If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31-32 NIV

When our son was very young, a painful rejection crushed him. And like most moms, when my child hurts, I hurt. I took the matter to God, and He brought these words to mind: I’m for Brant.

God didn’t tell me why He allowed my son to suffer this blow. But He assured me He was for Brant.

When my son asked why this had happened, I honestly told him I didn’t know. But I knew God was for him and had allowed this for his good. Every time my heart ached for my son, I reminded myself, God is for my son.

Decades have passed, and I still don’t know why Brant suffered that injustice. I can’t say I’ve seen the benefit. But I believe God wouldn’t have allowed it if it weren’t important for my son’s growth. And my son has grown into a caring man who is in tune with others—especially those in pain.

 “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

In Numbers 22, the king of the Moabites commissioned a prophet named Balaam to curse Israel. Ironically, every time Balaam opened his mouth to spew curses—blessings flowed on God’s people.

In Genesis, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. He suffered years of slavery and imprisonment. Later God exalted him to rule under Pharaoh. Many years later, Joseph’s brothers come to him in need of food. They trembled to learn the brother they’d mistreated now held the power of life and death over them.

Yet, look at Joseph’s assessment of his suffering:

“Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve this present end, the survival of many people” (Gen. 50:20, NASB).

God had been with Joseph—in slavery and in prison. And He had worked all the injustices together for Joseph’s and Israel’s good. And for our good. For from Israel came Jesus!

God had been with Joseph in slavery and in prison. He had worked all the injustices together for Joseph's and Israel’s good. And for our good. For from Israel came Jesus! @DebbieWWilson #RechargeWednesday, #hope
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God Is for You

In what area do you feel overwhelmed, defeated, betrayed, or alone? Where do you need an infusion of hope? Is it in your—

• Health?
• Marriage?
• Career?
• Finances?
• Parenting?
• Relationships?
• Habits?
• Abilities?
• Understanding?
• Energy?

God understands. That’s why He sent Jesus. “God is for you. He is with you. He supplies all you need!”

Romans 8:31 doesn’t mean people and problems won’t assault us. It means that since God is for us nothing can squash His goodwill for us. Faith in this promise buffers us against life’s inevitable challenges.

God gave you His most precious gift when He sent Jesus. In Him we have everything we need (Psalm 23:1; 2 Peter 1:3).

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV).

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“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'” (Luke 2:10)

Most of the time, we’re waiting on good news of some kind. We’re checking our inboxes, hoping for the call or the text, and scrolling our social media feeds. Maybe we’re waiting on something monumental, or perhaps just a little happy moment.

What good news are you waiting for?

The announcement of a milestone moment in a loved one’s life? The baby to be born? The job offer or promotion? A notification from the airline that the price dropped and now you can afford that vacation? Amazon to say the package has arrived?

Sometimes we wait for a long time for a particular piece of good news. Other times we don’t realize we were waiting until the moment arrives and we feel realize we’ve switched from anticipation to rejoicing.

When Jesus came, people like Anna and Simeon who had been waiting a long time rejoiced in the promise at last come true. Others, like the Shepherds, were struck with surprise.

But the good news was good for all, and it still is.

Whatever good news we’re waiting for or will simply rejoice in when it’s announced, it’s just a small taste of the good news declared on the first Christmas.

We call good news “good” when it:

• Meets a desire or need
• Changes something for the better
• Gives us hope for the future

Considering the criteria, Jesus is the ultimate good news!

Jesus is the ultimate good news!
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His promises and presence meet our deepest desires and needs. His life, death, and resurrection changed everything for the better, making the way for us to have a personal relationship with God. Jesus gives us such hope for the future that whatever we struggle with today, we can look ahead with courage and anticipation that all will be good in the end.

The good news of Jesus can change how we wait today.

Thinking about some good news I’m hoping and praying for lately, the good news of great joy announced back in Bethlehem changes how I wait. I don’t have to wait cynically, because my greatest needs and desires are already met in Christ. If it seems nothing is changing for the better, I can trust God is making everything new in the everlasting way that matters most. Maybe the future looks scary and challenging to me, but what’s guaranteed in Christ is worth rejoicing in!

How about you? When you consider the good news of Christ, how does the way you wait for other good news change?

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Hang in there. Nothing is impossible with God.

That means that when there is no way, He makes one.

Have you ever been in a life-size maze? It’s a little terrifying. Every turn you make could be a dead end. Each decision could have you traveling for a long time, lost and without direction. If the maze has multiple exits, you don’t even have a way of knowing which one will be your end.

If that’s a metaphor for life, God is the one in the watchtower. He is the coach who can see ahead to the destination that is the best, that you probably don’t even know exists.

Imagine that. It’s difficult, right?

When we hear phrases like these, they often seem nebulous:

•  Trust in God
•  Have faith
•  Follow Christ
•  Wait on Him

The God behind these statements isn’t so obscure.

When we trust in Him, we’re trusting in Him who knows all things. Our faith is in the same Jesus who we know as a personal savior and friend. Like any good friend, He wants to help you navigate the course. The difference is that He can do so perfectly.

As you follow Christ, remember that He ensures your righteous end. More than just your end, however, He was there from the beginning. The God who made the seasons and is absolutely sovereign is the one walking you through this season.

He is the giver of all good things. From the very breath you draw to your most reassured memories and relationships, you have God to thank. Each and every surprise is known and planned by that God.

The light and the way –the two things we look for when we are lost and can see no opportunity ahead- these are Christ. The Christ who sent a helper in the Holy Spirit to be with us. The same God we call to and rely on.

