Encouraging Words for Teachers by Jaye Lewis

                                  

The Difference a Teacher Can Make  by Jaye Lewis

                                                                             

             Steve,a twelve year old boy, with barely, literate, alcoholic parents, was about tobe lost, forever, by the U.S. education system.  Remarkably,he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing.  Hehad been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade tograde.  Big as he was, looking more like a teenager than a twelveyear old, Steve went unnoticed...until Ms. White.

            Ms.White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love!  Forthe first time in his young life, he couldn't take his eyes off his teacher; yet,still he failed.  He did no  homework, and he was always introuble with Ms. White.  His heart would break, under her sharpwords, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he feltjust miserable!

            Inthe middle of the first semester of school, all the seventh grade was testedfor reading and math.  Steve hurried through his tests, and continuedto dream of other things, as the days wore on.  His heart was not inschool, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out thesights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic parents.  No one checkedon him to see if he was safe.  No one knew he was gone, because noone was sober enough to care.  Oddly, Steve never missed a day ofschool. 

            Oneday, "Steve!"  Ms. White's impatient voice broke into hisdaydreams.  Startled, he turned to look at her.  "Payattention!" So, Steve gazed at Ms. White, with adolescent adoration, asshe began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.

            Ms.White pinned Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, then her eyes searched hisface.  With a sigh, she said to the class, "You all did fair,except for one, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but..." Shehesitated.

            Ms.White, again, fixed her eyes on Steve. "...the smartest boy in the seventhgrade is failing my class!"  She just stared at Steve, as theclass looked around at him, and Steve dropped his eyes, and examined his hands.

            Afterthat, it was war!!  Steve still never did his homework, but thepunishments and the lectures, became more severe, and the pleadings tookover.  "Just try it...ONE WEEK!  Give yourselfa chance!  Don't give up on your life!  Steve!  Please!  Icare about you!"

            Wow!  Steve'sattention was immediately captured!  Someone cared about him?  Someoneyoung and beautiful!  Someone, totally, unattainable, and perfect,CARED ABOUT HIM!!!

            Stevewent home that night, taking one look around the slovenly hovel.  Bothparents passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench wasoverpowering!!  He, quickly gathered up his camping gear, a jar ofpeanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time, his schoolbooks.  Then he headed for the woods.

            Nextday, he was at school, on time, and he waited for Ms. White to enter theclassroom.  Here she came, all sparkle and smiles!  God!  Shewas BEAUTIFUL to the adolescent boy, as he yearned for her smile to turn on him.  Itdid not.

            Ms.White, immediately, gave a quiz on the homework of the night before.  Steve hurried through the test and was the first to hand in his paper.  Witha look of surprise, Ms. White took his paper.  Then, obviously puzzled, shebegan to look over it.  Steve walked back to his desk, his heartpounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn't resist another look atthe lovely woman.

            There,on Ms. White's face, was a look of total shock!  She glanced up atSteve, then down, then up.  Suddenly, her face broke into a radiantsmile.   In his first seven years of school, Steve had just passed his first test!  And he had gotten every answer right!

            Fromthat moment, life changed for Steve.  Life at home, never got better,but life still changed.  The change that took place was withinSteve's heart, all because of ONE teacher, who cared.

© Jaye Lewis, January 26, 2001

 This is a true story.  I know it, because Steve is my husband, and I am the love of his life, as he is mine.  Steve is a wonderful husband and a loving father.  He has excelled in life, having three careers, and now embarking on a fourth.  There has been no seed money.  He came from nothing, and so did I.  Everything he has is because of the grace of a Merciful God.  Steve has worked hard, every day of his life, since Ms. White inspired and encouraged him.  I will always be grateful to her.

