THE DARK ROOMS OF THE HEART? MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
*MEMORY: mind stares, to store information, to learn and recall. There are short term and long term memories. Some of our memories are wonderful and joy filled. Our minds often have dark rooms where the stink and ugly painful wounds leave deep dark scars. NEVER FORGET A SCAR IS A VISIBLE SIGN YOU HAVE SURVIVED.
*SOME: unspecified number, unknown but small amount, a few.
*COMPASSION: an emotion, desire to help, consciousness of others’ distress with a desire to alleviate it, sympathetic pity or concern.
*DIFFERENCE: to discern, alter, change, something that reaches beyond average,
DO WE EVER FORGET WE ARE MAKING MEMORIES…
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
We lived in Ohio and was traveling to Indiana, my dad was going to preach. We had a green and white 1956 Mercury. There was a very heavy fog and visibility was terrible. I was in the second grade. Dad was very tense and stressed. He and mom got in a very heated argument. My brother and I woke up. We knew better than to say anything. The Mercury stopped and made mom get out of the car and said we were leaving her. I remember looking out the back window and silently crying. In my child like thinking, I thought I would see my mother again. In the extreme fog mom quickly got smaller and smaller until I could see mom no more. My pain was terrible. We went down the road and dad parked and we just sat there seemed like eternity. I was praying for my mom. God heard my prayer? Dad turned around and we went back and mom crawled back into the front seat. I WAS SO HAPPY. TODAY WE ARE MAKING MEMORIES.
THE MEMORY THAT MADE A SCAR IN MY HEART. I PROMISED MYSELF I WILL NEVER EVER DO THAT AND MAKE MY SPOUSE GET OUT. Linda and had made a hospital visit in a distant city. Linda and I was returning home and a heated discussion ensued. I pulled over to the side of the road… NO, I DIDN’T PUT HER OUT, I PROMISED THAT LITTLE BOY. I got out of the car and told Linda, GO! GO! GO ON… I sat on the guard rail and watched the car get smaller and smaller. I knew Linda was going to turn around and come back and get me. I sat in the dark seemed like eternity, she just kept GOING! After an hour, no Linda. I walked several miles. My feet was hurting. That was the only time in my life I hitchhiked. I had my thumb up. The cars just drove by… It came a huge thunder and lightning storm. I was soaking wet. I made it to a bar and went in… I asked a man to borrow a quarter to make a phone call. (No cell phones 100 years ago.) I called and Linda answered on the second ring. I said: WHERE ARE YOU, BABE? She said I am at home, that is where you told me to go? I apologized and Linda came back and picked me up, 52 years later we still together. REMEMBER WE ARE BUILDING MEMORIES…
EVERY LIVING PERSON ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH (some you know, some you don’t know.) ARE IN A BATTLE. CRISIS IS TRYING TO ISOLATE US AND GET US TO THROW IN THE TOWEL AND QUIT…
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
GOD HELP ME TO LISTEN, TO HEAR AND DISCERN…
The pet dog will growl at you because the dog is afraid or in fear.
Can we see that HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE? We must show mercy to those whose people that are going through an internal or external problem or struggle. Maybe our faith is wavering. The greatest difference we could make would be to have mercy on someone that maybe doesn’t deserve it.
WANT TO TALK ABOUT BUILDING A MEMORY? JESUS AND A BOY HAVE COMPASSION… A MOTHER’S COMPASSION PACKS HER SON LUNCH… 1 BOY, 5 BISCUITS, 2 FISH…. MEMORIAL DAY… 5,000 MEN, MORE WOMEN AND KIDS?
Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
LET US BUILD A MEMORY: WHY SIT HERE UNTIL WE DIE? WE ARE IN A PICKLE… IF WE STAY WE DIE. IF WE GO WE DIE?
2 Kings 7:3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
There is an Idiomatic phrase or expression… WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES? WHAT A DIFFERENCE I COULD MAKE IN THIS MESS? MY COMPASSION MAKE…??? WIDOW WOMAN PICKING UP STICKS BUILDS A MEMORY... ONE MEAL LEFT? BRING THE PREACHER SOME FOOD? YOUR CRUSE OF OIL SHALL NOT FAIL… YOUR COMPASSION WILL KEEP THE MESSENGER AND THE MESSAGE GOING. In one day of picking up sticks this widow BUILDS A MEMORY STILL TAUGHT TODAY.
