Daily Bread November 21

Carry Your Own Sunshine with You
Rodger Howell of Columbia, MO, USA


Depart from evil, and do good;
 so you shall abide forever.
For the Lord loves justice;
 he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
 but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. -Psalm 37:27-28

I spent my working career in sales and discovered a philosophy that has carried me through the years and through the ups and downs of life. Here are a few thoughts:

At a farm convention in Minneapolis, televangelist Robert Schuller stepped up on stage and wondered what he would say to 3,000 farmers who were hurting because of the farm crisis in the early 80s. Then it came to him what to say: “Tough times never last, but tough people do. We are in a tough time, but it shall pass.”

You may be thinking, “But how?” Start with a positive mental attitude. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV). A positive mental attitude depends on what you think the outcome will be. If you are visiting a friend and you are looking forward to it, then you will have a good outcome.

How do I prepare? The scriptures help us. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus instructs, “Ask…seek…knock…” Be expectant and full of hope as you go through each step. Hope is a desire of your heart.

Don’t let anyone steal your dream. Dream big because sometimes dreams come true. It took me 30 years to acquire the office chair that I had dreamed about in 1963 while in the military in Samsun, Turkey. I recognized it from a dream that I had. I purchased it on the spot. It was a blessing!

I read a story about a family who was preparing to go on a picnic, but just as they were about to leave, it started to rain. The kids were disappointed. The mother cleared the living room floor, put the picnic blanket on the floor, and had the picnic inside. She carried her sunshine with her.

How about you? Do others see you carry a ray of hope, love, joy, and peace and the light of Christ in your daily walk? Seek to walk with confidence onto the stage of life each day and expect answers to your prayers. May God bless you is my prayer.

Prayer Phrase

God, help me seek peace for me, peace for us, peace for everyone, and peace for our planet. Amen.

Spiritual Practice

The International Community

Find (or imagine) a globe or map of the world. Look at all the nations and find a country other than your own. Notice the geographic distance between your homeland and this one. Picture a person living there. Pray for this person. Sense God’s love connecting you just as the oceans connect the continents. Thank God for the spiritual connection you have with all of God’s people around the globe. Ask a blessing on the church as a community sharing Christ’s peace, drawing all into the family of God.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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