Encouraging Words for Those Who Feel Lost by Jaye Lewis

Hello friends,

On January 24, 1988, I was a resident in a psychiatricward.  No, I was not a nurse or a nurse's aid.  I was a patient.  On January 10, 1988, I had a complete nervous breakdown.  You might say that I was at the bottom of mylife, and you would be right.  But I wasalso at the beginning.  In thatpsychiatric ward I learned about a deeper part of myself, perhaps a better partof myself, which began to understand just how alike we are as human beings.

The hospital was in the midst of anexperiment, and you might say that we were the lab rats.  In that hospital the young were mixed withthe old.  The sad and anxious were mixedwith the truly crazy, and the violent were included with the nonviolent.  What were they thinking?  It makes you wonder who were truly the crazyones.  

I disclose this with gratitude,because I learned more in that six weeks, about love, sacrifice, understanding,and acceptance, than I had ever learned in my entire life.  I learned that in the eternal scheme ofthings, I am no better than anyone.  I’mno better than that sweet soul who had lost her mind long ago, who believedthat she was inhabited by a well-known Country singer, whom she believed livedin her stomach.  She argued with himconstantly, often shouting orders to “Get out!”

Yes, it was funny and alarming, butI made up my mind to get to know her, to find out what made her who shewas.  In a strange sort of “we-come-from-different-worlds”friendship, we got to know one another as well as we could.  I learned that something terrible hadhappened to her when she was young, and she learned that I was safe, that I didnot judge her, and that I would not betray her.

I was also no better than the youngman who shouted and threatened, and chased people around the room, including mynew, friend and me.  We heard his shout,and when we saw him racing at us.  Weleaped up and ran, around and around the room, hoping he would not catchus.  When he finally was tackled and calmed down, westopped running, and we just looked at one another.  Then I shouted that a violent man like heshould be removed from our ward.  Thenurse replied that he had never harmed a living soul.

“YET!”  My friend and I retorted together. 

We, suddenly, looked at each other,laughing hysterically, and for one brief moment, the scales of confusion fellfrom her eyes, and she knew me.  Then,her reason clouded over again, and we were strangers, but I’d seen her soul,and I knew that somewhere in the great hereafter, we would meet again.  Then, we will know one another.  We will remember, and we will be friends, andwe will not be ashamed.

There is so much tragedy in thisworld.  I was one of the blessedones.  I have a strong, lovingfamily.  I had good medical care, a strongwill, and a determination to get well. In March, 1988, I left the hospital with a clean bill of health, and Inever returned.  However, I will neverforget the unusual, hurting people within. I think of them all the time.  Itell their stories, as I am telling you, and I will miss them and wonder aboutthem all the days of my life — those tragic, suffering souls, who will neverknow the impact they had on this single life, forever.

We are the same, all of us, nomatter how we protest that we are not.  Nomatter the color of our skin, or our religion, or our lack of faith, or ourpolitical beliefs.  Our petty grievancesand prejudices are like so much chaff, blown by the wind.  None of these things will matter, when we standbefore God, judged for the works we have done on this earth, whether good orill.

Jesus said that He will gather allof us together, and He will separate us, as a shepherd separates his sheep fromhis goats.  We will not escape Hisnotice, anymore than our bigotry, our jealousy, our rage, or our evil intents and actions will remain hidden.  And yes, my friends,we are, each of us, guilty of these things.

The wife beater — youwill no longer be able to hide.  The wifewho betrays her husband — you will be found out.  The gossip, the liar, the proud, and thosewho do their evil works in secret, you will be made known.

Can anyone escape their shame?  Yes you can. Yes I can.  I can repent.  Every day. Every hour.  Every moment, ifnecessary, and I can live my life reaching for the compassion within me,looking for new ways to convey my respect and love for each individual I meet.  I will fail. I will fail today.  But that iswhat repentance is all about.  Going backbefore the only perfect person who ever walked the earth.  Going to the Only, One, True God, asking Hisforgiveness.  Humbly, before Him, I canrepeat my sins of the day, and cast them at His feet.