1 Kings 17:11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
LET US BUILD A MEMORY: WHY SIT HERE UNTIL WE DIE? WE ARE IN A PICKLE… IF WE STAY WE DIE. IF WE GO WE DIE?
2 Kings 7:3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
Can our deeds of compassion make a difference. Accidentally. We have a FRIEND in a different state that we rarely see. I was driving home, Linda called me and said I had missed a call from my friend. So I returned the call. They said: DO YOU NEED SOMETHING, I SAW I MISSED A CALL FROM LINDA. We started talking. The tears started flowing. Death has been cruel to this family. Financial stress, self-doubt, WHY GOD? Struggles were bombing her on every side. I pulled over the road and for an hour we cried together. The call was ordained and timely. It was full of prayer, love and concern. When I got off the phone I called Linda to see why she had called our friend. Linda said I DIDN’T CALL ANYONE. I said our friend shows she missed a call from you. Linda said again, I did not call. I said, THE CALL WAS A MIRACLE OF TIMING. When I got home, Linda checked her phone and somehow Linda’s phone had made the call to that number. Linda called me to return the call. I did. She said: LINDA CALLED ME?
We seem to forget that EVERYDAY IS IMPORTANT… BUT WE MUST REALIZE A LOT OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN IN ONE DAY. You could feel really good today and tomorrow that can all change. The opposite is true: YOU COULD REALLY FEEL TERRIBLE TODAY AND TOMORROW YOU COULD REALLY BE CHANGED.
COMPASSION CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WE CAN MAKE A GOOD MEMORY.
At Christmas time 40 years ago we made and appeal at this little mission church in the mountains of east Kentucky. The coal mines had been under great stress. Many jobs had been lost and Christmas season was bleak this year. The church that I pastored was poor and most of the men were unemployed. I MADE AN APPEAL TO THE SMALL CONGREGATION… Let’s all bring a new toy or a gently used toy, stuffed animal, or doll and lay it on the altar to give to some child that would receive very little for Christmas. On the altar people started bringing gifts to give away.
A man told us of this family that had no heat and the children suffered. He knew someone that had a chainsaw that would loan it to us to cut wood. There was a big, old tree about to fall on the church. The large tree would destroy the church if it would fall. We discussed this. We could help the church by cutting the tree in small pieces. We had no pickup truck. One of the teens suggested… we could haul a lot of wood on the 54 passenger church bus. Some lumber jack came and dropped the tree. The men worked several days cutting the tree into firewood. On Saturday a group of adults, kids and teens gathered. We formed a line and carefully loaded the wood on the bus. A couple of the older teens loaded the wood like art work on the old blue bus. You would not believe how much wood was loaded on the bus. The seats and the aisles were full. The people just stood and sang. We drove over the mountain and through a creek and pulled up at the house of a large family. The lady of the house had actually taken some of her families kids and was raising them. She was making a difference.
They were so surprised when the big old blue bus pulled up to the door of the old shack. The men, women and kid sang all the way in the bus. The sound was a KISS HEAVEN. When we pulled up we were all singing and praising God as we had nothing to give BUT WE GAVE OF OURSELVES. We got off the bus singing and we all gathered around and prayed. The mother was crying and said she felt the Lord. We had another prayer and then formed a long line and
started unloading the wood and stacking the wood near the door of the house. I think the Lord helped multiply the wood. There was enough for all winter. The ladies had we called a “POUNDING.” A POUNDING is everyone bringing food to share. The food was unloaded after the wood.
THAT DAY A POOR PREACHER, A POOR CHURCH MADE A DIFFERENCE… IN ONE DAY WE ENCOURAGED. That family moved to the north the next summer. I heard that one of the little boys that was warmed by the love made a preacher and pastored a church.
