Alphabet Faith Stories: Respectful Rachel

Respect and honor your elders

Scripture: “Show proper respect to everyone.” I Peter 2:18 (NIV)

Merriam Webster Dictionary definition of respect:

  • A relation or reference to a particular thing or situation
  • An act of giving particular attention (consideration) to
  • High or special regard
  • The quality or state of being esteemed

Phrases associated with the word respect:

  • Respect and honor your elders and those in authority
  • In many respects; in some respects
  • In respect of (or someone or something)
  • In respect to
  • Pay (one) respect (or last respects)
  • With all due respect

R: Respectful Rachel’s Story:

“Rachel always enjoyed visiting her grandmother at the Windy Hill Nursing Home and on one such occasion, she talked with her grandmother about what it would be like to work there. Her grandmother was very enthusiastic and supportive of the idea that Rachel would possibly consider working where she lived after she graduated with her nursing degree in a few months. Her grandmother, however, passed away before Rachel graduated.

As Rachel continued her classes and finished her internship at the local hospital, she felt more enthusiastic about her desire to work where her grandmother had lived. She talked with Mrs. Windham, the Director of Windy Hill, and she outlined the qualifications Rachel needed to begin working as a nurse. However, the more they talked, Rachel felt that she wanted to continue her education beyond her nursing degree and go on to get her Ph.D in Nursing Administration. The Director hired Rachel part time so that she could get some experience while continuing her education.

After working very hard over the next three years, Rachel was able to graduate with her Ph.D. She had both the experience of working in a nursing home and obtaining the necessary degree to apply as the Director when Mrs. Windham retired in a few months.

When Rachel took over Mrs. Windham’s position as Director, she immediately had a staff meeting. She knew most of the staff because she had worked there for three years. Rachel assured them that she would be respectful of their positions and told them that her grandmother’s philosophy was “respect is earned and it is important that you treat others the way you wanted to be treated.” She would do the same for all of them as well.

Rachel was respected by her staff because she believed that what they were doing was important and she also saw how they treated their patients and residents in kind.”

I Thessalonians 5:12-13 says, “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” (NIV) This scripture says that we must respect one another in the Lord and live in peace.

May the Lord help each of us to be respectful of one another, even if our ideas are different from theirs.

Blessings,

Yvonne

Alphabet Faith Stories: Quiet Quinn

Blessed quietness.

Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle (quiet) answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (NIV)

Word-Reference definition of quiet:

  • The quality or state of being quiet; tranquil
  • To cause to be quiet (calm); to become quiet
  • Silent
  • Still or barely moving
  • Making little or no noise or sound

Phrases with the word quiet:

  • In a quiet manner
  • Quiet storm
  • Keep quiet about
  • As quiet as a lamb
  • Quiet down
  • Quiet achiever
  • Quiet place
  • Quiet rest

Q: Quiet Quinn’s Story:

“Growing up in a Christian home with seven brothers and sisters was not easy for Quinn. There was constant chaos and loud talking during every hour of the day at her house. She longed for “blessed quietness” to study and do her homework. She often studied in her room which she shared with her sister or the local library where it was completely quiet.

At school Quinn had a few close friends but she was considered shy and an introvert by most. She kept her opinions to herself even when she had one. It wasn’t until her junior year in high school that Quinn finally found her voice. One of her English teachers who was in charge of the debate team program assigned every student a specific week/time throughout the school year to be on a team. Quinn was chosen for an assignment just before Spring break. She and her team members would have two weeks to prepare and come up with a strategy to debate the other team. Their topic would be “Christianity in Today’s Modern World.”

Quinn thought the topic would be an easy one since she was a Christian and had been taught about the meaning of salvation since she was a small child. However, after getting together with her team mates, there were varying degrees of opinions, including the very existence of God in today’s “modern society.” Her team was to research and come up with a unified explanation for debating the other team’s opposing argument.

After almost two weeks of discussion, Quinn’s team came up with a resounding unified conclusion and asked Quinn to represent their findings at the beginning of the debate. Quinn was hesitant until she remembered the scripture in Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 which says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be silent and a time to speak…” This was Quinn’s time to “speak.”

The one-hour debate was a huge success and everyone from the community who attended that night was astounded at the debate between the two teams. Quinn had used her voice to speak up that Christianity was definitely relevant for today’s modern world for a number of reasons found in the Word of God.”

The Word of God tells us that we are to “give an answer for what we believe”–we need to speak up and not keep silent in today’s world and trust God to give us words of wisdom needed to reach others for Him.

May we all find our voices and speak up for Him the one who loves us all.

Blessings,

Yvonne

Alphabet Faith Stories: Patient Pam

Patience is a virtue.

