Table of Contents

And God said "No!"

Growing Up

I asked God to take away my pride.
And God said, "No".
He said it was not for him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
And God said, "No".
He said her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
And God said, "No".
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation, it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
And God said, "No".
He said He gives blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain.
And God said, "No".
He said, "Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and  brings you closer to Me".

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
And God said, "No".
He said I must grow on my own, but He will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me.
And God said, "Yes".
He gave me His only Son who died for me, and I will be in heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me.
And God said, "Ah, finally you have the idea".

by Claudia Minden Weisz

Growing Up

I was young like you, you know - It doesn't seem so long ago -
I laughed and danced, ran lithe and free, and climbed the Jacaranda tree.

Just like you, I also knew a child's ecstasy,
When I thought God had wrought no-one else like me.

I loved the painted story books, the fairies in the glen,
And all the things of childhood that were important then.

On the brink of adulthood I stood once, like you,
Waiting in the wings of life to make a grand debut.

Growing up brings tears - and JOY, and part of man is always boy,
For in every adult mind a bit of child is left behind.

Treasure, then, that child in you, as I treasure the child in me,
Often the adult point of view can't see what the child can see.

by Lynn Cary Watt

Jean's Psalm

It was in a time of loss that I found my Lord.
He was there a long time before, but it took sadness to bring Him close.
I thought I had accepted my loss, but in my heart I was really so angry.
Then one night, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I cried all my heartache away.
With the tears went my anger, and I found Jesus, my friend.
Now I have joy in my heart.

I count my blessing each night, for God has given me all that I need:
A loving family, a home that is blessed, the warm fellowship of other Christians,
But, best of all, is the knowledge that Jesus is my very best friend.

by Jean Oakley

by Barbara Tunbridge

Treasurers

Eugene Wessels gave a wonderful sermon about the temple that Solomon built to God;  filled with many rare and very beautiful things.

Next day I was still thinking about it when I realized that it reminded me of what our lives as Christians are like.  It's as if God has presented each one of us with our own special "Treasure Trove".  Our Bible is the jewel box which contains so many rare and beautiful things.
On opening it we have:

What a great joy it is to open this box to study the contents and to give thanks to our Father in Heaven for giving us so much beauty and richness in our lives;  gems that are precious to us as Christians and worth more than their weight in love. The most rare gem,  perfect and priceless,  is the "BRIGHT MORNING STAR"; our Lord,  JESUS CHRIST, Himself. We are rich beyond compare!

by Barbara Tunbridge

What Was In Jeremy's Egg?

Jeremy was born with a twisted body,  a slow mind and a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. Still, his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School.

At the age of 12,  Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn.  His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises.  At other times,  he spoke clearly and distinctly,  as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain.   Most of the time,  however,  Jeremy irritated his teacher.

One day,  she called his parents and asked them to come to St. Theresa's for a consultation.  As the Forester's sat quietly in the empty classroom,  Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school.  It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why,  there is a five-year gap between his age and that of the other students!"

Mrs. Forester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller,"   he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school.  We know he really likes it here."

Doris sat for a long time after they left,  staring at the snow outside the window.   Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul.  She wanted to sympathize with the Forester's.  After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distraction.  Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation,  guilt washed over her.  "Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared with that poor family!   Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."

From that day on,   she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares.  Then one day he limped to her desk,  dragging his bad leg behind him.  "I love you,   Miss Miller,"  he exclaimed, loudly enough for the whole class to hear.   The other children snickered,  and Doris' face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-Why,  that's very nice,  Jeremy.  Now please take your seat."

Spring came,   and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter.  Doris told them the story of Jesus,  and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth,   she gave each of the children a large plastic egg.  "Now," she said to them  "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life.  Do you understand?"   "Yes, Miss Miller!"  the children responded enthusiastically - all except for Jeremy.   He just listened intently, his eyes never left her face.  He did not even make his usual noises.  Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection?   Did he understand the assignment?  Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening,  Doris' kitchen sink stopped up.  She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that,  she still had to shop for groceries,  iron a blouse and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day.  She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning,  19 children came to school,  laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk.  After they completed their Math lesson,  it was time to open the eggs.

In the first egg,  Doris found a flower.  "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life,"  she said.  "When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here."  A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller,"  she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real.  Doris held it up.   "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly.   Yes that is new life, too"  Little Judy smiled proudly and said,   "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next Doris found a rock with moss on it.  She explained that the moss,  too,   showed life.  Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom.  "My Daddy helped me!"  he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg.  She gasped.  The egg was empty!  Surely it must be Jeremy's, she thought,  and,  of course,  he did not understand her instructions.  If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him,  she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.   Suddenly Jeremy spoke up.  "Miss Miller,  aren't you going to talk about my egg?"  Flustered,  Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!"  He looked into her eyes and said softly,  "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"

Time stopped.  When she could speak again.  Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?"  "Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed.  "Jesus was killed and put in there.  Then his Father raised him up!"

The recess bell rang.  While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried.  The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later Jeremy died.  Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket,  all of them empty.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  - Isaiah 40:31

Author unknown