Waking alone in the bed...

Too early to get up but my wife is gone, still dark outside. She must have gotten up for morning prayer, the church is empty this morning but all the praying ladies are up and at it for over an hour they will pray in a rhythm that follows closely the Buddhist prayer chants - but don't tell them that, they are real Christians from Asia. Their life flows in a different but pleasing pace.

Prayer is powerful, people that don't know anyone else cares or is concerned will have hundreds of pleas sent to God in their name or for their challenges. Not all will be made well, God works on hammering a better human being and shaping a tool for our future. We will never see all the weave, the back of the embroidery is hidden, the knots and split threads aren't critical for the design brought forth on the front, the viewing side. People are like that, there are marks, scars or tattoos that make you think you see the damage to that person - but the ones that are critical are deep, in the mind and soul. Not on display, but either eating away or covered over like the grain in an oyster, making a hard but smooth pearl to be treasured some day in the future. Pray for more pearls. Never forgetting that it was pain and irritation that was covered up that began the beauty - some of the nicest people you know have been blest by burdens they can never share, or like my father told me - he was a graduate of the school of hard knocks. He had a doctor's degree in life.