Scripture for patience:

Romans 8:25: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (NIV)

Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of patient:

  • Bearing pains or trials calmly without complaint
  • Manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
  • Not hasty or impetous
  • Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity

Inspirational quotes on patient/patience (Inspirational Words of Wisdom):

  • God’s love is patient, persistent, and persevering
  • Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains
  • Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty
  • Showing kindness, patience and faith, in yourself when you do make mistakes

P: Patient Pam’s Story:

“From the time that Pam could stand on a step stool to reach the countertop to help her mother bake, she fell in love with baking. She would tell everyone that she wanted to be a “baker like her mother” when she grew up. Her mother had a side business at home of making delectable, yummy delicacies for birthday parties, weddings, tea parties, and other occasions.

As the years passed by and Pam continued to help her mother bake cakes, pies, cookies, and other decadent desserts after school and on weekends, she told her mother that she planned to enroll in a culinary school when she graduated from high school in order to learn other aspects of the business. Pam’s mother was delighted and showed enthusiastic support when Pam was accepted into the prestigious School of Culinary Arts in Kansas City, a two-year program.

After graduation, Pam was offered a position as Head Baker at a local 4-star restaurant who were known for their delicious desserts. Pam was given a five-year contract with a very good salary but knew that she wanted to open her own bakery someday. As Pam waited patiently and worked diligently at the restaurant, she also researched locations where she would open her own bakery and decided that she would contact a real estate company in her hometown to see what buildings were available. After six months of looking, she finally found the right building to start her business.

Pam leaned on her faith and scripture in Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (NIV) It would take another year before Pam’s business would be up and running due to renovations and getting the building up to the proper local codes.

When that day finally arrived, Pam and her mother cut the ribbon together. She owed so much to her mother for showing her how to bake at an early age and encouraging her to follow her dream of becoming a baker and opening her own successful business.

It has been ten years since Pam followed her dream of opening “Pam’s Bakery and Cafe.” She also began teaching the art of baking to high school students one night a week, encouraging them to follow their own dreams as well. After graduation, many of them continued to further their education in the culinary arts.”

You may never open your own bakery, or you may have had dreams of opening one but never pursued those dreams. God has a plan for your life in whatever He has for you to do. Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” God will reveal His plan for you if you remain joyful, patient, and faithful.

Blessings,

Yvonne

Alphabet Faith Stories: Obedient Olivia

Obey God

Scripture on Obedience:

Colossians 3:20: “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” (NIV)

Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of obedience:

  • Submission to the restraint or command of authority; willing to obey
  • An act or instance of obeying
  • The quality or state of being obedient

Phrases pertaining to obedience:

  • The obedient child
  • The obedient dog
  • Obedient to those whom he feared

O: Obedient Olivia’s Story:

“Olivia learned at an early age that it was important to listen to and obey her parents. She knew that it was important to hold your mom’s hand while crossing the street together; playing quietly at the table when they went to a restaurant with friends; sharing toys with her brother and sister and taking turns during play time; and other meaningful lessons to help her grow into a wise and caring woman.

Now that Olivia had children of her own, she practiced teaching them what her parents taught her in a loving and thoughtful way, because she knew that one day they would all have to make the right choices for themselves and learn from those choices.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” (NIV) Because Olivia was a caseworker with the Department of Family Services, she processed a number of children who had no idea what it meant to obey their parents because they came from very poor families who, oftentimes, were on welfare and had a poor outlook on life in general.

Olivia met some desperate mothers who wanted to teach their children discipline and exercise control but they did not know how to do it themselves. So, with God’s guidance, Olivia decided to offer a class on discipline and behavior for mothers who reached out for her help. She had 20 mothers sign up for the class to be held in the gymnasium at the local high school. Olivia passed out guidelines and valuable resource information to all in attendance. She even offered babysitting services at the school for the younger children. Local volunteers also taught the children good behavior and lessons while their mothers were in the classes each week.

Several weeks went by, and Olivia began noticing positive attitude changes in both the mothers and their children. One mother told Olivia that she had tried some of the advice that she was given on her own daughter, and she was beginning to see a “light on the other side of the tunnel” with her child’s attitude and behavior toward her. Each week other mothers began to share their own positive experiences and stories with changes in their children’s behavior as well.

In Olivia’s experience as a caseworker, she often told mothers that children needed to be given boundaries, structure, and guidelines regarding what was appropriate and what was not; otherwise, they would not be able to make wise decisions and right choices when necessary. Children would often push the boundaries just to see what they could or could not get away with. The boundaries let them know what was expected of them and they felt safer with them. They also respected those in authority more often than not.

Through Olivia’s obedience at following God’s leading in her life, she felt blessed and knew that the Lord had given her an opportunity to make a difference not only in the lives of children but in their parent’s lives as well.”

Just as children are commanded to obey their parents, God also wants us to obey Him. John 14:15 says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (NIV) Let us obey His leading in our lives as we follow His commands.

Blessings,

Yvonne