Because I Can by Jaye Lewis
Hello friends,
Yesterday I found an expandable file that I had forgotten about. It was covered in dust, since I had not touched it for years. This time things were different, I opened it. Inside I discovered some illuminating things, notes from my husband, old poems that I’d written, first drafts of some of my stories, and memories, both good and bad.
Painful memories are not places that I want to visit frequently. I live a very happy life, and I’d rather not dwell on the heartaches of the past. However, as I looked at one of my stories, I saw the simply awful original title, and I remembered that I had submitted that story several times before it was finally published. That was nine years ago. The story was Entertaining Angels, which is the title of my website, and it has been published all over the world, in dozens of languages.
I bring this up, because we often have no idea what God wants of us. At that time I felt useless. I thought life had passed me by, and that no one would ever hear my voice. I was certain that I had let God down. How could I have known that God had a plan for me? How could I have known that my heart would touch so many other lives? And yet, on a cold winter’s morning, prompted by God, I wrote, for the first time, www. Like Abraham, I had no idea where I was going.
Computers terrified me. The internet seemed like the very spawn of the devil, and I just didn’t see how it could be of any use to me. I was very ill, in body and spirit, and the medicines that have since given me back my life, did not even exist. “WWW,” three letters that in nine years have taken me around the world, and touched the hearts and minds of people from many nations. If that is not a humbling thought, then I don’t know what is.
Along with this flood of memories, and the profound awareness of God’s hand, I found the evidence of those who had helped me achieve my dreams, simply because they could. These past nine years I have tried to do the same, and for that exact reason, simply because I can. Nothing feels better than doing something generous, simply because you can. No money or fame has as powerful a result as blessing someone ― giving of yourself, simply because you can. That is what I do today, with all my heart. Asking nothing in return, I’m passing on blessings, simply because I can.
So, today I challenge you to look within your own life, and recognize the blessings that others have given to you, simply because they could. A smile. A warm handshake. An introduction. A kind word. These are the things that can change lives, perhaps even save a life. You never know. These are the things that are the evidence, that we, just like Abraham, are entertaining angels.
With love,
Jaye Lewis
www.entertainingangels.org
www.jayelewisdiabetesdiary.blogspot.com
www.entertainingangelsencouragingwords.blogspot.com
Yesterday I found an expandable file that I had forgotten about. It was covered in dust, since I had not touched it for years. This time things were different, I opened it. Inside I discovered some illuminating things, notes from my husband, old poems that I’d written, first drafts of some of my stories, and memories, both good and bad.
Painful memories are not places that I want to visit frequently. I live a very happy life, and I’d rather not dwell on the heartaches of the past. However, as I looked at one of my stories, I saw the simply awful original title, and I remembered that I had submitted that story several times before it was finally published. That was nine years ago. The story was Entertaining Angels, which is the title of my website, and it has been published all over the world, in dozens of languages.
I bring this up, because we often have no idea what God wants of us. At that time I felt useless. I thought life had passed me by, and that no one would ever hear my voice. I was certain that I had let God down. How could I have known that God had a plan for me? How could I have known that my heart would touch so many other lives? And yet, on a cold winter’s morning, prompted by God, I wrote, for the first time, www. Like Abraham, I had no idea where I was going.
Computers terrified me. The internet seemed like the very spawn of the devil, and I just didn’t see how it could be of any use to me. I was very ill, in body and spirit, and the medicines that have since given me back my life, did not even exist. “WWW,” three letters that in nine years have taken me around the world, and touched the hearts and minds of people from many nations. If that is not a humbling thought, then I don’t know what is.
Along with this flood of memories, and the profound awareness of God’s hand, I found the evidence of those who had helped me achieve my dreams, simply because they could. These past nine years I have tried to do the same, and for that exact reason, simply because I can. Nothing feels better than doing something generous, simply because you can. No money or fame has as powerful a result as blessing someone ― giving of yourself, simply because you can. That is what I do today, with all my heart. Asking nothing in return, I’m passing on blessings, simply because I can.
So, today I challenge you to look within your own life, and recognize the blessings that others have given to you, simply because they could. A smile. A warm handshake. An introduction. A kind word. These are the things that can change lives, perhaps even save a life. You never know. These are the things that are the evidence, that we, just like Abraham, are entertaining angels.
With love,
Jaye Lewis
www.entertainingangels.org
www.jayelewisdiabetesdiary.blogspot.com
www.entertainingangelsencouragingwords.blogspot.com
