There is a legend about a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. Four people, each in turn, were presented to the king for consideration. First was a wealthy philanthropist. The king was told that this man was highly deserving of the honor because he had given much of his wealth to help the poor.

The second person was a celebrated physician. The king was told that this doctor was highly deserving of the honor because he had provided faithful and dedicated service to the sick for many years.

The third person was a distinguished judge. The king was told that the judge was worthy because he was noted for his wisdom, his fairness, and his brilliant decisions.

The fourth person presented was an elderly woman. Everyone was quite surprised to see her there because she was quite humble – in attitude and dress. People wondered whether she even had a chance at winning when compared to the other three? Even so, there was something about her. She had the look of love in her face, understanding in her eyes, and a quiet confidence.

The king was puzzled by her presence, and he asked who she was. The presenter responded: “You see the philanthropist, the doctor, and the judge? Well, she was their teacher…”

You might guess who the king chose.

In life, good teachers make a big difference. And the truth is, we all need role models. We need good leaders, mentors, people who have traveled the roads we wish to take.

No matter what stage of life you are in right now, I hope there are people whom you admire and from whom you are still learning.

Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you for great teachers – for all those who have helped us along the journey of life. Give us humble and open spirits that we may continue to learn and to grow. And, grant us generous hearts that we share our own wisdom and experience with others. Amen.

In his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, Steven Covey writes about how we can lose sight of our main goals in life. He conveys very pertinently how that can play out in our family life.

Covey wrote, “I value my children. I love them, I want to help them. I value my role as their father. But I don’t always see those values. I get caught up in the ‘thick of thin things.’ What matters most gets buried under layers of pressing problems, immediate concerns, and outward behaviors. I become reactive. And the way I interact with my children every day often bears little resemblance to the way I deeply feel about them.”

Today I invite you to think again about the people you love in your own life. Reflect on how you feel about them. How can you keep from getting caught up in the “thick of thin things?” How might you interact with them in a way that bears deep resemblance to the way you feel about them? That is a challenge for you and me – a challenge for today and for a lifetime.

Let us pray: Loving and Gracious God, we want to live in light of your love and grace, and we want to live in light of our deepest values. Show us concrete ways that we can demonstrate our love to those closest to us. Help us make time for them. Grant us patience and forgiveness and listening ears. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pastor Richard Fairchild once told about a story about an artist. This artist was seeking to somehow convey the meaning of the Christian faith amid the storms of life, so he painted a storm at sea. Black clouds filled the sky. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, a little boat could be seen breaking apart under the pounding of the ocean. People were struggling in the swirling waters, their anguished faces crying out for help. The only glimmer of hope appeared in the foreground of the painting, where a large rock protruded out of the water. There, clutching desperately with both hands, was one lone seaman.

Fairchild remarked that it was a moving scene. Amid the storm, the only hope of salvation was “the Rock of Ages,” a shelter in the tempest. But as the artist reflected upon his work, he realized that the painting did not accurately portray his subject. So he threw out the canvas and painted another. It was very similar to the first: the black clouds, the flashing lightning, the angry waters, the little boat crushed by the pounding waves, and the crew vainly struggling in the water. In the foreground, the seaman was clutching the large rock for salvation. But the artist made one change: the survivor was holding on with only one hand, and with the other hand he was reaching down to pull up a drowning friend.

Reflecting on that story, it is clear that the second painting is the one that really captures the essence of the Christian life and message. We have been saved for a reason. We have been blessed for a purpose larger than ourselves. We have been blessed in order to be a blessing to others.

The question remains: who might you reach out to – with a hand of love and grace – today?

Let us pray: God of Hope, help us to find a way to be a blessing to at least one person this very day. Amen.

Friend of Dial Hope, I have a small calculator on my desk which I use to figure my finances and store personal data for ready reference. It’s amazing how much information can be typed into the memory factors of this mechanical brain. On the left side of the keyboard is a powerful button. It is called the clear button. When I make a mistake, a touch on the clear button and is eliminated immediately. Each time I use this calculator I am reminded of how much it’s like the brain. It has the capacity to store good and bad memories. How often I wish I had a clear button to press to immediately correct my mistakes, or that I had the capacity to bring up old memories that disturb me and have them taken away, never to be thought about again. Then, as I contemplate how wonderful that would be, I am reminded how the Lord has built into us a “clear” button. It’s called forgiveness. When we accept his forgiveness, we can forgive ourselves, and then, out of the assurance of that grace, forgive others. Today, friend of Dial Hope, press the forgiveness button – now!

Let us pray: Into the clutter of our everyday lives, O Lord, you come with your heavenly order: into the weakness, you come with your strength; into the sin, you come with your holiness. Give us the grace to receive you now, to open the doors of our beings and invite you in, not just over the threshold but into the innermost parts, the upper rooms and lower rooms, the nooks and crannies, and closets. Dwell in us, O Lord, that we may glow this day with your light and pulsate with your presence. Help us to make this day a masterpiece as we rejoice in hope, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Author and Pastor Max Lucado once told a story about the day his wife brought home a monkey. His daughters were thrilled! But Max was not. He had all kinds of questions. Where was the monkey going to eat? His wife said that it was going to sit at the table and eat with them, just like the rest of the family. Then he asked where it was going to sleep? And she told him it was going to sleep in their bed. He followed up, “But what about the smell?” And she responded, “Oh Max, he’ll get used to you. I did.”

Lucado went on to reflect, “Before you comment on the odor of someone else, I guess we need to check our own odor first.”

This just reminds me that in our own relationships, when things aren’t going well, it is easy to point the finger. It is easy to lay the blame at their feet without ever looking at our own actions.

Jesus once said, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? …first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

We want others to love us unconditionally. We often need their forgiveness and grace. We appreciate it when they listen to us and care for us. May this way of being begin with us.

Let us pray: God of Grace, we give you thanks for those closest to us, our friends, our loved ones, our caregivers. Despite their flaws and imperfections, we love them deeply. Despite our flaws and imperfections, may they also love us deeply. Today, help us treat them with profound grace. If forgiveness or reconciliation needs to happen, give us the courage to be the first ones to make amends. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.