WHY??

Our three year old grandson and his mother were looking at a kids Bible Story book. He really wanted to know why people would do such an awful thing....kill Jesus. That started a conversation which explained that Jesus loved everybody in the world so much that he died to forgive all the bad things that they have done. In simple faith he asked Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart & life. :)

Matthew 18: 2-3 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said,"I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven."

The next day he was playing lego with Grandpa, and looked out of the window and said, "It's a beautiful world." He noticed the bright sunshine
(yes, indeed! we have seen the sun) the colors of the blue sky,
the fresh yellowy green leaves of the locust tree and the
red geraniums in the window box.
After a few moments he asked, "Why are there bad people in the world?" In his little mind the two things just didn't go together.

It's hard for me, as an adult, to comprehend why people find twisted pleasure in causing suffering and heartache, ruining and destroying such beauty and tranquility by their evil deeds & selfishness, all for a few moments of temporal power or wealth. Try to explain that "Why" to a deep-thinking, little three year old kid.

I've Had My Moments

A song by 'Emerson Drive' tells the story of a young man watching a homeless man crawl out of a cardboard box. The dirty, disheveled man shrinks from the look of disgust and pity, then turns to the young one and says,

"I haven't always been this way.
I've had my moments, I was second to none,
I've had my moments, my days in the sun.
Moments, when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do,
Lookin' at me now you might not know it
But, I've had my moments."

Within each sad, disturbed person, there is a story we don't care to hear.

As I work and interact with residents at the Seniors Rest Home, they express frustration about not being able to remember things, walk, take a bath or find their own room.
They remind me, "I wasn't always this way. I was a farmer, a bus driver, a teacher, a mother of eleven children, a minister. I could do things!...I've had my moments. Please don't laugh at me. Please be patient with me."

Every person longs to be treated with dignity and respect. In God's eyes, their worth is no less than yours and mine.

The Waiting Room

Waiting is so hard, especially in our fast-paced style of life.

Line-ups at the checkout counter, at the traffic light, at the border crossing, in the airport, at the bank, in a doctor's office... all test our patience, as the saying goes, "Drive us Crazy".

Sadly, many people are waiting most of their life for something else or hopefully something better than the present.
A twelve year old can hardly wait to be sixteen. The student can hardly wait to graduate. The graduate is waiting for a call after a job interview. We're waiting for the perfect person to marry. A bride is waiting for the wedding day. Parents are waiting for the baby to arrive. Soon they are anxiously waiting for their teenager who is staying out way past the set curfew. Then they wait for grown children to leave the nest. Then they can hardly wait to retire.
Too late, we realize that we missed the NOW. We want to get on with life, but this is life.

A few days ago I visited my 95 year old Great Aunt Louise, a gracious, godly lady who has suffered for years with arthritis and osteoporosis. She is waiting to die and longing for heaven.
"I think God has forgotten about me." she said.

An email from my brother said that Check-ups showed that the Cancer has come back and he needs to go for more tests. He said, "We are in God's Waiting Room again."

If we had a choice, we would not choose this waiting room, but many lessons can be learned only in that room.

David, the Psalmist must have had "waiting room" experiences when he said, "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and set my feet on solid ground. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God."

There are many, many beautiful verses in the Bible about "waiting". How many can you find?

Good Answer

What can I say to someone who says, "I don't believe in God."

Here's a good quote by Albert Camus.

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is."

Oh, My Goodness!

Let's talk about expressions......
What comes out of my mouth when I am startled, surprised, terrified, shocked or relieved?
Sometimes I wonder, "Where did that come from?"

The words we use say a lot about our character. It seems almost laughable how we try to "sanitize" colloquial expressions to make them OK.
Some expressions are just silly, funny and inane, but here are just a few that bother me because of what they infer and I wince a little every time I hear them.

Holy Cow!.........only God is Holy
Holy Mackerel!......an ugly fish is holy?
Jeez.!............ we may as well say the whole word
What the Heck!.........Hell
Oh My Gosh!.........only the last sound is changed
Friggin'..............I won't go there

Shoot! ....only the vowel is changed. I am guilty for using this one too many times.
I remember sitting in the office at work, sending Floral Transworld Delivery orders. Every time I made a typing mistake, I said,"Shoot!" My boss remarked that from where she was sitting it sounded like the "i" vowel, and to watch my language.

Of course, many other expletives come to mind which I will not print here, but it seems that cursing and vulgarities are considered a sign of "coolness" or "macho-ism" to some. It is almost impossible to find a good movie without them. Stand-up comedians can't be funny without them. Is it becoming so acceptable that we hardly notice or care anymore?

There are so many references to the importance of "words and speech" in the Bible. These two come to mind.
Colossians 4:6 ...Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
Psalm 19:14 .... "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."

My Name

For those who are checking out the new blog team, allow me to clarify the name of my site.
"Dream On Queen". Sounds rather vain, doesn't it.
When I was a little girl, I was enchanted with pictures of the British royal family. Then I found out that I was named after Queen Esther in the Bible, and childhood imaginations of living in a palace filled my mind.
Looking back now, the only thing I envy of a Queen's life is that she has servants to do her cleaning & cooking.
I admire the wonderful qualities that the biblical Queen had, such as beauty, courage, grace, tact and faith. I want to be like her.
In the Veggie Tales Version, they call her "Essy". Funny...that's what my siblings called me when we were growing up.