The Room Filled

by Michael Smith

I ran home from school, stomped up the worn wooden steps, slammed open the front door and yelled,

“Mum! Mum, I’m home!”

“Michael, I’m right here!” Mum appeared around the corner. “Stop yelling. What if your father had been sleeping? You know he works nights.”

“Sorry, Mum.” I mumbled and hung my head in shame. “I didn’t mean to yell.”

“If you had woken him, you know how mad he would have been.”

“I just wanted to show you my spelling test.” I handed her my test. “I got a gold star.”

“You got another one?” She smiled. “Good for you! You always study so hard, but you have to remember not to yell when you come in the house.”

“I know, Mum, but I was exited and wanted to show you.” I lied. Dad drank a lot. If he had too much, he’d argue with Mum. I was afraid she’d leave. My two older brothers and I would be alone with him. What if I came home and she was gone? It was a fear I lived with most of my childhood. I needed to know she was there.

Years later, I moved away for my first job. Each evening, I’d open the door to a lonely, empty room. I didn’t call out for Mum. I knew she wasn’t there. I spent evenings alone. There were no computers, only books and a television. It was a temporary situation.

Three months later, I was home again. Mum and I sat at the kitchen table, played cards, and talked. It was nice to have someone to share my day with – someone who loved me.

A year later, I sat in my car. The back seat and trunk were full of my belongings. My mattress was tied to my roof. Mum stood beside the car.

“Well, you’re off on your own again.”

“This is it.” I smiled up at her. “I can’t believe I have my own house.”

“You’ll do fine, Michael.” Her eyes glistened. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

“Thanks for everything, Mum. Without your support, I wouldn’t be going where I’m going today.” I pulled away and wiped my own tears from my eyes. I’d miss coming home to her, but there was another woman I’d be coming home to soon.

A few hours later, Georgia and I sat in the living room of my new home. I knelt on one knee and asked her to marry me. For many years, I came home from work to my wife. We had two children – a boy and a girl. Georgia and I shared our days and love. My home – my life – was full. I was happy.

Disaster struck. My manager announced major layoffs. Fifteen years of seniority were not enough to save me. A new job took me to another city. Georgia and our kids stayed behind to sell the house. I opened the door to a rented room. There were no hugs, no children yelling “Daddy”, and no one to share my day with. I was alone.

A year later they joined me. I opened a door to love and family again. The pattern continued: a new job, a move, a lonely room, and a family that followed later.

I came home one night to another empty room. My daughter didn’t move with us this time. She was on her own. My son was home, but he didn’t greet me. He wanted to be alone to deal with his feelings. Georgia died the week before.

I faced an empty room. I never understood what empty was. There were many empty rooms I cried in, but not one compared to the room Georgia never filled again.

A year later, I opened the door, and there was Ginny. Her arms reached out and pulled me close. Her lips met mine. Her loved soothed me. Ginny and I have been apart for a month or more a few times. She’s had to help her children in other states. I’d enter an empty room when I came home from work and hear my footsteps echo off the walls – the sound of alone. I was sad she wasn’t there, but I knew she’d be back.

Ginny knows an empty room. Her husband, Harvey, passed on and left her in one too. We keep those rooms behind closed doors. They remain empty. Like a photo album, we only go there when we want to remember the past.

Ginny and I live in the present room – the room filled.

Meditation: All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. – Ecclesiastes 1:7

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

The Master’s Expectations

Author Unknown

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He ‘shoos’ him away. But later, the dog is back again.

So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads, “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please?”

The dog has money in its mouth, as well. The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a $10 note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it’s about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog. So off he goes.

The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button.

Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus.

The dog then shows a ticket, which is tied to its belt, to the bus conductor. The butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers in the bus.

The dog then sits near the driver’s seat looking outside waiting for the bus stop to come. As soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor.

Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out of the bus and runs to a house very close to the stop. It opens the big iron gate and rushes inside towards the door.

As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him.