Oh, it may seem simplistic, but itis not.  It is simple.  It is the easiest thing in the world, and thesafest place to be.  All I need to do isthrow off the mantle of pride and self-righteousness, and know that I amforgiven by His grace.

These are the thoughts that are onmy heart today.  Perhaps I am sick of theassault upon repentance that I see in my own American PresidentialPrimary.  Of course there is repentance,forgiveness, and redemption, even for Newt Gingrich.  And there is condemnation, even for the self-proclaimed, perfectly pure Mitt Romney. But, you know, the self-righteous never see.  I have to admitthat I have only this moment realized what irritates me about Romney.  It’s his pompous belief that he has never done anything wrong.

I do not say these things in defenseof Newt Gingrich.  He has made itabundantly clear that he is perfectly capable of defending himself.  I do, however, say these things to defend thefree grace that God gives to us, if we will only accept it and admit that wehave sinned.  That grace, for which weare so undeserving, that we can receive freely, if only we ask, comes from theGod of all grace, who deserves to hear us say, “Father, I have sinned.”

I hate when the grace of God ismaligned, as though He has no power, as though His arm is too short tosave.  If that were true then I wouldstill be a lost soul, without hope.  ButI am no longer lost, because God came to me, and He made me His own, not becauseHe needed me, but because I needed Him.

With love,

Jaye Lewis

www.entertainingangels.org

https://twitter.com/#!/encouragingjaye

www.entertainingangelsencouragingwords.blogspot.com

Encouraging Words for Those Who Feel Overburdened by American Politics by Jaye Lewis

Hello friends,

I suppose that I should send a copyof this blog post to each of the candidates in every election in the United States. I doubt they would listen, but then, maybe they would understand justhow much they exhaust us, and sometimes disgust us.

Yes, I, as an American voter, dobecome disgusted with the political sniping, barbs, innuendos, lies, and cruelremarks.  I am disgusted with the newdefinition of “truth.”  Remember whenyour grandmother, at least my grandmother, said, “If you can’t say somethinggood about someone, then say nothing at all?” Another grandmother of mine used tosay, “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth.”  Truth would be nice for a change.  And when did it become okay to claim truth when facts are twisted, so that truth is no longer truth, but a lie?  Billy Graham tells of a woman who came to him and asked, "Dr. Graham, how can I stop exaggerating all the time?"  Billy Graham's answer was, "Call it a lie."

A wise teacher once said to me,“Right is right when nothing is right, and wrong is wrong when everything isright.”  Meaning, no matter how youflavor it, snipes, barbs, innuendos, lies, and cruel remarks are never thetruth, no matter how blind society becomes.

You know, in the early days of ourCountry, we had real heroes, who risked “their lives, their fortunes, and theirhonor,” all in the defense of liberty.  PatrickHenry, a fiery red-head, and true patriot, said, “I care not which courseothers may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”  Where is today’s Patrick Henry?  Where is today’s George Washington, who couldhave been, but who refused to be, King? Where are the heroes of our time? Where is honor and truth?  We onceknew what that was.  

To my friends fromother countries, you know of what I speak. It is written in the hearts of all of us.  We long for honor and truth, and when wedon’t have it, we are not fooled by false heroes.  We know truth, even if, as it is in some countries, you dare not speak it.

In America,with all our faults and imperfections, I am free to write this blog andcriticize, by name, if I want to, every leader in my country, from thePresident of the United States,down to the smallest clerk in the smallest town.  I canspeak my mind, out in the open, and disagree, and most of the time, no one willmolest me.  In spite of the many waysthat I am disappointed in my leaders, I’m proud of that right that I have tospeak out, and to have my speech protected.

I may not be thrilled with theselection of people that I have to choose from, in an American election, but ifI want to, I can decline to vote, and stay home.  Or I can choose whom I think is the bestcandidate.  Or I can even vote for theleast worst candidate.  Sometimes we havegreat choices:  Ronald Regan; FranklinDelano Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Teddy Roosevelt, Bill Clinton.  Great Presidents, not perfect men.  Then, there are others who were not so great.  I will let you choose the losers.

