6/18/2025
"The little that the righteous man has is better
than the riches of many wicked."
Psalm 37:16
Many years have passed since the Lord spoke to me about a certain gift He wanted to entrust to me. At the time I thought little about it, except to wonder what He meant. Then I attended a conference, and a total stranger repeated God's words to me. Since then I have tried to keep doing what I knew to do at the time, and once my life got straightened out, and I was living alone, surrounded by new friends and some old ones, I continued in the way I had been living, and I have done so up to this day. I see things differently than most people, and many times they don't understand what I'm even talking about, because I tend to finish my thought, then head on to the next one. I don't mean to do it, but I think with the speed of light...well, perhaps not that quickly, but I see up the road faster, and I have not learned the art of explaining things well. Other times I get so excited about what God has said or shown me in His word, that I want to talk about Him to everyone. I think sometimes my friends, and family, avoid me, because I have a one track mind.
For many years I've lived alone, so I've been lost to my thoughts. I'm good with one on one conversations, but not so with a crowd. As a case manager I developed the skill of listening very attentively, as I needed to paint a picture of the health and needs of my client. Besides, I always enjoy listening to people, and I think many times that's the most important thing I can do. I learned not to take my laptop or Ipad to homes where the client experienced anxiety associated with mental health issues. I can't blame anyone from becoming irritated, even angry, if someone is talking, and the person who is supposed to be listening is busily typing. So, I found it better to take a clipboard and pen, and I'd take notes, very short ones. Once I sat outside on a bench, in the snow, still falling, listening without taking notes. I knew that I could call someone and retrieve the information I really needed for my report. Besides I have a very good memory. I cherish those days, because at least I made that person or persons feel accepted, and maybe, loved. It was hard to retire and leave all my friends, because that's what my clients were to me. It's harder still to learn that some have passed away since I've been gone. I never forget people, even though they are filed away in my personal mental file cabinets, as there have been so many people who stepped into my life, plus all the family members. Special people every one, even the not so easy to get along with cases. Special.
I've been watching Highway to Heaven again, as you may have surmised, but the scripture above is Pastor Jack's idea, although I did not follow the flow of our prayer time. But, that's the way it is. The word of God speaks to each of us differently.
Wally, in an episode of Highway to Heaven, is a "bum," as he likes to refer to himself. He is homeless, in a sense, as he lives in an old boxcar near the railroad track. He has a little dog, and he earned a little money putting on puppet shows. One of the puppets was a bum. Wally wasn't an alcoholic, and although he was on the street, he seemed fairly clean, had canned food in his home, and shared it with visitors or strangers. Yes, he was visited by Jonathan, an angel disguised as a bum. Remember the scripture about entertaining angels unaware? Wally also spent his time cheering up a sick child. Wherever he saw a need, he took what little he had, and he shared it to help another bum. Whether it was a few dollars and cents or his time, Wally shared. He was content with his life, and that's way God wants us to be.
Paul, speaking to the church of Philippi said: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:11-13)
These are familiar words, and they are often used almost as a cliche when we pray for a person who is in need, having a difficult time. But, we are called to do more. Pastor Jack did say that "prosperity has to do with stewardship." In 1 Timothy 6:6 Paul shares "Now godliness with contentment is great gain."
Knowing what God said to me all those years ago, waiting to discover what He meant or waiting for the fulfillment of it, so I can get on with whatever it is I am supposed to do, makes me a little impatient. I have so many dreams, and I've lived with death to vision for so long, that perhaps I missed the point. God doesn't work the way it seems to us that He should. I realized in that moment that in a way I am doing what He wanted me to do all along, just in a bit of a different way. The point is - never put God in a box. However He chooses to bless your life, or the lives of others, it is enough.
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