An old woman lived in a shoe. I think that is way the nursery rhyme goes. But why did she live there? Was it because she was tired of the world and all the hectic tasks she had to endure that brought her to this present position? Maybe she wanted to live in the shoe that she had walked in part of her life, because there was familiarity. It was a place that she knew was her sanctuary. A place that could go somewhere and venture out into a world that quite often takes us by surprise and sometimes whips us out of complacency to do one task or another.

It is hard to visualize living in a shoe because you might think of it as a place that is small. A place that is confining and one that is not going anywhere, even though it could.

It is like the world sometimes. It is a blur from the hustle and bustle, but it also often goes so slow that we wonder if we will ever reach any reasonable objective.

People often dream of other worlds and places that they may never visit. But it is in the dream that we find solace. In dreams we try to find the answers to some of the questions that elude us only because we may not look hard enough for the answers.

Psalms 102:7 "I lie awake, lonely as a solitary sparrow on the roof." TLB

But is the sparrow alone? Does it know God? Does it know about the other sparrows that may just be around the corner? Sometimes in complacency we find that the solutions to the doldrums are just out of reach, but yet may not be visible to us only because we do not look for them.

It is so easy to think that the sparrow is alone, because others may feel that way, but then again maybe the bird needed some time to be with himself to think about life and ponder for a while.

1 Tim 5: "The church should care for widows who are poor and alone in the world if they are looking to God for his help and spending much time in prayer;" TLB

So maybe the sparrow is alone because it is praying. Sometimes what we perceive to be the answer is not really the answer at all because we are jumping to conclusions or assumptions based on our experiences in life and often close ourselves off to other possibilities. We see the the sparrow as alone because we think he is desperate and needs to be with others not realizing that he may be there for other reasons that are just as important.

So how do we know if what we are doing is right. Well, prayer is important. But it is not just prayer that is good when we are alone, it is also reading the Bible.

Think about it. The Bible gives us the Word of God and so in that possibility comes power to grow beyond the barriers of loneliness into a realm that has God at it's center. Look at all the Christians of the world, there are so many of them. Why is that? It is because reading the Bible is like being with God and we will find ourselves at a situation that gives us salvation. A situation that is filled with Gods love.

We can choose to be lonely or we can try to grow beyond that. Easier said than done of course, but unless you make a conscious effort to be with the Lord in Bible reading and prayer, you will never realize how much the power of God can fill your life with such love and caring ways.

So open your eyes to Gods love, and you may be like the sparrow, not alone, but just thinking on the Lord and wanting some quiet time with Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, it is so easy to fall into complacency. Help me to realize your love for me. Guide me in this coming week to seek your love and your understanding. Help me to understand more about what you want me to do in my life, and I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill