As I sit here sniveling, sneezing, with runny eyes and dirty tissues filling my garbage container, I am reminded that Spring – with all its pollens and wind and allergy creating pathogens that are attacking me – is here.

Had a few struggles these past few weeks, nothing earth shattering or life threatening, just frustrations and challenging – especially on my patience.

I haven’t written much, just kinda coasted along for a while, just not up to writing. 

But today a couple of things came together that I thought I would share with ya.

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“God created each of us individually and we are his image-bearers on earth. He loved us so much that He sent his Son Jesus to die for us so that we might have eternal life." Dr. Georgia Purdom

Romans 12:4-5  KJV  “ For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: ⁵ So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

When I was younger I used to watch a program called “The Naked City.”  It was a Police drama centered in New York City.

At the end of each show the narrator would say, "There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them."

I was reminded of that a couple of days ago while visiting my Cardiologist.

An older man brought a vase of roses to one of the receptionists.  I have known her for a few years, and like her; she is always cheerful and helpful.

A few minutes after the man left the counter, the receptionist came over to the man and gave him a big hug, I heard her say “You don’t know how much those flowers mean to me today.”

A little while later I was in the back where the examining rooms are and standing at the counter waiting for my paperwork. 

I heard one of the staff tell that same person, “That was a very nice thing you did, she really needed that today.”

One person was hurting.  I don’t know her story.  She is but one person of about 13,000 in The Dalles that day.  One person in the billions in the world.

She is an individual.  She has skills and abilities similar to others but unique to herself.  She works within an office that has several people working, each doing their own job.

She was carrying a burden of some kind.  Yet, she did her job and remained cheerful.  But, she was hurting, just one story of billions on that day.

Every person we see is unique, an individual, who is going through this life with their own set of troubles and successes.

Some people have obvious difficulty, we can see it in the homeless, in the mentally ill, in the person who has committed a crime – or is the victim of a crime.

But, more often we do not see into the problems of people.  They are hurting, they are going through difficulties, but continue to function as if nothing is wrong.  But, when they are alone, that problem is magnified in their minds and world.

This morning the above quote came in my e-mail.  We are all individuals.  We are all created by God and given the freedom to make our own decisions.

Not always are those decisions easily made, and sometimes they seemed forced upon us – but we make them ourselves.

We are part of a global community and each of us has a part to play.

As Christians our part in God’s community is to share His Love and Grace with others.  For some that is easy, for others it is not, but God gives us all the gift to share His Gospel, to share His Word, we just have to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.

The world is full of people that need Jesus Christ.  We run into them, every day.  We work, play, meet them in the stores, every day.

Each one is an individual.  Each one can be reached by a Christian, even if but for a moment.

We may not be able to tell them about Christ, for one reason or another, but we can act as Christ wants us to; and maybe the next Christian they meet will be able to lead them further down the path to Christ’s cross.

We may be just the bearer of a small bouquet of roses to a person who has a need we don’t know about, but God will – we but need to listen to that still small voice, and obey, helping one person at a time; even if we don’t know what the situation is.

We have gifts, we need to use them for His Glory, and for their salvation.

Later, Art (-: