No one will ever accuse me of having a green thumb! I know just enough about plants and grasses to be dangerous. I don't even have a very big thumb. But I do know Someone who does!
Through my years of pastoring some of my Lord Jesus' flocks, and through my 60+ years on this earth, I have had both good times and the not-so-good times. Thankfully, the good times have well outweighed the bad ones.
At times, though, I have let the times which seem so awful to get me "down." Being in the pit of discouragement is never much fun. Sometimes the only "fun" we can find at the bottom of the pit is trying to get others to come down to where we are. What's worse than one person having a pity party? Try two or more at the same party!
When studying the Bible several years ago, I found a verse in the Psalms that became very special to me. It simply says, "The Lord is the lifter up of my head." (Psalm 3:3) I learned, when down, to picture the Lord placing His Big Thumb beneath my chin and gently pushing upward. I found my spirit being lifted as I imagined this act of grace -- the Lord lifting up MY head!
Tonight, my wife reminded me of this verse. How? She had been communicating on Facebook with a young woman who was once in a flock I pastored. She had learned that this woman was pretty down, and was seeking to encourage her. In one reply, the young woman replied that she had remembered what I used to tell her about the Big Thumb: "The Lord is the lifter up of my head!" I hope and pray that her remembrance of a simple truth from the Word of God is helping her tonight to get through her dark valley.
In these difficult economic times, I can only imagine how many of our fellow Realtors and neighbors find themselves in a pit. Down, discouraged, hurting. If my telling this story helps one, the time it took to share it will have been well used.
Jim Gilbert, Sky Realty/Heart of Austin Homes
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