Positive Daily Inspiration – June 11, 2022 – SATURDAY INSPIRATION

(Submitted with our great thanks)

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

Years ago, a young couple moves into a new neighborhood.

The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

“That laundry is not very clean”, she said.

“She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”

Her husband looked on but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

“Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.”

The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”

And so, it is with life. What we see when watching others depends a lot on the clarity of the window through which we look.

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A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger … he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries, and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history, or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn’t seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home … not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn’t permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked … and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents’ den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? …

We just call him, “TV.”

PS: He has a younger sister now. We call her “Computer.”

POSITIVE DAILY PRAYER:

Luke 11:34 – “Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light.”

Dear God, I know with my physical eyes I see only what is apparent in the world around me.
However, when I open my spiritual eyes, I don’t limit my vision.
Through faith, I know that the world is filled with the truth of Your presence, my dear God.
Today, I pray that I him reminded to take a closer look any time I am tempted to call situation hopeless.
I am aware that Your Spirit is within every person in every situation.
I let my own indwelling spirit of God light the way to peace and harmony.
I am richly blessed.

In Jesus Christ’s name … Amen

POSITIVE DAILY AFFIRMATION: I look beyond the appearances to find the truth of God’s good.

POSITIVE DAILY QUOTE: “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” Will Rogers

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GOD BLESS YOU,
Christopher Ian Chenoweth