"The Habits Of Love"
(By Joseph J. Mazzella - joecool@wirefire.com)
4-3-2008 Church Within SOW Seeds Service - Story #486
******************************************************
Please Freely Share any of our Church Within Services with Any and All whom you feel might Appreciate them. If you have received this Service from a friend and would like to subscribe to our Weekly On-Line Services, send an e-mail with your request to: seewithin@churchwithin.org Thank You! ...and Please Visit our Church Within Web-Site at http://www.churchwithin.org
Visit our SOW Seeds Archives at the Church Within Web-Site! http://www.churchwithin.org/sowarchive.html
Welcome
**********
Greetings my Dearest Sisters and Brothers, and welcome again to Church Within's Story of the Week ["SOW Seeds”].
This week's SOW Seeds Story, contributed by: Patije
*******************************************
Story of the Week
*****************
"The Habits Of Love"
(By Joseph J. Mazzella - joecool@wirefire.com)
I stopped at the local gas station with my oldest son to fill-up my car the other day. I told him to go on in and get himself a can of pop while I pumped the gas.
After I finished and got in line to pay, I looked to see where he was. I soon found him by the front doors of the store. He was opening one for a woman with her arms full of groceries. He accepted her thanks with a cheerful "no problem" and quickly moved to the other door to open it for a little girl, struggling to pull it out.
I smiled when I saw this wonderful goodness, kindness, politeness and helpfulness in my son. He was so full of the habits of love that it warmed my heart. I told him what a fine, young man he had become, as we walked back to the car. It is something I can never tell him enough.
The theologian John Powell once wrote that, "The habits formed in youth can become the tyrants in old age." As I look at the beautiful, loving habits of my own children I think that they can also become the blessings as well.
My oldest son's habits are so joyful and caring that everyone shines brighter when he is around. My daughter's habits, too, are full of compassion, sharing and gentleness. All she wants to do with her life is help others, and that is just what she does every single day. My youngest son has many habits of love as well. His habit of smiling is contagious, and his habit of laughter can uplift the heaviest heart.
You don't have to be young to form the habits of love. It's never too late to choose them. They can become your blessings, not just in old age, but at any age. You can start today to fill your life with the happiness they create, joy they share, and oneness with God they bring. You can open doors with your kindness, open hearts with your helpfulness, and open souls with your goodness.
God gives you a lifetime to learn the habits of love and to share them with the world. May you always delight in doing so.
*******************************************
Pastor's Quote of the Week
************************
“If you would be truly triumphant over the temptations of the lesser and lower nature, you must come to that place of spiritual advantage where you have really and truly developed an actual interest in, and love for, those higher and more idealistic forms of conduct which your mind is desirous of substituting for these lower and less idealistic habits of behavior that you recognize as temptation. You will in this way be delivered through spiritual transformation rather than be increasingly overburdened with the deceptive suppression of mortal desires. The old and the inferior will be forgotten in the love for the new and the superior. Beauty is always triumphant over ugliness in the hearts of all who are illuminated by the love of truth. There is mighty power in the expulsive energy of a new and sincere spiritual affection. And again I say to you, be not overcome by evil but rather overcome evil with good."
(From: The Urantia Book - Paper-156 Section-5)
*******************************************
The Prayer
***********
Dear God,
Over the years of my life I have many times said to You, “Thank you for being there for me.” Somehow now, those thank you words seem inadequate to me… though sincere they were when I said them. Maybe it is because I am getting to know You better that I can now say, “Thank You for being there (Here), With me.”
You ALL are Within the Infinitely Loving Embrace of our Universal Parent,
The Creator's Eternal Love to all of You,
Pastor Daniel
Previous Story
Next Story
Back to the Story of the Week Archive Page
Back to the Story of the Week Main Page
Back to the Church Within Home Page