I received a lovely email from Annemarie from Limassol. I first had to Google where it is and discovered that it was in the Mediterranean Sea on the island Cyprus. She told me a touching story about her parents:

A while ago I learnt from the Lord to be slow to judge, because only God knows the heart of every human being. To be honest, this doesn’t come natural to me and I often have to give myself a good talking-to.

Give people the benefit of the doubt, my dad always said. Every so often my dad would bring someone off the street into our home for a hot meal. And when they left, it would be with a suitcase or a bag full of clothes. Where my parents found the clothes, only they knew. We weren’t that well-off ourselves, but, fortunately, my mom never threw anything away and surprisingly, people were always giving us clothes.

One thing that I do remember is that each of them received a Bible, and that my dad would tell them about the Lord and pray with them.

Today, I look back with gratitude. Everybody’s struggle in life is different.

May we always keep on praying, because that’s how we get to the answers. May I always remain soft-hearted, friendly and helpful, even when I’m exhausted or in pain. Tomorrow it may be my turn and someone will reach out to me. Then I see Jesus and I am grateful because someone’s caring.

Annemarie’s parents left a great legacy. They sowed and the seed grew well. They believed that Jesus is the answer and that He died on the cross for them too. Being grateful, they shared with the people around them, even though they themselves did not have much.

Now their daughter is living the same way. Even when things are rough and she may be in conflict with the people around her, she shares the best she has. Like Jesus shares His forgiveness with us, they share that grace with everybody.

These are people who live with God. These are people who are right with God. These are people who trust God.

³⁸But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy.

We must follow the example set by Annemarie and her parents and keep trusting in God. We must ensure that we are right with God, because then we will live with God.

And if you don’t do it, the verse goes on, God will not be happy with you. The King James Version puts it even stronger: God says, “… my soul shall have no pleasure in him”.

And I don’t want to do that to God …

Scripture
Hebrews 10:32-39

Reflection
How strong is your trust?
Are you living with God?
Is God living with you?

Prayer
Father God, I want to believe in You with everything in me. I trust You. You are the answer. I want to live with You, even though I sometimes take the wrong turn. Amen.