My mother always said, “The officeof President makes the man, not the other way around.”  She, of all people, inspired my interest inthe American political process, and I have never been able to shake the need toknow, “who’s on first.”  Now that I havea laptop on my lap, and I have the internet, Google, Facebook, and the WorldWide Web, I have at my fingertips more information in a minute, than my motherhad available in a year.  And, still, mymother was more informed than I.  Iremember that fondly about her, and the memory always makes my eyes sting andmy heart smile.

To many of my friends overseas, ifyou live in a repressed country, where fear follows every utterance of yourtongue, do not give up in working for change. Change, no matter where you are, comes from within.  Small changes within oneself can make bigchanges possible.  If you live in a freecountry, the message is the same.  Changecomes from within.

In my own country, you don’t have tobe a genius to see the things that are wrong. Read the remarks after every news article on the web:

“The President is perfect,” if youare a Democrat.

“The President is evil,” if you area Republican.

“You must vote for this candidate,or you are not a true Republican,” says the Republican establishment.

“If you don’t vote for thiscandidate, then you are at war with Free Enterprise and Capitalism,” again saysthe Republican establishment.

I don’t know about you, but I don’tlike to be told who I must vote for; and I certainly don’t like to be told that I’msome kind of traitor for not buckling under. If you try to control me, I am likely to do exactly what you do not wantme to do.  I’m not easily pushed, andbullying has never worked.

My friends overseas are obviouslyconfused about what they see on our news, so I will let you know, that the veryarguing that you see on TV, while often offensive, is the direct result oftotal freedom.  In the end, we are stillfriends.  We still love our country, andwe honor our laws.  If necessary, whenattacked we fight as a unit.  When youharm one of us, you harm all of us.

As Americans, let us rememberthe day of September 11th.  While thedust still filled the sky, and our hearts and country was wounded,spontaneously, on the steps of our Capitol, all of our Congress members brokeout into one of our favorite hymns:  GodBless American.  Let us understand that they are our leaders, flawed though they may be.  So, I guess my message todayis as much for me, as it is for you.

We live in a blessed nation, which mostof us believe is “under God.”  We careabout one another.  Our hearts swell withpride, and our eyes fill with tears, at the first strains of our nationalanthem.  In our strange and imperfectway, we love each other.  We love ourcountry, and no matter our faith, most of us, love God.  We may see Him in different colors, races,and creeds, but we all know in our hearts, that we need not fear that He mightnot know who He is.  Because He does.

For whatever strange and wonderfulreason, Americais blessed by God.  We know it, and wewonder why, but then, He knows why.  Godknows why.  Have faith.  We are still in His hands.

With love,

Jaye Lewis

www.entertainingangels.org

www.twitter.com/encouragingjaye

Encouraging Words for Those Who Feel Worthless by Jaye Lewis

Wonderfully Made  by Jaye Lewis

 I was supposed to be nothing.  That was the plan.  At nine years old, my father screamed into myface.

“YOU ARENOTHING BUT A FAILURE!  YOU WILL NEVER BEANYTHING!  YOU’LL NEVER BE ANYTHING BUT ANOTHING, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE!!!  

I believedhim.  I forgot that I was created by aGreat Loving God, Who “knit me together in my mother’s womb," as promised in Psalm 139:13

Despairing, because of  my father's words, I worked hard at being a “nothing.”  I stopped studying for my classes, inschool.  I stopped dreaming the dreamsthat often shape our future, and I barely scraped by.

By the time I was in seventh grade,I overheard my parents talking about how wonderful life would be for them if Ihad never been born, because, being the youngest, I would be out of the way,and they could follow their dreams.  Ibelieved them, and I forgot what God said about me.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."  Isaiah 49:15-16a.