The butcher surprised with this, runs up, and stops the guy. “What in heaven’s name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!” to which the guy responds:

“You call this clever? This is the second time that this stupid dog’s forgotten his key this week!”

Moral of the story: You may continue to exceed onlookers’ expectations, but may fall short of the master’s expectations.

Meditation: So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do. – Luke 17:10

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Handling Adversities

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.

It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the young woman replied. The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened! The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” the mother asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong but, with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit but, after a death, a breakup, or a financial hardship, does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Meditation: He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” – Psalm 10:6

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Prodigal Couple

Author Unknown

A wife joined her husband in the bedroom. Their children were asleep. He was busy reading the newspaper.

She looked at him. “My love, there’s something I need to confess” she began to speak.

“What is it?” he asked without looking at her, his face still glued to the newspaper.

“I have been unfaithful” she said.

He looked at her with fiery eyes. He slapped her. For the first time in their marriage, he slapped her.

“How could you woman?! Seventeen years of marriage, four children and this is what you do to me? You cheat on me? How can you stoop so low?” he shouted.

He got up from the bed. He started pacing as he continued shouting, “You are the one who always tells me to keep off women. Out of respect, I keep females at a distance and you on the other hand do this?”

He was about to pounce on her and beat her. The sting of unfaithfulness enraged him. A knock was heard on the door. Their first born, Maria, a fourteen year old girl walked in their bedroom.

“Mom, dad; is everything OK?” Maria asked.

“Get out! Get out!” he shouted as his daughter.

“It’s OK Maria, dad and I will sort this out. Go to sleep.” She told their daughter.

Maria walked out of the bedroom.

“Who is it? Who have you been unfaithful with? Give me his phone number. He will know today who I am.” he shouted, trying to grab his wife’s phone. She gently took her phone.

“Show me his number. Show me his face. Filthy animal who is snatching my wife,” he shouted some more.

“This is the man I have been unfaithful with, ” she said, handing her husband the phone. He looked at the screen of her phone and saw his own face and phone number.

“Me?!” he asked, puzzled.

“Yes, I have been unfaithful with you. I have been unfaithful to God because I have been so busy loving you. In my effort to be a good wife, I have forgotten God” she said.

He sat down on the bed, confused.

“When you met me, I was so devoted to God. In fact, you used to tell me that the most important reason you chose me as your wife was because of my devotion to God. I loved the godly man you used to be. We would pray and plan on having a godly family together. I remember the days I would fast and pray and tell God that if He blesses me with a good job, I will dedicate my career to Him. God did bless me, God blessed you, God blessed us. We did so well professionally, we got good money, we could afford a good wedding. We got married,” she explained.

He looked at her intently.

She continued, “The first few months of our marriage, we would pray as a family, go to Church, have fellowships, worship and do Bible study. But slowly, we stopped living by that Scripture that says ‘as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.’ We started having children whom we failed to raise in a godly way. With success, we changed our friends. We found the born again friends boring. We started worshiping money, success and materials. Look at us now, we live in a big house but God is absent. You started taking me to ungodly places to have fun, we started drinking too much, our children are ashamed by our drinking.”

He looked away from her.

“In order to please you, I changed too; thinking that being a good wife means tagging along with everything you do. I didn’t confront you when you started going astray, I didn’t pull you back to God, I got lost with you. So lost, that I started becoming proud, shallow, self-centred; all along thinking I am being a good wife. But this is not me. I have changed so much from the woman you found. We both have changed much.”

He looked at her.

“All these; the good house, the good meals we eat, the money we have, the comfortable life; they have made us forget the God who gave them to us. I am nothing without God and I feel ashamed that I have abandoned the God responsible for all I am and have. We have started having troubles in our marriage, because the Lord is no longer building our love, we are doing it on our own and we will fail if we keep on like this.” She reached out and touched his hand.

