Eileen Breedlove of Affairs of the Heart requested that I write a short message on 'How I feel about life and why' for her new page.

HOW I FEEL ABOUT LIFE AND WHY

Life is a beautiful and cherished gift from our Heavenly Father

As any gift, some are wrapped more gracious than others.

Some are more practical than others.

Some are wrapped with beautiful paper.

Some come in brown paper wrappings.

But however it is wrapped - life to the receiver is precious.

Some of those wrapped in beautiful paper take most things for granted.

Some take the brown paper wrappings and make it their stepping stone to higher things.

Some people's wrappings, whether beautiful or brown paper, get crumpled up along the way.

Some of this crumpled up wrappings get picked up along the way and smoothed out until the creases are hardly visible.

Some, it is sad to say, stay crumpled up and get walked on.

It doesn't matter if the wrappings got picked up and the creases smoothed out or if it remains crumpled up and walked on - both need that helping hand to make it through life.

It is beautiful to watch how God provides that helping hand in life just when it is needed. I wish I knew the ingredient that makes one reach out and grab that hand and another rejects it.

But it is oh so comforting to know that our precious Jesus loves the hand that rejects just as much as the hand that reaches out.

It is said that all things are equal - but that is not the case. I am sure that the brown crumpled up life would love to be the beautiful wrapping paper. But the brown crumpled up paper must struggle, but will never achieve the stature of the beautiful wrapping paper.

But in the end when Jesus reaches out His arms and says 'Well done my good and faithful servant' the lives blend into one beautiful and glorious walk, hand in hand with Jesus. He doesn't care whether you are a brown paper wrapping or a beautiful glorious wrapping. Both are just the right size for His arms.

Sharon Lambkin