{"id":8046,"date":"2018-01-08T18:54:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T00:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandiherron.com\/blog\/?p=8046"},"modified":"2025-03-03T18:06:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T00:06:44","slug":"the-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiherron.com\/blog\/the-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving the Gift That Lasts &#8211; Living a Life for Others"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.2&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<p>A book is a gift that keeps &#8220;giving&#8221; long after the pretty wrappings and ribbons are gone. It is no surprise to my family to find a book of some type under the tree for them as a gift each year at Christmas. And they usually discover something else, such as cash or gift cards, tucked inside the pages of the books I give.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Giving a Gift in the Midst of Heartache<\/h3>\n<p>I am a book lover, also known as a bookworm! I am always ready to discuss the latest book I am reading or one I consider worthy of sharing. During a recent conversation with a friend, we discussed &#8220;Voices of the Faithful,&#8221; a book compiled by Kim P. Davis that includes inspirational stories by Beth Moore and her friends. It is one of my favorite devotional books for many reasons, but one is because it was a gift my mother gave to each member of our family on her last Christmas with us in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-December of 2007, my mom was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. As Christmas approached, all tests indicated this would be her last holiday with her family. After reading portions of &#8220;Voices of the Faithful,&#8221; my mom had me purchase copies of the book for her to give as gifts to our family. She wrote a message to the recipient on the inside front cover of each book and included her life Scripture. Her life Scripture is Philippians 4:13, &#8220;For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.&#8221; (NLT)<\/p>\n<p>Realizing that this book would also be a perfect gift for my mom, who loved devotional books, I purchased a copy as a gift from me to her. Inside the front cover, I wrote, \u201cTo my mother, the strongest and most faithful woman I know!\u201d She indeed showed her faith to all of us during her entire life, especially during the short weeks after her diagnosis and before her death.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The\u00a0Gift That Continues To Give<\/h3>\n<p>After my mother passed away in February of 2008, I kept both books; the one she gave me and the one I gave to her. After the discussion about the devotional book with my friend, I decided to use it once again for my evening prayer time. I retrieved it from the library shelf, and as I opened the book, I realized the copy I chose to read from was the one I had given to my mom. This book was placed on the shelf after my mom passed away, and since then, no one has opened this book to read from it.<\/p>\n<p>I turned to the page she had bookmarked, which would have been the last page she had read. The prayer at the end of the page reads like this: \u201cGod of all comfort, I praise You that You bring hope in the midst of trials. Thank You for the many times You have comforted me. May Your spirit comfort others through me this week. May I never turn my head to those who suffer and grieve but use me instead to be a friend.\u201d Amen.<\/p>\n<p>Written on the bookmark holding her place in the book was my mom&#8217;s name, and whoever wrote her name also referenced Psalm 16:11.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cYou will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.\u201d (NLT)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>What a nugget of joy to find this! Even after all these years, God continues to use her to do His work! This book my mom gave as a gift to all of us\u00a0continues to give in unexpected ways!<\/p>\n<p>God graciously\u00a0has\u00a0given us another week, and my prayer is this:\u00a0\u201cMay Your spirit comfort others through me this week. May I never turn my head to those who suffer and grieve but use me instead to be a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Resources<\/h3>\n<p>Scripture References: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians+4%3A13&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philippians 4:13<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm+16%3A11&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Psalm 16:11<\/a>. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biblegateway.com<\/a> for complete passages of Scripture and available study tools.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about Beth Moore by visiting her <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lproof.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>. Also follow this link to purchase the book,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Voices-Faithful-Inspiring-Stories-Christians\/dp\/0849946247\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Voices of the Faithful<\/a>, from Amazon.