Inspirational – Rhyme, Reason & Real Life

I once knew a little girl.
I look in the mirror and I don’t see her anymore.
She has been replaced by a thirty-something woman, that is slightly taller, with short hair.

I remember that little girl, who was so scared of everything and everyone.
Of course, she had reason to be.

She was too scared to talk about her dreams.
Her voice was not heard by many.
She saw many things that little girls should never see.
She still remembers some of those things; but because of God, those things don’t have power over her.

Sometimes I hear her laughing.
I see her.
She can be so silly at times; but it doesn’t bother me.
I know that joyful moments mean a lot to her.
Impatient people think, “She just needs to grow up!”

When I see my husband, I smile; my heart beats fast and I remember that little girl.
All she ever wanted was a boyfriend, a dog and sliding glass doors.
I’d like to tell her that a husband that loves God and loves you is so much better than all those things.

I’d also like to tell her that there are some special people out there.
People you can tell secrets to.
People you can share your dreams with.

I’d like to tell her, that even though she’s been afraid to pursue her dreams, it’s not too late.

I’ll be sure to tell her that.
The next time I see her.

Mechelle Ritchie Foster (February 15, 2009)

It’s amazing what you can find when you know it’s there. That may sound strange or like an oxymoron, but it’s not. You might be thinking that we look for things that are not yet found. You might be thinking that if you KNOW where something is, you don’t need look for it, you just need to go get it.

Well, let me ask you this… Have you ever gone to the refrigerator looking for something to eat or drink, opened the door, scanned its contents, shut the door and walked away empty-handed, only to find yourself back in the kitchen five minutes later doing the same thing? I have. As a matter of fact, it was that very act that triggered my first comment.

I was at my mom’s house for dinner a few days ago and I wanted to grab a drink before dinner. I stopped drinking soda (again) a few weeks ago and I have replaced it with Lifewater. My mom knows this and she tries to keep some on hand. I opened the fridge and looked high and low for my favorite hydration. Not finding it, I closed the door in disappointment. Mom asked me why I closed the door without getting anything. I told her there were none of my waters inside. She said, “They’re in there; keep looking.” Well, what happened next was nothing short of amazing to me. It was like a magic trick in reverse. “Now you don’t see it. Now you DO!” I opened the fridge and there on the top shelf, in the back were several bottles of liquid glory! Earlier, I had looked high and low, but I didn’t see them.

Now, you might be thinking that if I would’ve done more than just scan the fridge, I would’ve seen them in the first place. You might be thinking that if I would’ve moved things around a bit, they would have been discovered. If this is what you’re thinking, you are correct. What you don’t know is that there was something with me when I opened the door, something inside my mind that kept me from doing those things. It was a little thing called, “doubt.” My mom is on a fixed budget and those waters are a little pricey. I don’t expect her to use her money to stock her fridge with the things I like. My doubt kept me from moving things around in the fridge in search of what I wanted. My doubt kept me from asking Mom which shelf to look on. I just opened the door, looked around, and shut the door without asking questions.

This may seem like a very specific incident that has nothing to do with anyone but me, but it isn’t. I think we all doubt at times and I think doubt keeps us from finding what we’re looking for. Doubt keeps us from finding what isn’t lost, what is, often times, right in front of us. What are you looking for? Don’t walk away from it in disappointment. Keep looking. Jeremiah 29:13