By the timeI was fifteen, my final ninth grade report card read, “She has incredible general knowledge, but no specific knowledge. She’ll never become anything continuing on this course.”  I believed my teacher, and I continued on my worthless course, reading and studying on my own, everything from historythrough science, and as my teacher said, I began to have much general knowledge.

I read the Bible, which was a forbidden book,according to the religion of my childhood, and I began to know the God of theBible and His great love for me.  Yet,still I believed I was a failure, even weird. Somewhere, in the midst of that, I began to write,and I discovered that with no one to talk to, I began to talk to God.  I did not understand the truth of Psalm 139:14, which says that “I amfearfully and wonderfully made.”

Years came and went, and darknesswas all around me, but there, in the darkness, I found the light of God’spresence.  Always there.  Always comforting.  Unknowing, as I was, God was always withme.  I discovered the truth about the presenceof God in Psalm 139:7-12 

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where canI flee from your presence?  If I go up tothe heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If Irise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, eventhere your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, eventhe darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, fordarkness is as light to you.’”

I discovered that even if I did notknow God, He knew me.  There was muchdarkness in my life.  I had no one tobelieve in me, but somehow, by the grace of God, I knew that God believed inme.  I stumbled through many a dark valley, yet I discovered that I could not run fromGod.  He was always with me.  I discovered that in being hurt, I could seekto heal others.  In being lonely, I couldreach out and erase another’s loneliness. In believing myself to be a failure, I could encourage others tosucceed.  I could be a woman ofhonor.  A woman of truth.  I could change my course.  And when I wrote, as I did from an early age,I could give hope to others.

I wish I had known God from thebeginning.  I wish that instead of a religious home, that I had grown up in a Godly one.  I wish that in my teens there had beensomeone to influence my life, and change my course.  However, even though I remember, painfully,my lonely teenage years, I can testify that my present happiness andfulfillment came from no one except God.

You see, it is God who broughtme into the pleasant pasture of my middle years, and on into the beauty of my present day.  I can look to no one but Him, for the joysin my life…my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughters, and my preciousfriends.

I am an award winning writer through His grace.  I have completed my first book.  I don’t expect it to be my last.  A lot of people have lent me a hand in this process,but God alone brought me here.  So now,in my world that is so filled with His light, I still look for thoseopportunities to be alone with God.  Andas I look back, into my teens, I realize what a great gift it was to spendthose lonely nights and days with Him.  I have also learned that theugly words that others speak about me, say more about them, than they say aboutme.  

So do not listen to negativity.  Your Heavenly Father declares in His WORD,that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Believe Him.  You arewonderful.  Totally unique. God expects great things from you.  So now you can expect them from yourself.

With love,

Jaye Lewis

www.entertainingangels.org

Encouraging Words for Those Who Are Alone at Christmas by Jaye Lewis

Hello friends,

The holidays can be a hard time for those who are missing loved ones.  There are so many sad feelings that are difficult to share.  Thoughts that you might hear, if you listen closely are:

“Christmas is simply not Christmas without Mama’s smile.”

“I miss Daddy’s laugh.”

“My brother always made Christmas special.”

“I miss all of us going caroling and laughing when we hit the sour notes.”

“Midnight Mass as a family.”

“Christmas morning church.”

“My heart will not stop breaking for the loss of  the love of my life.”

You may not hear the words spoken from the lips of a friend or loved one, but if you listen with your heart, you will hear.

Christmas is Over  by Jaye Lewis

Christmas is over,

The New Year's almost here.

The tree lights are darkened,

I sure do miss you, dear.

The stockings are empty,

As is my aching heart;

Yet I needed to tell you

Before the New Year's start.

I'll always love you;

You're always in my prayer.

If ever you need me,

My thoughts will be right there.

Although there's a distance

Between us, I still smile,

Because I can hold you

In my heart for just awhile.