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long after the pretty wrappings and ribbons are gone, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[caption id=\"attachment_8078\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"800\"]<img class=\"wp-image-8078 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/sandiherron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/faithful-main-800x350c.jpg\" alt=\"Giving the Gift That Lasts - Living a Life for Others\" width=\"800\" height=\"350\"> Giving the Gift That Lasts - Living a Life for Others[\/caption]\n\nA book is a gift that keeps \"giving\" long after the pretty wrappings and ribbons are gone. It is no surprise to my family to find a book of some type under the tree for them each year at Christmas. And they usually discover something else, such as cash or gift cards, tucked inside the pages of the books I give.\n<h3>Giving a Gift in the Midst of Heartache<\/h3>\nI am a book-lover, also known as a bookworm! I am always ready to discuss the latest book I am reading or one&nbsp;I consider worthy of sharing. During a recent conversation with a friend, we discussed \"Voices of the Faithful,\" a book compiled by Kim P. Davis that includes inspirational stories&nbsp;by Beth Moore and friends. It is one of my favorite devotional books for many reasons, but one is because it was a gift my mother gave to each of&nbsp;our family on her last Christmas with us in 2007.\n\nIn mid-December of&nbsp;2007,&nbsp;my mom was diagnosed&nbsp;with late-stage pancreatic cancer. As Christmas approached, all tests indicated this would be her last&nbsp;holiday with her family. After reading portions of \"Voices of the Faithful,\" my mom had me purchase copies of the book&nbsp;for her to give as gifts to our family. She wrote a message to&nbsp;the recipient on the inside front cover&nbsp;of&nbsp;each book and also included her life Scripture. Her life Scripture is Philippians 4:13, \"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.\" (NLT)\n\nRealizing that this book would also be a perfect gift for my mom who loved devotional books, I&nbsp;purchased a copy as a gift from me to her. Inside the front cover, I wrote the words, \u201cTo my mother, the strongest and most faithful woman I know!\u201d She indeed showed her faith to all of us during her entire life but, especially, during the short weeks after her diagnosis&nbsp;and before her death.\n<h3>The&nbsp;Gift That Continues To Give<\/h3>\nAfter my mother passed away in February of 2008, I kept both books; the one she gave me and the one I gave to her. After the discussion about the devotional book with my friend, I decided to use it once again for my evening prayer time. I retrieved it from the library shelf, and as I opened the book, I realized the copy I chose to read from was the one I gave to my mom. It was placed on the library shelf after she passed away, and since that time, no one had opened this book to read from it.\n\nI turned to the page she had bookmarked, which would have been the last page she read. The prayer at the end of the page reads like this: \u201cGod of all comfort, I praise You that You bring hope in the midst of trials. Thank You for the many times You have comforted me. May Your spirit comfort others through me this week. May I never turn my head to those who suffer and grieve but use me instead to be a friend.\u201d Amen.\n\nWritten on the bookmark holding her place in the book was my mom's name, and whoever wrote her name also referenced Psalm 16:11.\n\n<em>\u201cYou will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.\u201d (NLT)<\/em>\n\nWhat a nugget of joy to find this! Even after all these years, God continues to use her to do His work! This book my mom gave as a gift to all of us&nbsp;continues to give in unexpected ways!\n\nGod graciously&nbsp;has&nbsp;given us another week, and my prayer is this:&nbsp;\u201cMay Your spirit comfort others through me this week. May I never turn my head to those who suffer and grieve but use me instead to be a friend.\u201d\n<h3>Resources<\/h3>\nScripture References: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians+4%3A13&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philippians 4:13<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm+16%3A11&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Psalm 16:11<\/a>. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biblegateway.com<\/a> for complete passages of Scripture and available study tools.\n\nLearn more about Beth Moore by visiting her <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lproof.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>. Also follow this link to purchase the book,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Voices-Faithful-Inspiring-Stories-Christians\/dp\/0849946247\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Voices of the Faithful<\/a>, from Amazon.\n\n&nbsp;","_et_gb_content_width":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[270,77,333,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dailyinspire","category-family","category-feature-current","category-notes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Giving the Gift That Lasts - Living a Life for Others<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A book is a gift that keeps &quot;giving&quot; long after the pretty wrappings and ribbons are gone. 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