Creating Opportunities

January 6, 2019 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Life Topics

By Virginia Smith

I collect Christian tee shirts. Some of them have catchy phrases like, “Know Jesus Know Peace—No Jesus No Peace.” One has a big smiley face with the caption “Psalm 92:4.” And one of my favorites displays those universally recognized letters, “WWJD.”

I was wearing that shirt on the London tube during a trip with my mother. We had remarked earlier that everyone in London seemed to wear nothing but black, especially the young people. So I stood out in my white tee shirt with those letters embroidered in shiny gold thread across my chest. In fact, one black-clad young man wearing more jewelry on his face than I had packed for my entire vacation caught me in a direct gaze across the aisle and nodded at my shirt.

“You one of those religious nuts?” he asked.

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Ears To Hear

December 31, 2018 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship

By Virginia Smith

Not long ago I was working on my laptop, and I had the strangest thought. It’s been a long time since I did a full backup of my data. I’d better do that. I know I should do regular backups, but it’s something I often don’t think about until after the computer is shut down for the night. So it had been several months since my last one. I responded to the nudge and backed up all my critical data.

Three days later while I was working, I heard a sizzle and pop and my laptop died. Gone. Unrecoverable. My first thought was, Thank you, Lord! I have a backup.

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Keeping What We Have

December 18, 2018 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Life Topics

By Virginia Smith

I recently attended my first “anonymous” meeting to support someone I care about. Never having been involved with a twelve-step program, I was a little intimidated, as was the person I went to support. Though I never realized it, my unconscious attitude toward difficult personal struggles has been “pray for strength, but suffer in silence.” This meeting blew that attitude out of the water.

Eighteen people gathered around a table and talked openly about their addiction. They told how their lives had been destroyed, how their disease took over every waking minute and every ounce of attention. It became the focus of their existence. They spoke of losing jobs and homes and families, of bankruptcies and suicide attempts. I was impressed over and over by how transparent these people were. They held nothing back. Their words were stark, often harsh, and the pictures they painted made me want to weep.

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Fake Fingernail Fiasco

December 16, 2018 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth

By Virginia Smith

I recently did something I never thought I’d never do – I got acrylic fingernails. They looked lovely, but I quickly realized I’d made a mistake. For one thing, my typing skills suffered; for a writer, that’s a disaster. I also had a tendency to drum those lovely nails on any available surface just for the joy of hearing the charming tap, tap, tap. My husband wasn’t amused. He threatened to get his wire cutters and put them out of his misery if I didn’t stop. No problem, I said, because all that tapping made my fingertips sore anyway.

Then my nails started to grow, pushing those hard-as-titanium tips out with them and leaving an ugly gap at the base. Ugh. I decided I didn’t like the Edward Scissorhands look anymore. The fake nails had to go. But it seemed a tremendous waste of money to pay someone else to remove them when I could do it myself.

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The Right Clothes

December 14, 2018 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Humorous

By Virginia Smith

My husband and I enjoy taking trips together on his motorcycle. Last summer we rode down to Escalante National Park in southern Utah, and before we left I took the opportunity to do a little shopping. I had a jacket and helmet, but they were out of style. Now, that doesn’t matter one bit to my husband, but it does to me. I mean, what will the other biker chicks think if I zoom down the road sporting out-of-date clothes?

So, I went shopping for some snazzy new biker gear. Motorcycle clothing is expensive, but I was prepared to spend big bucks for a helmet, because I know how important head protection is. And I wanted a new riding jacket made of reinforced mesh with protective pads at the shoulders and elbows. The saleslady stuck with me, showing me different styles and commenting on the way certain colors complimented my complexion, – you know, the important stuff.

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