I realize God gave me,

A gift I know is true.

The gift that he gave me

Is all my love for you.

I don't know the reason

God gives and takes away.

I just know this season

I turn to him and pray.

"Bless all my loved ones,

The ones for whom I care.

Keep them in safety,

Until I can be there."

I know that God loves me,

And He loves you, too.

So in His season,

I shed my tears for you.

© Jaye Lewis, 1999

With Love to All Those Who Are Alone This Christmas,

Jaye Lewis

www.entertainingangels.org

Encouraging Words for the New Year: A Healthy Life by Jaye Lewis

I have never been an athlete.  I’ve never had much interest in sports, ever since I stopped playing touch-football with the boys.  I tried tennis.  I hit the ball too high, too long, and way over into left field.  I’ve tried softball.  I don’t know why it’s called “softball,” because it felt pretty hard when it hit me in the eye.  I tried running, but I couldn’t get serious about it unless someone was chasing me.  I tried swimming, but even though I float like a cork, and have had numerous lessons, I can’t seem to get over the idea, that I’m really going to drown.  Finally, I settled on walking, and for a number of years, I walked three to five miles a day. 

I’m never going to be an athlete, but I make do, especially in my mid-life years.  Which brings a question to my mind.  When did I hit mid-life?  I remember that when I hit thirty, I thought my life was over.  I remember my fortieth birthday, I was suddenly “over the hill.”  However, it was at fifty that I began to discover “me.”  I didn’t have to run, jump, play tennis, or prove myself in any athletic way.  I could just “be.”

Fifty became the beginning of my age of enlightenment.  I figured that as long as I was in fair health, I had another fifty or so years ahead of me.  Then came the life threatening asthma attacks.  A disease that had been merely an annoyance, was now in control of my life.  Within months I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and arthritis.  At fifty-five I found out about my diabetes, and I became fascinated with pharmaceuticals, hoping that they could give me quality of life. 

One day, when I was least expecting it, I became free.  I discovered that God had given me a priceless gift.  Time.  I began by noticing the sunsets, and I had the time to stop and really wonder, at the beauty and magnitude of it all.  I moved on to the sunrises, and I quickly found out that if I wasted the early morning on self-pity, I missed the loveliest part of the day.  I began to notice feelings of gratitude.  I found myself with time to witness the changing of the seasons:  that first whisper of spring, with its tender green shoots; the warmth of summer, with it’s flowers, bees and butterflies; the rustling of copper-colored leaves beneath my feet in the fall; and the hush of that first winter snow.
           

When illness would hit me, leaving me alone and housebound, I began to enjoy the solitude. I had time to reflect, gather my thoughts, and pray at leisure.  I found that I was experiencing this mid-life season, and I was no longer missing every moment, shackled to the chains of worry and what might have been.  Worrying about tomorrow only served to make me overlook the blessings of today.
           

It’s not always easy.  A few loads of laundry and a pile of dishes can take an entire day; but then I don’t push myself much.  I often neglect to make the bed, as I watch the rosy glow of dawn meet the rising sun.  I have time to walk our wooded acre with my little dachshund straining at the leash.  I read the signs with him, sniffing the air, and gazing out at whatever takes my fancy.  I spend my time by studying the sky with the same intensity that my little dog studies the ground.
           

I get to meet the day, every day.  I get to say good-night to the ever deepening sky.  I’ve studied a lot of sunsets, in the last fifteen years, and I’ve never seen two that were exactly alike.  I’ve learned to know my Creator as I never have before, and I’ve made my own mind up about the mysteries of life.  I am quite certain that all of this creation is no mere accident.
           

I feed the birds, and I take great delight in their multicolored hues.  I drag a chair to stand on, so that I can fill the feeders without help.  I say a prayer as I struggle, thankful to be able to do something for someone besides myself.  I often chuckle at all the pretensions of my former youth.  I take great delight in my life.  I thank God for all the precious little things of every day.  It has take me many years, but I have finally come to understand what real health is.  It is a health of the soul, and when I have real health, then I truly have everything.

