Kindle The Flame

From November, 2004: Last night as I lie awake, I asked God to let me know if I am following him the way he wants me to. I sometimes worry I overload many of you with words that intrude into your privacy and personal domain. Sometimes Satan tries to make me feel inadequate and unworthy to send these things out like I do…but then, God answers me this morning with a brief email from a stranger who let me know without doubt that she is appreciative of reminders to feel thankful and blessed because of the overwhelming stresses of her life presently. I hope somehow that my words can help her fuel her faith in Christ, and bring encouragement to persevere. We all burn down many times in our lives, and it is often just one person who can come along at the right moment to breathe warmth and energy back into what so often feels like dying embers. Given the chance, those embers will find enough spark to kindle new flames and hope in life. Many thanks to those of you who continue to encourage my light to shine….love and hugs, Annette

Kindle the Flame

When life begins, so does the flame,

The spark is lit when we are given our name.

Our light shines steady as we continue to grow,

Then bit by bit we learn to intensify the glow.

We enter adulthood and the fire burns strong,

We search for the path to where we belong.

Sometimes we lose our way and the flame may dim,

But we continue to push on and overcome the grim.

Sometimes we are content with a slow steady burn,

Sometimes there are changes for which we yearn.

There times it seems our light grows cold,

There are times we seem quite lost and old.

These are the times we need to find a friend,

Someone who knows how to find the light still within.

Someone who will not judge us nor find blame,

A special friend who knows how to rekindle the flame.

For how can a fire burn without fuel?

How can one survive all that seems cold and cruel?

It takes someone who has already conquered the game,

Someone who can breathe new life into a burned out flame.

So as we go about our day to day,

Ask God if He will point out the way,

To the one who feels their light is becoming just a tiny flicker,

Feed them with encouragement until their light grows thicker.

Then step aside and give space to the lovely renewed light,

Watch it grow strong and become again bright.

Foster the freedom to go light the way,

For it too will give another nurture one day.

We all need someone to call out our names,

Someone we can trust to rekindle our flames.

Thanks to those who have helped me with mine,

Now let us all go out and let our lights shine!

Annette Monts Falls Words given November 7, 2004

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot e hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on it’s stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16

MOST PRECIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER

Something I wrote from October, 2005

Most Precious Heavenly Father,

As I ponder different events and circumstances of late,

I come to you now with requests to make.

Father, if it be Thy will,

Peace inside us all instill?

Can you help us understand regardless the cost,

We need to fervently reach out to those who are lost?

Can you give us the words best to say,

When someone we know has had a bad day?

Can you help us turn words of profanity in ways,

That instead become words of endless praise?

Can you help us turn against violent rage,

Bring freedom to those who feel locked in a cage?

Can the world as we know it, every nation,

Remember our roots are by your creation?

Can we harvest the energies of turbulent storms,

And share the seeds from which love and faith are formed?

Can we bring rest to those who are worn and weary,

Can you help us help them to see things more clearly?

The strengths of your mercy and grace are magnificent,

Help them to understand you love is all sufficient?

Help us Precious Lord to...

Bring hope to the discouraged, beaten down soul.

Bring comfort to those who are hurting, young and old.

Help us be a candle burning brightly to show others the way,

That all things become possible when they begin to pray.

Help us demonstrate that your love does not cease,

Help us share with others your abounding and everlasting peace.

Help us teach others Lord, the promise you made,

Through Jesus' death on the cross, our debts have been paid.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for listening to my requests,

With Jesus beside me I have been so blessed.

Please bless and keep my loved ones near,

Family, friends and other ones here.

AMEN

To His Glory,

Annette Monts Falls

October 12, 2005

The Cocoon First, Then The Beautiful Butterfly

The Cocoon First, Then The Beautiful Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were allowed to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

Emerging From The Cocoon

The butterfly and the special childFeb 19, 2008 Author: Kyron Filed under: Articles, Inspiriation, Magazines, Strategies This month’s Ladies Home Journal has a small piece by Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America fame. Robin, if you were unaware has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing treatment. While obviously this is not a blog about cancer, her message in this piece I think can speak to all parents of special needs children. She tells the story of the butterfly and how she feels it’s a fantastic analogy for how adversity being a valuable teacher, and how this adversity can leave us stronger than when we started.Robin describes how the emerging butterfly beats its wings against the cocoon repeatedly to escape. She relates how if the butterfly were to be cut free of the cocoon and not win its freedom through the struggle it doesn’t gain the necessary strength to survive. I have always thought of my daughter as a butterfly as well. My original theory sprang from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly and the entire struggle they go through to get to that point and emerge this beautiful and graceful creature. I do believe that Robin’s butterfly analogy still applies to all our children. Each one in their own way may have a struggle, a cocoon from which they will escape. Beating their wings they slowly emerge having overcome one adversity or another. No matter how many cocoons your youngster must fight their way through it will make them stronger. Let your child break through the cocoon. Be there to cheer them on, but let them be the ones to break through. To cut your butterfly loose from it’s cocoon would not allow it to win it’s freedom and would not give it the strength it needs to live it’s life. As the parent of a special child, sometimes it’s harder I think to watch the struggle. You feel like you need to help cut open the cocoon. You need to facilitate, but the breakthrough must be their own, hard won maybe, but their own. Without question we are all blessed with some amazing butterflies.