Saturday, October 31, 1998
Saturday, October 31, 1998
Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (
NRSV)
"I used to be angry most of the time," writes Kathleen A. Barrett. "Store clerks were often rude
to me, but I attributed it to the notion that they weren't getting paid enough."
After Kathleen accepted Jesus Christ into her life, it seemed that the whole world changed. "Store
clerks became nicer," she wrote, "the sun shone brighter; birds chirped more cheerily; flowers
bloomed more beautifully."
"Of course, I thought the world had changed," she recalled. "I didn't realize until a few years later
that it was I who had been changing. I was different; I had softened. It wasn't the store clerks who
had become friendlier; I had.
"The sun didn't shine any brighter," Kathleen reflected. "I was just more aware of it. Birds had
chirped when I had been in a grumpy mood, but more likely, they had only annoyed me. And, of
course, the flowers had always bloomed, but I hadn't noticed their sweet fragrance and
appreciated a peach-colored rose opening its delicate petals to the sun.
"I changed when Jesus came into my life. And he continues to change me and to delight me
today," she witnesses.
Will we allow Jesus to change us for the better today?
Prayer: God of all, make me a better person today for your glory. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA