to others the very thing you seek.

Proverbs 27:19 ; Luke 6:37-38 ; Galatians 6:7-10

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

When The Darkness Comes…

We all have times in our life when it seems there is nothing going right. It is at these dark times in our life that we begin to really understand the light that shines within us.

For even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.

Basically, it comes down to this, we need dark to measure light and light to measure dark. Without one we would never know the existence of the other. Darkness is the absence of light, but how many of us have ever seen total darkness? I don’t think I have ever been in total darkness for God has always been the light at the end of the tunnel. He has always been there to show me the way.

When I realized that I am never alone, I began to understand that for every instance and bump in the road, there is a lesson there for me to learn and a story for me to share. It is then that I learned people are like stained – glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. God has blessed us with His glory and asked that we share it with others so that they also can show their light.

We have a choice about how we take what happens to us in our life and whether or not we allow it to turn us. We can become consumed by the darkness, or we can regain our humanity somehow, and come to terms with things and learn something about ourselves. Then we can take that lesson and teach it to others by showing them the light that shines brightly from within, even in the darkest of times.

Sometimes when you’re overwhelmed by a situation – when you’re in the darkest of darkness – that’s when your priorities are reordered. When I fell and busted my hip, I thought it was the end of the world for me as I knew it. The doctors were saying I would be on crutches for up to six months and I wondered what God had planned for me with this little hardship. Well, I met some of the sweetest people and was able to share the light with many of them. I was blessed to share my story with them and to show them the strength that God has given me to overcome the rocks that were placed in my path. In turn I was blessed to share their stories of His love and grace.

It is times like this when I remember that: When the darkness comes…the stars come out.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed