Antidote for Greed

Gratitude is the only antidote for greed.
To want more, newer, prettier,
better, higher, larger, sweeter,
longer, faster, stronger, is human.
It's time for me to say "Enough."
Jesus did.
He said, "Enough!"
God's love is enough, and should be.
How many times have things not gone
"right" for me, and (sometimes) years
later I realized it was all for the best?
Will I ever learn?
When will I let go, and let God?
Open my hands to Heaven, stop grabbing
at the new "pretty" that catches
my eye?
I have lived 27,429,000 seconds to date.
How many (or few) of them have I spent on God /
His people, His lessons? I lament my wasted minutes,
hours, years, decades. My life of selfish desires,
saying yes to myself and no to HIM.
How much time have I lost
staring at electrical images that mean nothing.
My God, my God, why have I forsaken You ?!
Oh, the list is long; of what I have vainly spent
my gift of life on.
But here I am.
I am HERE,
right now,
for a reason.
May I thank HIM now?
for a few heartbeats?
One,
two,
three...
A breath...
in and out?
Can I thank God
for being God?
Can I want what it is
my Savior wants, what
I need?
Jewels of Heavenly worth.
Pearls before swine,
Forgive, Lord of Mine.

Searching....

We are all looking for God.
Some people don't know it,
but they are.
Humans have a hunger that cannot
be filled. Money, power, achievements,
youth and old age... we are never
filled up/satisfied.
Evil's greatest weapon is distraction.
Oh how many there are.
We look too for purpose, reason, causes.
Fame? Who can name all the presidents, kings,
leaders; not me, so what is the POINT?
In our innermost being, we know we are more than
flesh and blood. Our purpose is inside us.
Our value is not in health, beauty, brains,
power, or anything that can rust or be taken away.
(I read that in a Book somewhere)
We need to share our love, our Life, who we ARE
with the poor and "rich" alike.
Be present, PRESENT our love for one another;
to everyone we meet, see, or know.
That is eternal.
Even if aliens ruled our planet, we would still have
our God, He is much more visible than the
aliens have been so far.
HE talks to us in the trees, water, children, Bible,
hugs and kisses. If only I was able to stop and SEE
Him more.
I could pass HIM along, maybe show
His (and my) love like
Mother Theresa did.
THAT will reverberate, echo, and ripple
through all time and space.
And just maybe, I think,
make it a better place.
Just some thoughts,
I LOVE You,yes, YOU
Proud of you too...
God Bless....

Truth

"What is truth?"
The man/God was asked that question.
He did not answer.

Did Pilot know the answer; or had
he already condemned
Truth through years of practice?
He wouldn't recognize Truth if it
stood before him.

The man/God had spent years showing
others the Truth.
In the past,
He had written in the dirt.
Did he write certain Truths about others?
To show them how far they were from Truth?
To convict them of who they were/are?
That they might not condemn another?

Why did man/God not speak to Pilot?
If it were me, I might speak truth,
lie, or anything
to escape the embarrassments/shame/death
that threaten me.

Yes.
I do it all the time.
In what I do,
and what I fail to do.
Little "white" lies and...
others.

Did Jesus hold His tongue because it would
do no good?
Perhaps He could have
convicted Pilot with writing?
But, He obeyed His Father's will.
Silent He stood,
waiting for death.
Jesus would not use Truth,
even to set Himself free.

His gift for you and me.

Death

"My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
I have changed this prayer to my own:
My God, my God, why have I forsaken You?
That Garden of Eden decision again; the free will.
The True statement by Truth Himself, " Eat not of the
Tree..." (Unless you want to die, be alone, leave me?)

We weep at the loss, the loneliness of friend, loved one
lover, or child who go away where we cannot reach them.
One fruit of that garden: our choice.

As I write this, in 13 days, it will be the 9th anniversary of
our first grandson's birth. That Day:
The call... Cell phones rang over the land !
Our youngest daughter was in the "joys" of labor,
riding on pain and expectation 'toward the
delivery room..
We who could, ran/drove to be there in
eagerness. To be the first (well 2nd or 3rd or..)
to welcome him here, get to know him.
Eve, family, and I were in the hallway. Sitting
on the floor, leaning against the wall.
To be as close as allowed,
to share in the miracle of birth.

Then:
Serious nurses, quick efficient movements;
whispers and silence stilled our speech, erased our smiles.
Sadness, she came out of the "life" room:
she told us placenta had separated, movement has stopped forever.
.............

My girl's Labor continued, fruitless labor,
quiet tears and grief;
bearing our fist, and lost
grandson.

The nurse dressed and cleaned him, she let Eve and I hold his little self.
Eve had to kiss his tiny feet, (she always does that).

We baptized Jonah there,
and gave him back to.... God, I guess.

I visited him yesterday, where Jonah Ray sleeps.
His body is in a quiet, peaceful place; deer and birds
are comfortable there, as am I.

His soul is in Heaven, touched by our
"can't wait to meet you" prayers.

How much did God cry, when we said "NO, leave me
alone. I'll do it myself !"
All He wanted was to meet us, get to know us better,
share all He has with us.
I know He cries for missing us, and touches us with
His "can't wait to be with you" prayers too.
Love and Prayers, Rick & Eve

Garden fruit

Truth Himself, speaks ONLY the truth.

"Eat not of the tree, lest you die."

Options. Free will. God's Great gift.

He will not revoke, amend, or override our gift.

His greatest curses on Mankind, have been

giving in to our own free will.

Moses' followers during the Exodus complained:

"Better that we should die in the desert."

God said yes to that request.

Forty years of toil and death followed.

"Do not eat from that tree, unless you want to die."

We did eat, God must have said, "Granted.

But, there is no death here, where "I" live.

You must go away from Me to die."

How He must weep at our decisions.

We wanted to be left alone.

God said "Granted,"

even at His pain of our decision,

He did not revoke our "gift."

He did block off from us the

Tree of Eternal Life, lest we stay

forever fallen and alone.

Good God, Blessed Holy God;

He knew of a way... THE way

He could turn our evil into good.

It is Still our decision.

We choose daily.

Choose well.

Hold On

Some things are worth holding on to.

Occasionally I visit graveyards. I find them peaceful,
quiet places to rest. There I can meditate
on the eternal things of Value.
As I grow older, more of my friends
and loved ones wait for me there.

My favorite tombstone says something
like this: " The money I had was mine
to do with as I saw fit. The money I left behind
is for my family to divide. The money
I gave away, I took with me."

That is what I will take when I go, my few and feeble
acts of kindness.
As for now; I hold
on to some of my failures. I need to be
reminded how far from true "Good" that I am.
Possibly to learn from mistakes made over and over...

I am so sorry for my actions / inactions that have
hurt so many.
I have wasted so much of my time
here on this Earth.

I need to hold onto Jesus.
Follow Him.
Look at the Map of His Word.
Listen to His directions.
Follow the examples of His Saints.
Draw nourishment from The Gift of His very Self.

He suffered all for all. We are called to follow Him.

I can see the sun, but cannot reach it.
I can see the Son and can reach Him.
I can touch Him with my prayers and actions.
I see Him in family, loved ones, and
strangers.
I can hug Him in them.
I can hurt / help, or
take no notice at all.
For good or ill, it's my choice.

I try to reach and hold God's goodness. With hands that are
full of this world and selfishness? Impossible.

I pray that I can loosen my grip on my comfort, my pride.
I need to let all fall through
my fingers.

I Need to retain that which does not rust,
cannot be lost, and will never die.
These Treasures can only be held in our hearts... for eternity.

Letting Go

There once was a man Hiking alone in the mountains.

While on his journey, he slipped off the trail,

slid and rolled down 'toward a long drop off.

At the last second he managed to grab a small plant

growing on the edge. He held on to it for dear life,

while his legs dangled over the cliff. He called at the top of his lungs;

"Help ! Is anyone there? Help !" As he yelled, the little plant started to

pull out of the ground. He froze, dug his other hand into the loose dirt

and was afraid to move; lest the plant fail him altogether.

Then he heard a strong voice say, " This is God, let go and I'll catch you."

The man was stilled with wonder and fear; then he

called out louder, " Is there anyone else up there ? "HELP!"....

In Scripture, Elijah asked for an offering from "the widow", she gave her last

bread and oil. She let go of all she had. She Trusted God.

As a reward her oil jar, and flour bin did not go empty; even

through the years of drought and famine.

Was it magic, self filling containers? As a young boy that is

how I envisioned it happening!

I thought that was a neat trick for God to do!

Now, as an older Christian;

I think she continued to trust; and received just

what she needed, when she needed it.

That too is an awesome "trick" for God to do for us.

God wants us to trust Him. Love Him for His own sake.

Thank God, not for the million dollars He can put into my bank, but

for the crust of bread I receive each day, sometimes with gratitude.