My Brother

Did you know that I am the baby girl of five children?  Yep, I am sixteen years apart from the oldest son Charles Jr., and eight years difference from my sister Susan. I have a brother Marvin that we are fifteen years and Richard whom I am nine years apart from. My mom and dad didn't plan to have another child, but God saw it fit for them to save the best for last. Well, maybe not the best.
I want you to know that I love my siblings. I want to tell you about Marvin. He has been my best friend many times over. I don't know how old I was, but we went go cart riding because he worked at the one in town, collected money from his paper route customers, and just hang out because we could. One Easter I had to spend the night with Marvin at his home because my parents had to go somewhere. I was so afraid the Easter bunny was not going to come see me and he comforted me and shared the true meaning of Easter with me. That Sunday morning, I woke up and there was the biggest yellow cellophane covered basket I had ever seen. He got me dressed in my nice pretty white dress and we went to church.
As the seasons passed by, I moved south to Florida and he stayed in Virginia. However, when we get together or talk it's as if there has been no time that has separated us. I love this about our relationship.
I took my share of undesirable punches from my brothers too. When I went home to visit at the age of twenty or twenty two, I had on a pair of shorts and sat on the left side of Marvin on the couch as he was watching a football game with my dad.  When I sat down, he raised his left hand and slapped my leg with a "how are you doing lil' Sis!" scream. His hand hit the bareness of my leg and it HURT. My leg had welts raise up and the skin turned red as a pepper. We laugh about that now, but Marvin was very apologetic afterwards.
I love all my brothers, but Marvin has left an impression on me. We are not perfect people. We have given our parents reasons to worry over us, pray for us, and spank us too. I have a lot in common with this brother for some reason. I know that God had him in my life at just the right moments and still does. He encourages me, loves me, and even would fight for me if I told him I needed it. I love Marvin and my other brothers too.

Proverbs 18:24 says "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
In the book of John is says "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

I know I am not always the best friend to everyone. I want to be a TRUE friend. As a friend I cannot accomplish your task for you, but I can love you, pray for you, and walk with you; even carry you if I must. I want to be a TRUE friend that sees you in your sin and though I may not sit with you, I will love you and pray for you too and do my best to encourage you to a better friend too.

I would rather have more friends than anything else in the world. I have a true friend that loves me where I am in life. He cares about me because that is what God calls him to do. He calls me his sister and for that I am thankful.

I belong to a bigger family; God's family. I have many brothers and sisters that I cannot count them. They pray for me, with me, and encourage me. I don't know what I would do without them and I don't want to find out.

~ Be encouraged that if you are an only child, you can have more brothers and sisters than you can count. Let me introduce you to my Father God and His son Jesus Christ.

Matters of the Heart

Giving your heart away can sometimes make you look like a fool; especially when you give it to the wrong person. Matters of the heart can be confusing and tricky. Our head says one thing and our heart feels another. We believe we are in control of our emotions even when the person we've opened up to doesn't receive the matters of our heart.
So what are you suppose to do with this tangled webb you have weaved?
First, you must step back and look at the situation at hand. If you do not love yourself, how can you love someone else?
Next, what do you know about love, really?
Have you truly accepted the greatest gift of all? God gave the ultimate gift of love. Do you know the depth of unconditional love?
I have been reading and studying this great love; sacrificial love. I have found that I did not know what love was. I have hurt MANY people in my life because of my ignorance.  I can only ask for giveness and move on. I suggest you too search God's love and talk to him about it.
Last, be smart. Don't just go with your heart's feelings. Your feelings are not facts. God is the giver if life and love. His word says " what God puts together.." Satan is slick and he is out to trip you up. Be smart and go to God. He will reveal himself through scripture.  I don't reommend assuming anything. This usually brings trouble and makes you look like a fool.
God is love and He is the giver of unconditional love. Pressing into Him and concentrating on your relationship with Jesus first will lead you to a great love.

Matters of the heart will make you out to be a fool, but be smarter and be wise.

~ Be encouraged by God and experience His love before giving your heart away.