Heart Hope by Olga

"Be careful what you pray for…" may seem like an odd statement, but I have seen some of my most earnest prayers answered in ways that I didn't necessarily want or expect. Years ago there was a song that my children would sing with these lyrics: Make me a servant Humble and meek Lord let me lift up those who are weak And may the prayers of my heart always be Make me a servant Make me a servant Make me a servant today As the kids would sing it, I would use it as a prayer that God would help me to be willing to serve others and to keep me humble. I didn't really mean that I wanted to be placed in lowly positions, but at times that's exactly what has happened. How silly of me not to realize how this prayer was going to be answered. Would I go back and change that prayer? If I could would it sound more like, "Lord help me to be in positions of power, authority and prestige. Help me to be puffed up and proud of all that I have accomplished....

My coworker ended the last email on Friday afternoon with the phrase, "Have a god weekend." I chuckled as I read the words because I knew that she meant for me to have a “good” weekend. The insertion of god for good had to be an accident because prior to this time I had never heard her use the word God except as part of an exclamation when upset or frustrated. But the more I thought about the mistake the more I liked the idea. What would a God weekend look like? Would it be like a good weekend or would it be better than normal? I thought I would give it a try. Friday night is usually movie night for my husband and me, but instead we had a delightful evening with another Christian couple. It was great being able to share fellowship as a gift from God. Saturday morning is typically a time for me to have extended quiet time, since I don’t have to get up running. I figured that would be a nice part of the God weekend to keep...I know I need it and I thought it...

Resolutions are not my thing. I figure that I shouldn’t make them if I’m going to break them. (Can you tell that I know myself well?) However I have found another plan that helps to guide my behavior in a positive way without making me feel guilty for falling short of my goals. Last year my friend Deb told me about how she had each member of her class pick one word for the year. Then my friend Christy had us do a similar exercise at our women's retreat; my word for 2012 became ‘”purpose.” I wanted to have purpose in my words, purpose in my actions and purpose in my life. So when I read two devotionals a week or two ago on the process, I already knew my word--purpose. Surely God would want me to use that one again. It was a good word and I still needed to work on putting it to practice on a daily basis. However, God had different plans for a new word for the new year because immediately upon reading the devotional, the word “security” popped into my mind.  At fi...

While sitting at lunch, my grandson Will was watching a movie on an iPhone. It was loud and distracting, so I offered him ear buds so he could listen without disturbing others around. A friend sitting at the table said, "Now there's a modern day grandmother." His comment made me think, "What is a modern day grandmother? How are we different from our predecessors? And what do I want to be remembered for?" Grandparents today don't want to look old, act old or be old. They want to be seen as cool and be in the know with all of the latest gadgets. I've even seen many "competing" in a variety of ways to be the "best." In some ways we are very similar to grandparents of days gone by. We love our own and think they are the best. We brag on them and show off pictures. We desire to spend quality time with them. And we want to pass on traditions from our own heritage. Technology has made a difference in many ways, allowing us ...

When was your last epiphany? Mine was during the Christmas holidays. I discovered that I didn’t have to post a blog every week, but I could actually be free to enjoy the true meaning of the season-Jesus. I hope that you all did the same.  Epiphany : 1) a Christian festival held on January 6 in honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ; 2) a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way Since today is the Epiphany, I looked up the definition and had a “chicken or the egg” as I wondered if the celebration of the wise men coming to see Jesus was first or if the more common definition for today was first. I determined for myself that the wise men probably had the first Epiphany when they saw the star, made the long journey to find him, running into obstacles along the way, but finally finding Him and seeing that they had found the true Messiah. How was it that others missed it? It made Herod furious, ...