Making It Plain

Sometimes after church services, a group of us single women would find something to do. On that particular Sunday, we went open house browsing in affluent neighborhoods. The homes were so palatial. Far more spacious than what any of us were able to afford at the time, but God ( we said ). From one house to another we ooh and awed before noticing that it was getting dark. For us, that meant the blinds or curtains were going to close for privacy. These owners had no window dressing to use. It was the only thing we found odd, until leaving and saw how dark it was in the entire neighborhood...to the point that if it weren't for the owner leaving that light on in the house, we wouldn't have been able to see backing out of the driveway. There were no streetlights, no personal yard light, no porch lights - nothing. It was explained that the wiring was underground to minimize blackouts during storm season. Oh, we said in unison with a question mark. So they would prefer car accidents i...

 It’s been a few years since I’ve heard that sermon ("I'll Never Be Broke Another Day In My Life") across the pulpit and the congregation gets all emotional thinking about those meager days when food wasn’t plentiful and laboring more than your share of hours at work seemed like the answer. Exhausted with sore feet, we still believed that we were going to come out of it smelling like a rose by giving our family the best life they could have. It all seemed worth it when there was something to give for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and affording a new Easter outfit for the children allows sighs of relief and satisfaction. Thank you Jesus. So, why did you have to go through that? God saw you struggling. God saw you when you were frustrated and about to give up ( Philippians 4:6-8 AMP ). What were the words that came out of your mouth when you didn’t think anyone cared and it felt like you were doing this all by yourself? Did you stay positive believing there is a ram ...

Don't they both mean the same thing? Its rather redundant, isn't it? That's what I thought. I had to look them up to be sure. Oddly, celibacy means to abstain from sex while abstinence is not to indulge in things of temptation such as alcohol and drugs; that which one becomes dependent on. Interesting, I had to stop and contemplate on that for a moment. When are these 2 topics appropriate for discussion on a date? I saw this question in a singles group on Facebook and was astonished that the question didn't die as fast as it appeared. I was at the ready to also add a comment and decided to wait to see what the other responses would be. The adjective best describing my reaction to what I read initially was appalled. The thing is, none of these people have designs on pleasing me and I am well aware of that; but what about the time their parents took in teaching right from wrong, if their children read the comments, or their co-workers all of which we t...