Annie’s Journal
by Annie Warner Donnelly
June 29, 2025
Hello Everyone. We were created to love one another. Is that something you believe? Earlier in my life, there were many instances when I felt that I was facing a harsh world alone. Raised in a home that didn’t value a curious child, that didn’t understand the value of God’s wisdom and the comfort of His love, left a yearning inside me. Harsh, unkind words accompanied my days. I found no love in them. Might that have happened to you or to someone you know?
If we say that we are Christians, then we are who Jesus called “the light of the world”. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus went on to say, “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Over a hundred years ago, American writer, Ellen G. White wrote, “True character is not shaped from without, and put on; it radiates from within … our profession of faith may proclaim the theory of religion, but it is our practical piety that holds forth the word of truth. The consistent life, the holy conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active, benevolent (unselfish) spirit, the Godly example – these are the mediums through which light is conveyed.” (Desire of Ages, page 307)
Personal piety can be described as our practical application of God’s love expressed in joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control and our ability to forgive and be forgiven.
Who needs that from us today? Whose life can we brighten by the light that comes through our smiles, our kind words, our genuine interest in their life?
If we’re going through a hard time just now, who do we know that has that ability to brighten our world just by being present in our lives?
Jesus does. He stands at our door and knocks. We only need to invite Him in. Amen