© Jaye Lewis, 2000

With Love,

Jaye Lewis

May God Grant You a New Year Filled With Happiness!!!!!

Miracle in a Manger by Jaye Lewis

Hello friends,

Christmas is for children.  Children of all ages.  Everyone who is a child at heart.  So let us not forget the child who started it all.  A little boy, moments old, filled the world with hope and love.  I cannot tell the story better than the Gospel of Luke, in the Bible, but I can give you a peek into my heart at Christmas.  I see four dogs, keeping their watch by night, peeking into a manger where the Son of God and Savior of the World lies sleeping.  I see a night where I would have wanted to be, should I have lived then, just me and my dogs, in a manger.

Miracle in a Manger  by Jaye Lewis

Miracle in a manger

On a midnight clear,

Singing filled the universe

From angels far and near.

Shepherds heard the story

Marveling at the words;

Making haste to see the King

They left their grazing herds.

On the climb up to the manger

Deep within a darkened cave,

They could hear the shushing voices

Telling animals to behave.

And then the shepherds saw the cave

Send forth a golden glow.

The light spilled down the mountainside

And filled the valley below.

Stars that twinkled in the night

Shouted out with silent joy.

To celebrate the miracle

Of Mary’s baby boy.

Around the tiny manger

The animals stood in awe,

And something deep within them

Made them celebrate what they saw.

The ox began it’s lowing

As Donkey began to bray.

“Shout out all you creatures!

Christ is born for us this day.”

Then other creatures, great and small,

Moved forth to take a peep

As Mary held her little one,

Who lay there fast asleep.

Mini-dachshund gazed in wonder,

As mini-schnauzer smiled;

Shepherd dog and Pomeranian

Beheld the little child.

“Rejoice!” Sang angel voices.

“Behold a marvelous thing!

In Bethlehem of David

Is born our Christ the King!”

© Jaye Lewis, December, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

With love,

Jaye Lewis

www.entertainingangels.org

Encouraging Words for Those Who Are Searching for Answers by Jaye Lewis

When I was a little girl I had a very big faith.   I loved Jesus with all my heart, and I was willing to fight for him and trust in his goodness.  I remember a church service in a cemetery, once, where the soil was so rocky, there was no where to kneel, so I knelt on rocks.  I was glad to do it.  Proud to do it.  And then it started to pour down rain.  In my passionate child’s heart, that made the service even better.  I loved God, and I wanted to serve Him.  That was my way.

As I grew older, especially after being ripped from my childhood home, and everything familiar and loved, that is when the doubts crept in.  How could God allow so much heartache in my life?  Why did my mother spiral down into depression, and later, manic depression?  Why was my father an alcoholic?  Why was my family so poor?  Why were the nuns, the priests, and children whom I did not know, so cruel?  Why did no one like me?  And why was I ridiculed because of my faith?

By the time I was fourteen, I began to doubt the very existence of God.  If there was a God (note how the word “if” crept in) why would He allow so much sorrow?  If there was a God, wouldn’t He have given me a good family?  If there was a God, did He love me?  And if He loved me, why did He not take me away from the people who on a day to day basis made my life miserable?

From doubt and “if,” I moved to certainty, then back to doubt and “if” again.  Then a strange revelation came my way, I began, at the age of fourteen, to read the Ethics of Aristotle.  It was there that I was introduced to logic.  Logic, said Aristotle, proved the existence of God.  Something, or Someone, came first, and that Something or Someone had to have created everything else.  That revelation impacted my life in a profound way.

Now, became the real journey.  Since there is a God, does He love me?  My father often said, “Why should He?”  Then, dear old Dad would launch into all the reasons why it was impossible for God to love me.  I was a little girl, barely in my teens, and I was offered no hope of God’s love.