The mother was crying like a baby. She said: ME AND MY KIDS HAD PRAYED THIS MORNING. WE TOLD JESUS HOW COLD THE HOUSE WAS AND THE FOOD WAS ALMOST GONE. GOD HAS HEARD OUR PRAYER. WE WERE HOPELESS THIS MORNING AND NOW GOD HAS HEARD OUR PRAYERS AND WE CAN MAKE IT. We sang some Christmas carols and praised the Lord for the GIFT OF HIS SON. WE GOT BACK ON THE BUS, DROVE THROUGH THE CREEK AND RETURNED BACK OVER THE MOUNTAIN. SINGING ALL THE WAY. THE LOVE OF GOD WAS SHARED BY WOOD AND FOOD. Oh, remember the old couple had the tree from their road removed.
YOUR COMPASSION CAN BUILD ETERNAL MEMORIES…
A little girl came to me before church. She was crying and sat on my lap.I settled her down and asked her what was wrong. She had a doll baby in her hands. I recognized that the doll as a recent gift to the little girl. The little girl loved that doll so much. It had been an early Christmas gift and she had wanted a doll like that for some time. That year this particular doll was in such high demand and there were no dolls available. A family member found the special doll in a big city and purchased it for this little girl. The girl was so happy and appreciative her dream had come true, she was the proud owner of the special doll. That Sunday the little girl brought her brand new doll and laid it on the altar and gave it to Jesus. I said: ARE YOU SAD? Her dad was standing in the back of the church crying. He told me she had made the decision not just to give a stuffed animal or a toy. SHE WANTED TO GIVE JESUS THE DOLL SHE LOVED BEST.
SIX NEEDLESS DEATHS? THE COLD WITHIN?
THERE IS A POEM WRITTEN IN THE 1960’S BY JAMES PATRICK KINNEY…LISTEN CLOSELY. ARE WE TRAPPED…?
** “THE COLD WITHIN”
SIX HUMANS TRAPPED BY HAPPENSTANCE IN THE DARK AND BITTER COLD
EACH POSSESSED A STICK OF WOOD --- OR SO I WAS TOLD.
THEIR DYING FIRE IS IN NEED OF SOME LOGS.
BUT THE FIRST HELD HERS BACK, FOR, OF THE FACES AROUND THE FIRE, SHE NOTICED ONE WAS BLACK
THE NEXT ONE LOOKED CROSS THE WAY, SAW ONE NOT OF HIS CHURCH,
HE COULD NOT BRING HIMSELF TO GIVE THE FIRE HIS STICK OF BIRCH.
THE THIRD ONE SAT IN TATTERED CLOTHES HE GAVE HIS COAT A HITCH.
WHY SHOULD HIS LOG BE PUT TO USE TO WARM THE IDLE RICH?
THE RICH MAN JUST SAT BACK AND THOUGHT OF THE WEALTH HE HAD IN STORE.
AND KEEPING ALL THAT HE HAD EARNED FROM THE LAZY, SHIFTLESS POOR.
THE BLACK AN’S FACE BESPOKE REVENGE AS THE FIRE PASSED OUT FROM HIS SIGHT.
HE SAW HIS STICK OF WOOD A CHANCE TO SPITE THE WHITE.
AND THE LAST MAN OF THIS FORLORN GROUP DID NAUGHT EXCEPT FOR GAIN,
GIVING JUST TO THOSE WHO GAVE WAS HOW HE PLAYED THE GAME.
THEIR STICKS HELD TIGHT IN DEATH’S STILLED HANDS
WAS PROOF ENOUGH OF SIN; THEY DID NOT DIE FROM THE COLD WITHOUT--- THEY DIED FROM THE COLD WITHIN.
CONCLUSION: WHAT MEMORIES ARE WE BUILDING? MY FRIEND ARE WE TRAPPED BY HATRED, PREJUDICES, DISCRIMINATION THAT BUILDS UGLY MEMORIES IN THE DARK ROOMS OF HEARTS?
ARE WE TRAPPED IN OUR MEMORIES: IT IS THE DASH THAT MATTERS NOT JUST THE DATE OF BIRTH (THE DASH) VS DATE OF DEATH? What memories are you building today?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
JESUS HELP ME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVEN IF NO ONE SEES.
