Author Archives: PollyRheaHarper

Many find it funny to say, “It is so hard to be humble!” That is no joking matter. The more we recognize the strength in humility, the more we crave it. Maybe it is a gift; I don’t know. If not, it absolutely is rewarding to all parties when we exercise it. In reality, itContinue reading “Can We Practice Humility?”

“You is Smart!  You is Kind!  You is Important!” Those were the words of a child in “The Help” movie. How simple, yet significant! If our self-confidence went no further, we could have major influence on our friends and family. Even beyond these thoughts, there is extraordinary wisdom and instruction throughout the Holy Scripture. WhenContinue reading “Who Am I And Where Am I Going?”

Recently a leadership coach explained how the first interview with a client began. He looked the person in the eyes and said to them, your first assignment is to write your own obituary! WOW, I can imagine how that 21-year old felt and reacted. Anyone would have re-acted about the same. It was a testContinue reading “Your First Assignment is to Write Your Own Obituary!”

Life unexpectedly gives us such a gift as Jesus demonstrated. Rare as it is; I can testify that it is possible. The loss of my friend, Judy, yesterday has my heart tenderized. She and I trusted God to heal our friendship after roommate troubles over forty years ago. There were four of us, but theContinue reading “Unconditional Love, My Friend!”

Our name becomes our family legacy. It is often repeated to offspring as first names in addition. But outside those obvious family ties, our name is remembered mostly by how we lived our lives. We are thought of because of the success we accomplished and by how much money we earned or accumulated. Unfortunately, thatContinue reading “What’s In a Name?”

Short Story by Polly Rhea Harper July 2013 Banquet With Gabriel is a short story I wrote in July 2013. From that moment on I called it a ‘Divine Moment’. It is one of those little surprises that we cherish and never forget as a random act of kindness. It was another last minute mealContinue reading “Banquet With Gabriel”

Long hot summers leave us longing for a foot of snow outside. Well, maybe not all of us! In my childhood our family doctor told me never to make snow ice cream after the first fall of snow. He seemed to be saying that it purifies the air lurking around us. Okay, so if thereContinue reading “Fresh Scent After the Rain”

How excited we are when we expand our vision and experience to interact with more and more people with a deeper capacity. Personally, I fear that my exuberance over the love of others does damage to the One that makes it possible in the first place. Without a deep understanding and guidance of the SpiritContinue reading “Is Our Growth Deep or Wide?”

“Today is the first day of the rest of my life.” I heard this multiple times more than fifty years ago. How little I knew about life and my future at the time. There is a more recent saying that hovers over my subconscious mind often. It is a saying my cousin preaches from theContinue reading “Am I Living a Life of Purpose Today?”

All of us experience a variety of despair and discouragement. Do we learn from them or are we forever repeating the same struggle or asking the same prayer as we repeat them? Why does God keep allowing so many trials in my life; we ask ourselves? Certainly, we are sincere when we claim that weContinue reading “Why Does God Keep Allowing So Many Trials in My Life?”

Be bold in our witnesses, always in love It earns us the right to share our faith Be open from our own hearts It causes others to feel safe to share in return Be sincere in our interests It will make us more believable Be transparent in our methods It establishes trustworthiness Be honest inContinue reading “Guiding Principles to Follow”

Shadows are impossible without light. Does your life radiate so much light that it casts a shadow on others you meet? Instantly with some people I am aware of negative attitudes and bad habits when together, even briefly. Sometimes, I avoid reaching out to them because their presence reveals my insecurities and emotional handicaps. SometimesContinue reading “His Light is Effective and Eternal.”

Bouquets are so much more splendid when they have a variety of flowers and colors in the arrangement. Even when roses are the only variation, most Florists add white Baby’s-breath and greenery for beauty. Similarly our lives can be enhanced by different personalities, gender, nationalities and races. It is nice to have an array ofContinue reading “What a Blessing that God Created Us As One of a Kind.”

How would you describe an open-minded person? Would it be someone with a blank mind that lets any and everything occupy their cerebral space? Or would it be someone who has exercised their brain so much that more cells are active to judge what enters and have the ability to cast out the damaging thoughtsContinue reading “You Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Make You Free.”

Do our lives have purpose? How do we know? Does everything we do just accidentally happen to us or do we strive to reach a goal that benefits others or our Creator? Surely our immediate reward is greater when our purpose extends outside ourselves. Certainly our eternal purpose awaits greater rewards. We can blend togetherContinue reading “We Can Blend Together for a Purpose When We Include Others In Our Plans.”