A Genius in Love

A Genius in Love

Teach us how short our lives really are that we may be wise. (Psalm 90:12)

Lord, thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

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I've heard tell of human-genius that is;

Genius . . . . that power which dazzles human eyes, is oft but perseverance in disguise. 

 

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." If people knew how hard one has to work to gain mastery it wouldn't seem wonderful at all. Genius is the very eye of intellect and the wing of thought: it is always in advance of its time, and is the pioneer for the generation which it proceeds. Inventive genius requires pleasurable mental activity as a condition for its vigorous exercise. I believe genius is the ability to go on when ordinary men say the battle is lost. Genius has been described as "an infinite capacity for taking pains," which is not very far from the truth.

 

All the genius I have lies just in this: When I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings; My mind becomes pervaded/impregnated/saturated/ filled with it. Then the effort and progress which I make, the people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is really the fruit of labor and thought. True genius is simply eternal patience.

 

Listen. Persistence will keep you moving forward, yet you need passion to feed your persistence. You must put your whole heart into your vision. Never forget that physical sight is the ability to see things as they are. Vision is the capacity to see things as they could be, and that takes faith. Please remember when we have vision, we are governed by the faith God has put in our hearts.

 

Please listen: Whether words are spoken or written, they are full of creative power. When you speak words expressing what you see in your vision, your words become creative power to help bring that vision to fruition. The faith of vision is crucial because the way you see things determines how you think and act and, therefore, whether or not your vision will become a reality. Listen. You can undermine your vision through negative thoughts and words.

God has a plan for each of our lives, yet He brings those plans to pass in a gradual way. There is no hurried way to get to God's vision. Oh, say can you see! The process of vision develops our character and produces responsibility in us. 

 

Sometimes, we think that just because we are going through difficult times, God has stopped working to fulfill our purposes. Yet God is working on us, preparing us for our purposes through the process. Life's hardships are part of God's perfect plan for us and our visions. Listen. Whatever you have been chosen to do in life . . . . . Live by faith as you move through the process of vision.

 

Teach us how short our lives really are that we may be wise. (Psalm 90:12)

In a life marked by doctor appointments, dentist appointments, and school appointments, there is one appointment that none of us will miss, the appointment with death. Not very many like to talk about it, but "Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God" (Hebrews 9:27). Oh, how we'd like to change that verse. Just a word or two would suffice. "Nearly everyone must die . . . . " or "Everyone but me must die . . . ." or "Everyone who forgets to eat right or take vitamins must die . . . ." But those are not God's words. In His plan everyone must die, even those who eat right and take their vitamins.

 

Exercise may buy us a few more heartbeats. Medicine may grant us a few more breaths. But in the end, there is an end. And that's why God/Jesus did it. Did what? You say.

He gave up His place with God and made Himself nothing. (Philippians 2:7)

This is why He did it: Just thoughts here...

 

Holiday travel. It isn't easy as it used to be. Then why do we do it? Why cram the trunks and endure the airports? Or pack into the cars or suvs or motor- homes or motor-coaches. You know the answer. We love to be with the ones we love.

 

The four-year-old running up the sidewalk into the arms of grandpa.

A cup of coffee with a parent before the rest of the house awakes.

The moment when, for a moment, everyone is quiet as we hold hands around the table and thank God for family and friends and pumpkin pie.

We love to be with the ones we love.

 

May I remind you? So does God. He loves to be with the ones He loves too. How else can we explain what He did? Between Him and us, there was a distance---a great span. And He couldn't bear it. He couldn't stand it. So He did something about it. 

 

Jesus, gave up His place with God and made Himself nothing.

You be blessed now, you hear!

His Name's Jesus Ministries &

I. C. Music Corporation

May you be blessed,

Ric

A Lesson Of Love

The Universal Life Church offers stories about growth and strength.

May the Lord grant all of us the grace, courage and strength to be generous and kind in our dealings with others especially with those who are less fortunate than we are.

Dedicated staff, he offered a  question:

Two  Choices

What  would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch  line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would  you have made the same choice?

At  a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with  learning disabilities, the father of one of the students  delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who  attended. After extolling the school and  its 'When not interfered with by outside  influences, everything nature does, is done with  perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as  other children do. He cannot understand things as other  children do.

Where  is the natural order of things in my  son?'

The  audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued.. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was  mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an  opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself,  and it comes in the way other people treat that  child.'

Then he told the following  story:

Shay and I had walked past a park  where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,  “Do you think they'll let me play?” I knew that most of the  boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as  a father I  also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it  would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some  confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his  handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on  the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.  The boy looked around for guidance and said, “We're losing  by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he  can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the  ninth inning.”

Shay struggled over to the  team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I  watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart.  The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the  bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs  but was still behind by three.

In the top of the  ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right  field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously  ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning  from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In  the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored  again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the  potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to  be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let  Shay bat and give away their chance to win the  game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone  knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't  even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect  with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to  the
plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team  was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life,  moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could  at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay  swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a  few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards  Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball  and hit a slow ground ball right back to the  pitcher.

The game would now be  over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and  could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay  would have been out and that would have been the end of the  game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball  right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all  team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams  started yelling, “Shay, run to first!

Run to  first!”

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far,  but he made it to first base..

He scampered down the  baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone  yelled, “Run to second, run to second!”

Catching his  breath, Shay awkwardly
 ran  towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the  base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base,  the right fielder had  the ball, the smallest guy on their team who now had his  first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could  have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but  he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too,  intentionally threw the ball high and far over the  third-baseman's head..

Shay ran toward third base  deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases  toward home.

All were screaming, “Shay, Shay,  Shay, all the Way Shay”

Shay reached third  base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by  turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted,  “Run to third!

Shay, run to third!”

As  Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the  spectators, were on their feet screaming, “Shay, run home!  Run home!”

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate,  and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won  the game for his team

“That day”, said the  father softly with tears now rolling down his face, “the  boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and  humanity into this world.”

Shay didn't make  it to another summer. He died that winter, having never  forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming  home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero  of the day !

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO  THIS STORY:

We  all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help  realize the “natural order of things.”

So many  seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us  with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of  love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and  leave the world a little bit colder in the  process?

A wise man once said every society  is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst  them.