December 30th
The Miracle continues—HOPE and GRATITUDE
In “My 22nd Birthday Miracle” story, I told the
story of how God saved
My life when I was given 0% chance to live. And I told the story of the
Promise I made to God, “to live for my family, friends, and
for all people
Everywhere” if God continued to sustain me with life.
I consider my promise to God my personal promise, my
personal covenant
With God. I can
honestly tell you that not a day has gone by without me at
Least thinking of that promise at least once.
I can tell you that God has answered my promise with
affirmation, because
Here I sit some 33+ years later. And while my life has not been the greatest
Of lives by human standards, or even the life I would have
chosen for myself,
I have done my very best to keep up my end of the promise.
Because of the extended blessing of life that God gave to
me, I got to spend
Many happy occasions with my family, both immediate and
extended. I got
To sit with my Mother, holding my Father’s hand as he
died. Earlier this year,
I got to take care of my Mom, and sit with my Sister holding
her hand as she died.
I still have the pleasure of talking to each of my Sisters
every day. My Sister,
Mary, has 4 beautiful daughters, and I have received the gift
of spending much
Time with them and seeing them grow.
For my part, I have tried to extend my witnessing of God to
as many people
As possible. I have
been baptized 4 times, in various churches, and 4 different
Denominations, all Christian, over the years. I have shared my story, both
Verbally, and through my poetry, to as many people as
possible.
I have always wanted my own family and children, but it
never did really happen
For me. But about 4
years ago, I met a woman to share my life with as a friend.
I call her ”Maggie.”
She told me that she always wanted to meet someone that
Could teach her about God.
And there is nothing I like doing more than talking about
God. So we attend
Church together on Sunday, and several times a week, we study
The Bible together.
She has been baptized in the Church we both currently attend.
And so some 33+ years later, I am still alive, and I believe
that there is a universal
Message that I am meant to share through my life:
HOPE
It used to be
that we had to die for our Christianity.
Today we must live for it.
The ultimate
message of our life is one of hope, if we unite our lives with Jesus,
And share our
successes and sufferings.
Our
responsibility as Christians is to live lives based on mercy, justice,
forgiveness,
Self-sacrifice, and self-denial.
The Christian message is one of hope—not just for
One of us—but
for all of us.
Gratitude
One of my
favorite passages in the Bible is the story where Jesus heals 10 lepers.
But only one
comes back to say thank you. Jesus
says: “Were not all 10 cleansed?
Where are the
other nine? Was no one found to return
and give praise to God
Except this
foreigner?” Luke 17:17
And so I say, “Thank you Lord.” I thank you for the Divine insight to make
my promise
To you all those years ago.
I thank you for your graciousness in your answer to my
Promise. I thank you
for this gift of life. I thank you for
the gift of time with my Father
And my Mother, my Sisters, my nieces, my entire family—both
immediate and extended
--my friends, and my Churches.
And finally Dear Lord, we ask you to help us/help me to
always come back and say thank
You. And help us/
help me, to let you shine so thoroughly through us and in us, that
People see no longer us, but only YOU.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Robert P. Wallman
10/30/10
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