One Woman's Prayer from Council Member Charlotte Adams

And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is Holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge, and by Him, actions are weighed... For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength, no man shall prevail." 1 Samuel 2:1-10 I generally get ideas for writing my devotionals when something calls out to me when I am reading the two devotional books that my husband, John, and I try to read in the mornings to start our day. I don't know about you, but we need all the help and encouragement that can come our way. Such was the case when I read the devotional in one of the books on June 13th, but it was the quote at the end of the devotional that really captured my attention. It was as follows: "A man (woman) wrapped up in himself (herself) makes a very small bundle." Benjamin Franklin Quite a visual, huh? The world seems to be trying to convince us to convince ourselves that it is all about us, and no one or nothing else. There is nothing that could be further from the truth, as it really is not about us at all in the final analysis, despite the obsession with this "Selfies-phase" much of the world now seems plugged into. It wasn't enough that we were taking lots of pictures and videos of just about everything, but when that didn't seem satisfying enough, we have moved on to taking pictures of ourselves ("Selfies"), without much regard to how overbearing and interfering at times that might be on other people around us. It is very difficult today not to get caught up in the everyday reminders from the media that we are going to be judged by what we wear, what we do for a living, what we own, and what we look like. But, as we get older, we finally start to figure out that our desire for living a fulfilling life and finding peace are not found in any of those things.The bottom line is that, in the end, it will not matter what we wore, what our occupation was, what "stuff and things" we are leaving behind, and certainly not what we look like, as all of these things that we get judged by here on earth, are temporary. Only how we are judged by God in our final resting place (Heaven) is what really matters. I know that I am not the only one that is troubled by the homelessness situation that we see growing all around us, which most cities have been unable (or unwilling) to address. The following staggering statistic was related by Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times journalist, in a recent article entitled "No excuse on homelessness" (May 13, 2015, for anyone interested):"It's mostly men but you will find more than a few women and even some children. The number of people without a place to live has grown by 12% in riches-and-rags Los Angeles County in the last two years, to nearly 45,000, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's biennial report." It may be that we think it too large a problem for us to do anything about, but all of us are capable of doing" something" about this problem and those living below the poverty line, whether homeless or not. For us here at Grace Harbor Church & School, it might be just taking the time and giving of ourselves to serve a meal to the homeless, donate clothing and usable household items (blankets, towels) that we don't use and won't even miss, offer a sincere greeting and smile as you walk by them on the streets, rather than ignoring that they are there,etc. etc. It is neither fulfilling or peaceful to be so wrapped up in one's self, but more rewarding to help someone else that needs it. Only then should we feel like we are living God's perfect plan for our lives. For me, I don't want to be labeled by God at the end of this journey as a "very small bundle", but rather one who did "big things" in ways that mattered to Him. Wishing all of you a very blessed weekend and upcoming week. As always, you are invited to join God's people (us) at Grace Harbor Church for study, fellowship, and worship on Sunday mornings at 9:00a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Love In Him, Charlotte

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