Hopeless? Give Hope! Things Are Looking Up.

HOPELESS? THINGS ARE LOOKING UP! GIVE HOPE!

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Acts 27:22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

Acts 27:22 (MSG) But there's no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there'll not be a single drowning among us, although I can't say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.

I WISH? REMEMBER KINDNESS?

I was walking at the mall one day. I love to watch people. A Mexican mom and her little girl watched as many kids were riding the MERRY-GO-ROUND. The little girl’s eyes sparkled as she watched the other kids ride. She was grinning ear to ear. She said: MOMMY CAN I RIDE THE MERRY-GO-ROUND?

The mom bowed her head and replied: I am so sorry honey we don’t have any money. No, you cannot ride. The little girl was still smiling and said: That’s OK momma. She leaned on the fence and enjoyed watching the others. I approached the Mother and said: IF JESUS PAID THE $2.00 TO RIDE, WOULD YOU ALLOW HER? I SLIPPED TWO ONE DOLLAR BILLS IN THE MOTHERS HAND AND STEPPED AWAY. The mom said something in Spanish as the girl prepared to ride.

The little girl ran up to me and said: THANK YOU JESUS FOR LETTING ME RIDE. She may never remember the MERRY-GO-ROUND ride. But I will forever have those sparkling dark brown eyes itched in my mind’s eye. She thought I was Jesus! COULD YOU BE JESUS TO SOMEONE TODAY?

THE PRICE OF REDEMPTION: :

Only the older crowd will remember how we would study JC Penny and Sears and Roebuck’s catalogs and wish and dream of things. Then there was S&H Green stamps and Tops Yellow Stamps given for the amount of your cash purchase. There were little stamps and big stamps. We would love to lick the stamps and glue them in the stamp book. The stamp companies had redemption centers and we would trade the books of stamps for goodies. We then had to pay taxes on the value.

My mother in law smoked RALEIGH (BELAIR) CIGARETTES. Each pack had a coupon and if you bought a carton there were 10 extra coupons. I hate to tell you but my mother in law got my son’s high chair that we used for years from redeeming B&W COUPONS.

The STAMPS or COUPONS were just part of the fun licking them and sticking them in the books. THE FUN PART OF COLLECTING WAS GETTING THE WISH BOOKS and dreaming what we might get.

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT? DO WE SEE THE LITTLE PICTURE? DO WE FOCUS ON THE BIGGER PICTURE? CAN WE ACCEPT SUFFERING AND REJECTION? WILL WE ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A GOOD SOLDIER?

2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:3 (MSG) When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did.

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DO WE EVER CONSIDER PERSEVERANCE? FRUSTRATION? CRUSHED?

WILL I KEEP ON KEEPING ON? AM I A BORN LOSER? IS THIS A STUMBLING BLOCK OR A STEPPING STONE? MY ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE MY ALTITUDE! (source unknown)

• This man was born in 1809.

• In 1816 he was 7 years old… he was forced to work.

• In 1818 his mother passed away.

• In 1828 his sister died.

• In 1831 he opened a business and went bankrupt.

• In 1832 he stood in legislative elections--- HE LOST.

• In 1833 he borrowed money to open another business --- this ended in another bankruptcy.

• In 1835 he falls in love with a pretty woman and plans on marriage --- SHE DIES.

• In 1836 deep depression smothers him in emotional darkness. He is bed ridden 6 consecutive months.

• In 1836 he returns to public life and runs in legislative elections --- HE LOSES.

• In 1840 he ran as a n elector --- HE LOSES.

• In 1840 he met a woman and they fell in love, got engaged and married her.

• He and this lady would have 4 children --- 3 of them die.

• In 1843 he ran for congress --- HE LOST AGAIN.

• In 1850 his son dies.

• In 1856 he ran for Vice President --- HE LOST with less than 100 votes for him.

• In 1858 he ran for the Senate --- he LOST!

• BUT IN 1860 SOMETHING HAPPENED ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE USA.

• HE was elected to 2 terms as President.

• THIS LOSER BECOME ONE OF THE MOST HONORED AND RESPECTED PRESIDENTS EVER.