Enjoy this reader’s touching story of the precious moments with her terminally ill mother. “When I was seventeen my mom was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and I remember walking into my high school dean’s office, dropping my books on her desk and telling her I could not take care of my sick mother and concentrate on school too.”
Today I received this beautiful message from Roy Eaton, the father of a personal friend and coach (David Eaton) who suffered a severe head trauma injury in an accident nearly a year ago. Thank God David lived and is making steady progress in his recovery. Please join me in praying for him.
When chance encounters extend beyond mere coincidence, it’s likely that God is orchestrating events and delivering a message. That’s exactly what happened to me following my father’s death in 1994. God was honing my leadership and management skills in unexpected ways: through discovery of a pile of papers and through a chance encounter in a shopping mall.
As I began to plan for early retirement so I could pursue my passions, I needed to be reminded that life’s journey does not end at age fifty-nine. I also needed to know I could positively impact thousands of lives through thoughtful activities after retirement—perhaps even more than I had before. I never really believed such was possible until God introduced me to a truly remarkable lady named Margaret who lived the lessons He was trying to teach me.
When children of wealthy families struggle unsuccessfully to meet the lofty demands and expectations of their parents, resulting failures can cause many to become seriously depressed and to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Sadly, the resulting downward spiral—one that is difficult to escape—often leads to suicide.Thankfully God can help break that cycle.
I firmly believe that each of us brings with us into this life skills and talents that combine to create personal greatness. Parents and teachers are uniquely positioned to encourage and nurture young people in discovering their greatness, something of which I was powerfully reminded as I was trying to decide what passions to pursue in my retirement years. It was another example of God preparing me for the impact I would have in the years ahead.
We often read of near-death experiences and tend to discount them as illusions or hallucinations. That all changes when someone close to us—someone we trust and believe unequivocally—has such an experience. That’s exactly what happened to me at the deathbed of my own father, and it was an experience that changed my life.
The power and magnitude of God is not an isolated thing, and it was on another continent that I was reminded of the undeniable truth of God’s hand in human creation. As I observed the incredible durability of the engine that sustains human life – the heart –my faith in God was profoundly reinforced.
Our life’s journey is sharply defined by the collection of people we encounter—especially those we ultimately consider close friends, who reflect God’s love through their loyal, supportive, and enduring friendship. Unfortunately, in today’s fast-paced mobile society we often change jobs, relocate, and lose touch with those dearest to us. After more than twenty-five years of separation from my friend Warren, God brought us back together in a way that positively impacted both of our lives.
Much of my spiritual growth, and most
of the important messages and revelations I’ve received from God have come through family experiences and interactions. If you aren’t already tuned in to the messages He sends, try listening carefully for what God is telling you through your own interactions with close family members. Searching my memory banks for earlier messages has been a richly rewarding experience for me. Perhaps most gratifying are the wonderful memories of my mother’s love and nurturing.
One of the most moving experiences of my life came during a professional insurance industry meeting. The experience not only reinforced my faith but also the profound value of my profession and the efforts of insurance industry sales representatives and employees.