“I want to go back to the woman I used to be. A woman after God’s own heart. I miss the peace that God gives. I miss worship. I miss reading the Word. I miss going to Church and fellowship. I miss meditating. I miss praying with you. What does it profit me to gain a good marriage yet lose my soul, my God? I am going back to God. Only as a wife submitted to God will I be the best wife to you and the best mother to our children. He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from God, but I cannot bring favour to you if I continue being disconnected from God. I want my spiritual life back. I want God back in our home, our marriage, our family.”

Also read  Message From A Couple Who Have Too Much Stuff

He started breaking down in tears. His spirit was convicted. He held her tightly in his arms.

“I am sorry. I am sorry for going astray and taking you with me. You chose to marry me because you thought you are marrying a godly man. I miss being that godly man. Marriage shouldn’t be a stumbling block in our walk with God. The thought of you cheating on me ripped my heart apart; I cannot even begin to imagine how God feels when we are unfaithful to Him. God having blessed us this much and we turn our backs on Him. At the thought of you cheating on me I was filled with rage, yet God patiently looks at us in our unfaithfulness desiring us to go back to Him. I want to go back too. I want more in my life than these earthly things, I want God. I want the God of my youth. I am so sorry for slapping you.”

That night, they knelt, repented and rededicated their lives and marriage to God. The prodigal couple came back to God. The next morning, they prayed together with their children. God returned back to that home, because that couple returned back to God.

Meditation: if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Author Unknown

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.

Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,

Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed.

We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.

With its possible adversities, Its burdens,

Its large promise and poor performance.

Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow’s Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,

but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This just leaves only one day… Today.


Any person can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity’s -

yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday

and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time.

Meditation: redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

They Missed Him!

Author Unknown

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. – John 1:1

They were looking for a Lion, He came as a Lamb, and they missed him.

They were looking for a Warrior, He came as a Peacemaker, and they missed him.

They were looking for a King, He came as a Servant, and they missed him.

They were looking for Liberation from Rome, He submitted to the Roman cross, and they missed him.

They were looking for a fit to their mould, He was the mould maker, and they missed him.

What are you looking for? Lion? Warrior? King? Liberator?

They were looking for their temporal needs to be met. He came to meet their eternal needs, and they missed him.

He came as a Lamb to be sacrificed for your sin. Will you miss him?

He came to make peace between God and man. Will you miss him?

He came to model servanthood for all mankind. Will you miss him?

He came that we might have true Liberty. Will you miss him?

He came to give you eternal life. Will you miss him?

When we submit to the Lamb we will meet the Lion. Join with the Peacemaker and we will meet the Warrior. Work with the Servant and we will meet the King. Walk with the Submitted and we will meet the Liberator. Concern ourselves with the eternal and we will have the temporal.

If Jesus is not fitting into the mould you have, then come to the mould maker and get His new one. Submit to His plan for your life and you will see the eternal need met first, then all the other things you have need of will be taken care of as well.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Then Why Don’t We Pray?

Author Unknown

The highest privilege ever afforded to man is the power of prayer.
…then why don’t we pray?

The right to talk to the highest potentate in all the universe…
…then why don’t we pray?

The most powerful force accessible to man is the potential of prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?

The greatest longing in the heart of God is to talk to His children…
…then why don’t we pray?

Nothing is impossible to those who pray…
…then why don’t we pray?

No man ever fainted or faltered who gave himself to prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?

Every sin is forgiven, every stain is washed clean, all guilt diminished to
the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?

Hell moves farther away, satan flees from the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?

Anointing will come, mountains will be moved, valleys made smooth, rivers
made crossable, the inaccessible made accessible, the impossible made
possible, dreams come through to the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?

Jesus said that men ought always to pray…
…then why don’t we pray?

Paul encouraged prayer without ceasing…
…then why don’t we pray?

The riches of heaven are open to those who pray in His name…
…then why don’t we pray?

Everyone can pray, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the strong, the
weak, the child, the aged, the sinner, the prisoner, in any nation, in any
language, all can pray…
…then why don’t we pray?

Meditation: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. – Luke 18:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!