My hope is built on nothing less

Don't be ashamed

It was  the birthday of  a precious old lady.  Her daughter with friends had come  to celebrate  and they all hoped it would be a nice afternoon for her with cake and coffee.  The lady at first seemed tired and almost asleep; but after a while she opened her presents and took part in the party. They were all enjoying the conversation but sometimes the lady seemed to be somewhere else in her thoughts. 

After a couple of hours it was time to say goodbye and the guests started to prepare to leave.  In the middle of all the hugs and good wishes and farewells she suddenly reached out and took hold of the hands of a man who stood next to her. She watched his hands closely; turned the palms upward and said:

“I’ve been watching your hands and you are the only one here who has hard working hands. You should be proud of them. Don’t be ashamed of them but be proud of them”

The man was surprised by the remark but thanked her for her kind words. Afterwards, he told me he had a warm feeling inside, almost like he had been given a special greeting from God through this lady.

God knows what hard work means from his own carpenter’s shop in Nazareth, so be proud of your calloused hands and use them to honor Jesus.

And don't underestimate little old ladies;They observe a lot more than you think.

God's doors.

Dear Reader,

Found this on a Blog called Orthodox Life. 

God's doors

- Where is God in a serious or even a fatal accident?
- It's a question, neither good nor right, but I would say that it is a real question. That question exists in the soul of every healthily thinking and normal person. I will tell you how I understand it. God's space has walls and doors. A great door is God's love. Another great door is God's wisdom. On the other hand, pain is a wall. Anyone who wants to enter God's mystery through pain, will get serious injuries depending on the momentum with which he enters. You have to enter through love to see clearly the God's mystery about pain...

from a television interview with f. Nikolaos Chatzinikolaou, metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, to Antenna Cyprus TV

I was searching for a bible study plan  and ended up reading almost everything on this Blog called Orthodox life. I know nothing about the Orthodox Church but has been interested in their beautiful icons and how they are made.  Anyway I came across interesting posts and this is one of them. I might not agree with everything I read but there still can be hidden diamonds where you least expect them.
Sincerely your,Ida

Praise the Lord

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children —
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

“The most important Commandment

Mark 12 

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[e] 30} Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[f] 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ³³ To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. 

SHEMA YISRAEL ADONAI ELOHEINU
ADONAI ECHAD
V'AHAVTA ET HASHEM ELOHEICHA
B'CHOL LEVAVCHA U'VCHOL NAFSHECHA
U'VCHOL MEODECHA

HEAR O ISRAEL THE LORD OUR GOD
THE LORD IS ONE
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD
WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL OF YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR RESOURCES

...time to say goodbye ... again

(click the image for higher resolution)


A dear sweat old Lady has stepped out of time in her 83rd year.
Nobody expected that 2 days ago. She always seemed young at heart; was physically younger than her age; dearly loved by her family and she loved them.
And suddenly ... she gets a heart attack but she beats it and is believed to be heading home in a day or two. She is watching the Olympics on TV in the evening but the next day  ... a massive stroke to her brain and withing hours she is gone.
And here we are taken by surprise; chocked and  we cannot fathom the fact that we will never see her again.

This is the third person this year  that I had no chance to say goodbye to. It creates a certain void; an empty area or space; and nothing but  memories can dwell in that space; and in the end that will also fade away one day.
No more phone calls to my cousin before Christmas; no more looking for clothes or curtains for my friend when shopping on Sales; and no more doing the dishes with S.
I'm grateful that her family could be with her; it is a privilege to have that opportunity no matter how painful it is.

Thank you Lord for S.
Although I only knew her for  a short time I know I will miss her; ... her smile and positive approach to life. Give strength and courage to her family in this time of grief.

I know I have posted this quote before  but I think it is well worth repeating:
“If I knew that today would be the last time I’d see you, I would hug you tight and pray the Lord be the keeper of your soul. If I knew that this would be the last time you pass through this door, I’d embrace you, kiss you, and call you back for one more. If I knew that this would be the last time I see you, I’d tell you I love you, and would not just assume foolishly you know it already.”

— Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Love In The Time Of Cholera.”

Jesus - a man of integrity

Matthew 22
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion?

Integrity -  definition:

1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Integrity enters into every aspect of one's life. It is a belief system without faltering, no matter how dangerous it is or how unpopular it is with others. It includes: sincerity, keeping one's word and agreements, honesty, truthfulness, ethics, fairness and justice.

If you are interested in the opinion  of Jesus; just ask him.
Read the Bible and learn by heart what Jesus said so the Holy Spirit can remind you when you need a word from Jesus.