Heart Choices: 2018-09-02 -->

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Five Minute Friday: Rain




It's Five Minute Friday when I link up with other writers. We are given a one-word prompt, and we get to write for five minutes flat. Our word for this week is Rain.

START

I live in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona. We rarely get rain. When it does rain, it's usually during the monsoon season. This occurs late summer into September. And when it rains, it pours! The result is flooding since the ground can't absorb it quickly enough.

But I still love rain. The temperature drops and the wind picks up. It's a rare occurrence,

Every morning in my preschool class, we sing a song about the weather.

'What's the weather? What's the weather? What's the weather like today? Is it sunny? Is it cloudy? Is it windy or is there rain?"

Ninety-nine percent of the time, the response is sunny. But once in a while, it rains. The children love to say that and then run to the window to look out. They stand on their tippy toes peering out the window to see the rain with their own eyes.

But one of my favorite things about the rain is the rainbow that follows. It reminds me of God's promise to Noah in the Bible after the flood.

"I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life." Genesis 9:13-15

Thank you, Lord, for the rain.

END

Blessings and love,

QuickEdit

Open My Eyes



Are your eyes wide open? What do you see?

Maybe you see people who are different from yourself. Do you tend to shy away from spending time with them and instead gravitate towards people who are similar to yourself? I think that's our natural human tendency.

Whenever I travel to New York City, I love to attend Sunday services at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It's well worth the subway ride to worship in this place. Located in an old theater, the congregation is comprised of people who represent a wide variety of backgrounds and skin colors. As my eyes and ears take in this experience, I'm reminded that heaven will contain people from all backgrounds.

"After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." Revelation 7:9

Let me ask you a question? How do you feel about going to the airport and flying with so many different people? Do you secretly hope the person sitting next to you will keep to himself? Do you size them up by their appearance?

I have to admit there have been many times when I hoped for a quiet flight so I could read my book or write. But if I insisted on no interruptions, I would have missed out on numerous divine moments. Let me explain what I mean.

On one flight I ended up in the middle seat, not one I cherish. I felt scrunched between two women. One had her head buried in a fashion magazine, and the other was arguing with the flight attendant because she didn't want to turn off her electronic device. It was a five-hour flight, and I figured I'd start reading and minding my own business.

But I always pray that God would open my eyes to see people as He sees them.

As the flight attendant served drinks and peanuts, I put down my book and began a conversation with one of the women. It turned out she had been visiting with her elderly parents and was upset about her father's declining health. This began a conversation that eventually turned to faith. By the end of the flight, the other lady joined in and we were exchanging emails. To this day, we are Facebook friends. The three of us were hugging and commenting on how encouraging an experience this was for us.
This is not the first time this has happened to me.

I wonder if you might see people differently if you asked God to open your eyes. See people with eyes of love, See people as Jesus sees them.

I came across this video that is worth the four minutes it takes to watch. May I encourage you to open your eyes? So many people hide behind masks but they are hurting inside. 


Blessings and love,

QuickEdit
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