When I arrived into adulthood, I still struggled with the question, does God love me?  Is there a reason why He could love me?  Was I lovable?  Was I forgettable?  And when I was taught in Sunday School that God loved me as my own father loved me, I thought I had found my answer.  No.  God didn’t love me, just as my father didn’t love me.  I was devastated and cast adrift.

However, instead of leaving me in the dark, God never let go of me.  When He seemed farthest away, as I’ve matured, I have found Him closest to me.  I only wish that I had clung to Him with a stubborn faith, instead of blaming Him for everything bad that ever happened to me.  Through the years — and I have lived quite a few — God has never left me, and He has told me about that whole father/Father confusion:

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” Isaiah 49:15-16a NIV

So, though my mother accused me of incredibly awful things, whether she was in her right mind or not; though my father made it quite clear with his insults and cruelty that he did not love me; though my brother showed contempt for me, holding himself up as an example; whether my sister spread horrible lies about me; whether any of these things, and worse were said about me, God knew me, and He never forgot me.  I am so special to Him, that He engraved me on the palms of His hands.  God not only tells me that I am special, but He knows me, again I know this from His own words:

“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.   You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue You, LORD, know it completely.”  Psalms 139:1-4 NIV

If only I had a Bible teacher when I was young.  If only I had been led to understand just how much God loves me.  However, I went to Catholic School, in the old Catholic Church, where we were taught that reading the Bible for oneself was dangerous.  We were not capable of understanding without the Church’s interpretation, we were told.  I hope that times have changed, and that Roman Catholic children today are taught of God’s love through His Word, the Bible.  Perhaps if more people had been taught about the love story between God and us, we would live in a different world.  God's love for us is the greatest love story of all time.

Searching for Miracles  by Jaye Lewis

Before God spoke the universe into existence He knew my name.

Before He created the atmosphere He held me in His heart.

Before He created the oceans, the land, the plants and creeping things He chose the color of my hair.

Before He created the animals and before He created the first man He loved me.

He placed within Adam’s body all of the DNA of every human being who would ever walk the earth, and within him he placed the color of my eyes.

Before He knit me together within my mother’s womb he cherished the sound of my laugh.

Before I shed my first tear he felt my pain.

Before my sins, my sorrow, and my stubborn disobedience, he chose to carry them to the Cross.  He hung there His blood pouring out for me.

Why he chose to do this I cannot comprehend.  God wanted me to be his own child.  How can that be?

With all of my flaws and character defects He wanted me to believe in Him, and He gave me the grace to believe in myself.

God loves me with a fire that can never be quenched.  I am special to him, even if I am not special to anyone else, including myself.

I have tried to perfect myself, and I have failed.

I have tried to believe the world’s message, but I have found no answers.

I have followed the paths forged by others only to find disaster at every bend in the road.

Only God has given me the answers that I have sought.  Peace.  Love.  Fulfillment.

The change in my life is not a complicated one.

It’s not about how good I am or how I pray or how often I go to church.  It’s not about money or fame or popularity.

I cannot speak for others.  They must decide for themselves.

I only know that the world has given me no happiness.

After searching my entire life, I have only been able to find the answers to my questions, on my knees at the foot of the Cross.

© Jaye Lewis, 2003

So, in spite of me, God pursued me, He caught me up in His arms, and He loves me.  God.  Jesus.  My Redeemer.  My Messiah.  And in this time of Advent, as we prepare for Christmas in so many secular ways, let us not forget to prepare for the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth.  Our lives may not be perfect.  We may be alone.  We may be surrounded by people who do not love us.  Our dreams may seem far away, but 2000 years ago God so loved the world, each of us, that He sent His One and Only Son who showed us how to live, and who died for our sins, that we may have eternal life and live with Him forever.  In this time of chaos, that is what I cling to.  If that is not an answer, then I don’t know what one is.

With love,

Jaye Lewis

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