Childhood mistakes?

 My sister asked me this question.  Would you change anything about your childhood if you could go back?  This is my reply in a a story.

 I don't think there is anything about my childhood I would want to change. All of us make dumb mistakes in our childhood that we are ashamed of. But those mistakes sometimes mold us into who we become. It's really none of my business because my past is not my own. God is the author of my autobiography, not me. Who am I to change it? If I messed with my past I bet there would be a problem in the space time continuum and I am not Michael J. Fox in the least. I think messing with the past God gave me is a crime. Referring to what I said earlier about having mistakes in our past mold us, mixing that with fantasy, would there be a story about Scrooge if he had gone back and fixed the past? Would Anakin Skywalker have turned out like George Lucas wrote him if he had gone back and fixed his past?  Which all human pasts are messy by nature, dirty, bloody and sinful pasts, not unlike Anakin. God loves us so much that he gave us an opportunity to leave all our dirty pasts at the foot of the cross on which he sent his Son to die on to be the propitiation for our dirty, bloody, sinful pasts and give us new life free from bondage to our bloody, sinful pasts. He washes those pasts away with his blood (which kind of sounds ironic) and clothes us in white robes of righteousness. So he who believes in Him can live forever in his kingdom and share in the glorious inheritance in His presence. "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 

If I won ...

My sister asked me If someone were to tell you, “Congratulations, you just won a lifetime supply of ______!” what would you want to hear in that blank?  Here is my reply in story form.

 If I had someone of authority grant me a life-time supply of something I wanted, that would be too good to be true. And there are little things on earth that I would truly want a life-time supply of. In truth, I would rather have a life-time supply of something not tangible but useful and treasured. Something like love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control and the wisdom to use all of it. Everyone knows life doesn't last forever on Earth, so what exactly is a life-time supply? If you have too much of one thing, you might die and never get to use it in your life-time. "And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And he said, " I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But God said to him, " Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."  Luke 12:16-21 Is a life-time supply just what you can use during this life? How would anyone know just how much is a life-time supply. I say don't even think about a "life-time supply." "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 Trust in God and one day he will give you eternity with Him and you will need no earthly supply. It is very strange that heavenly mindfulness can give you a certain cynical view of earthly things. That's all for now.

Advice from one A-T warrior to another

My sister asked me recently, what advice would I give to a young person with A-T. I answered her with this story. I have a lot of advice to give one of my kind, if one of my kind cared to lend an ear. I would tell them to surrender to God and His purpose for their life so that no one could mess it up, not even A.T. can mess it up. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."  I'd want to tell them that they are beautiful whoever they are despite what the world thinks or what you might think of yourself. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. God is the only beholder that really matters. And the Lord God sees you and loves you as you are. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature . . . For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." If you truly choose to trust God with your life, the Lord will view you as a beloved precious child and a very unique and fabulous creation. Galatians 3:26 says, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." It takes guts to follow the Lord and forsake the world's opinion or even ignore your opinion, and submit to the will of God. As God's child, we will inherit a place to live eternally forever with our Lord and Father and we will be able to come before Him in a brand new body and show Him praise by kneeling down or dancing or singing with our perfect vocal cords and knees and perfect diaphragm in that case. Also, I would like to share that the Lord has conquered the world already. So that means in spite of the world's frustrating and maddening troubles coupled with A.T.'s troubles, they are not going to be with us forever if we know and serve the Lord. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Aside from that, God has a perfect plan for your life. It might not be your plan but He is perfect so He has the perfect plan. Then finally, I would like to share that God did not create us to be cowards or scaredy cats to sit in the corner and spiral down in depression and accept the devil's lies. He made us with the intent of survival even to be sort of conquerors in the faith and everyday life.