The journal God uses

9:33 p.m. Today's project was to enjoy an extensive, intensive training by video from Sean Key, Vice President for Sales Force Development for Mary Kay. It was a privilege to be there, because the meeting was for directors; team leaders like myself had to qualify with new team members to be invited. Adding to the fun was the ride in my director's pink Cadillac from Mimi's in San Bernardino to the training center in Rancho Cucamonga! Hard work does pay off, as Proverbs 22:29 says:

Do you see a man who excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before unknown men.

I was inspired also by many women who are prayerfully and actively building successful businesses and changing the lives of hundreds of women with the business opportunity they offer them.

Praying and building--sounds like the Nehemiah 4 principle!

Of course I took two hours' worth of notes, just about finishing off the available lines in my "Mary Kay Journey" journal #2. Each morning, I journal my praises, questions, plans, and needs for my business to the Lord. (My other journal, filling notebooks and journals continuously since 1987, is for personal, family, societal and ministry needs and praises). I do have a new journal I received recently, ready to take up where the current one leaves off.

There's just a little problem: it was given to me by someone who treated me with extreme abusiveness not much later. Wouldn't that journal start off my day with a very unpleasant memory and bad taste in my mouth? As I look at it on my desk, I keep wondering why I didn't immediately throw it away (besides saving the money of buying another one)! I truly had to ask myself, "What would Jesus do?"

My answer came--or rather, was confirmed--this morning as I drove to the designated carpool meeting place. I was listening on the radio to Pastor Greg Laurie on location in Jerusalem, speaking from Calvary where Jesus was crucified. After describing the sheer brutality of crucifixion, he quoted Jesus' prayer from the cross for His enemies in Luke 23:34:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Greg said, and I paraphrase, "If Jesus could pray for those who were putting Him to death, is there someone who has done you wrong, that you should be praying for and asking God to forgive?"

Well, there was the answer, stated plainly by my former pastor. Looks like I'll be using that journal and praying for this individual to come to the Lord--that's priority #1 for any person living today who hasn't been born again yet; or for any individual who once knew the Lord and walked away from Him, thinking that they could work up a better plan for their lives. It didn't happen, so I'll pray for them to return to the Lord, Who will not run out of time, nor will He hesitate in bringing them to Himself!

Father, forgive them.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen