Daily Devotional – August 30

PRAYER 

“If beauty were an hour, you’d be a second.”

I stifled a snicker, wondering if he was serious.

“How about this one: ‘Was your father a thief? ‘Cause someone stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.'”

“Are you for real?” I asked Jerry.

“Yeah,” Jerry replied looking a bit stung. “Do you think this one will work? ‘Girl, you gotta be tired cuz you been runnin’ through my mind all day.'”

“For goodness sake, Jerry, what are you thinking?!” He looked back at me, the expression on his face the same one I had seen on the narrowly missed deer’s the previous night.

“Aw c’mon, Paul, you’ve never had a hard time getting a date–how else am I going to score?”

I looked at Jerry with a mixture of pity and amusement. “You know, Jerry, that may be your problem–women aren’t objects for you to ‘score’ with, and they may be a little smarter than you give them credit for. How would you like it if every time WE talked I came to you with some memorized or rehearsed speech trying to get something out of you? Ever try just talking to them?”

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Daily Devotional – August 29

 

SUPPLICATE

My lovely daughter wanted to go with a friend to a movie–the two of them accompanied by someone I didn’t know. 

“Dad,” she whined, “can I PLEEASE go to see to the movies with Courtney? Please! Please!”

I barely looked up from the book I was reading. 

“Details.” I asked simply.

“Well,  Tracy, a friend of Courtney’s who can drive is going to take us, and..”

I already knew what the answer was, but asked the obvious. “Who’s Tracy?”

“You don’t know her but she is a really careful driver, she is sixteen and we…”

At this point I lapsed into one of my annoying habits: tuning out the noise while my mind switched back to the book I was reading.

“…and then we are going to go to the mall afterwards.”

I looked up at her big and expectant eyes, my heart softening.  “Are those the full details?” 

“Yes, sir.” She looked at me, eyes narrowing suspiciously, expecting the answer she feared most.

“Sorry, kiddo, no.” 

“But, DaAd!”

I resisted the urge to launch into a “Mr. Brady Bunch” speech, and closed my book.  “I can’t take you right now, but call Courtney and ask her if she can can go with us on Saturday.”  I could tell immediately that the compromise was only half to her liking, but for now it would do. 

I smiled to myself as she stiffly walked from the room.  In about 10-15 years when she has her own children she’ll understand.

Philipians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.