Believe Him as He says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

You may not be able to see much that’s hopeful ahead, but you don’t need the whole picture or a map of the shifting maze to know all will be well in Christ. You have the maker of everything directing your way –as He makes it!

One day, that opportunity that you couldn’t see yet will be what you are living through because He saw it and He knew how to get you there in His timing, to His glory.

(A Version of This Post Was Previously Published Here)

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Moses met with God there.

The Samaritans and Jews argued over which one people should worship on.

People have called them holy.

Jesus went up them to pray.

We marvel at photos of them, take vacations to climb them, and even use them in reference to the best points of our lives.

Called “mountaintop experiences,” we see ascending to the highest heights we can reach as arriving at the pinnacles of life. It’s there we feel close to the Lord and immensely blessed. Mountaintop experiences tend to fan the flame in our hearts and energize us. They feel like an achievement and a reward all in one.

But what’s so special about a mountaintop? 

I think it’s the view.

What's so special about a mountaintop? I think it's the view...
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When perched on a mountaintop, we look out over the valleys. From up high, they’re beautiful. All the gullies, forests, desserts, roads, and rivers we struggled to ford and forge look small and surmountable. They’re wonderfully placed, textures in a scene hand-drawn by God.

From up high, we feel a bit like we get to glimpse of God’s perspective.

“From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” –Psalm 33:13-15

Looking down from on high, we get to watch as the Lord does. We can peer into others’ lives, into grander plans, to see how all the lows of life are glorious to behold when they are etched out on the landscape of the Lord.

The perspective gives us pause to consider what all the valleys are for and how beautiful the walk of faith is. We get a peek into how life works, and how marvelous His design is. The distance reminds us of the One who is forming the terrain of this world and human hearts still.

Our view from a mountaintop reveals that God is, indeed, making all things new.

Our view from a mountaintop reveals that God is, indeed, making all things new.
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As we trudge through the lowlands, our feet fixed on a path ever moving upward. Let’s take heart in that fact.

The God who made the mountain and its panoramic view is making us in the valleys too. May that be a comfort and joy to you as the new year begins!

The God who made the mountain and its panoramic view is making us in the valleys too.
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{A version of this post was previously published here}

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LINK UP is open! For this year's last #Linkup, my friend @BethanyMcIlrath shares a beautiful post about life's valleys from God's perspective. Join us and share your blog!
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Even when we let go, Christ our anchor’s hold is still strong. We’re still in His grip when we lose our own.
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Likewise, as we lean into the hard and heavy, forging our way along a difficult path, we’re often reaching out to see if God is there with us.

But He, in fact, goes before us, with us, and behind us.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” –Deuteronomy 31:8

“For the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” -Isaiah 52:12

If the Lord will never leave us, then indeed we are not alone. We are not forsaken by our anchor or abandoned by our guide along the unknown path. Our light will not go out nor will our protector fail to have the victory in the end.

It’s so easy to look upon the goodness and the kindness of the Lord in wonder, and miss that the things He kindly does for us are not dependent on us.

This isn’t an excuse to live flippantly or to believe that the Lord will reward us for taking advantage of His grace. But it certainly is a comfort, and a shift in perspective we often need when we feel like we just have to try harder or hold on tighter.

“Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

-2 Timothy 2:11-13

Amy Carmichael once described that when the going was rough, the trouble “was His burden not mine. It was He who was asking me to share it with Him, not I who was asking Him to share it with me.”

Sweet relief.

The nature of our God is compassionate. Loving. Hopeful. Gracious. Merciful. Kind. Stable. Steady.
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In all that you and I grasp at and cling to, just trying to hold on, we can know that we will not be abandoned or put to shame. We can be certain that we will never be lost, even when we lose hold.

We are held by one who does not let go, even when we do. Praise the Lord!

{A version of this post was originally published here}

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Every little thing adds up and sometimes the day just feels overwhelming.

Every little thing adds up and sometimes the day just feels overwhelming. @BethanyMcIlrath
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You too?

Here’s some hope from the only One who can take it all:

1. Today Isn’t Too Much

“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.”

–Deuteronomy 30:11

This is a verse I recite regularly, a truth we all need when it feels like everything is too much and too hard. The only things we really need to do are feasible. The only checks on our to-do list of eternal importance are attainable.

What is it the Lord has commanded today? To “turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.” That’s our whole necessary to-do list, and it’s not too much.

By the grace of God, it takes one moment of surrender to define the rest of our day. Just a simple priority on HIM above all else makes living a worthwhile day today right within reach.

By the grace of God, it takes one moment of surrender to define the rest of our day @BethanyMcIlrath
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2. Today Won’t be Too Little

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” –Psalm 90:12

In believing that the Lord works all things together for good, we also believe that God does not waste (Romans 8:28.) Numbering our days means adopting that same perspective. It means recognizing that each day, no matter how frustrating or tedious, has value according to the Lord…so today isn’t just another day. It’s a day fresh with God’s mercies and purposes.

3. Today is Enough

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34

If today has enough trouble of its own, then that means what’s at hand is enough to fill our whole capacity of concern. But read the verse that comes first, before that blessed “therefore.”

Seek ye first. Friends, if we are seeking Him first then despite the fact that today will have its troubles, we don’t have to worry at all. Because the troubles of today aren’t keeping us from seeking Him.

As I understand it, my shorthand for these verses is:

Enough trouble for today means enough reasons to seek and rely on God today.

Enough trouble for today means enough reasons to seek and rely on God today. @BethanyMcIlrath
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We don’t need extra reasons. What He’s asked for and will provide today will be sufficient for our needs.

No need to get ahead on your to-do list. No rush to fit everything in. There will be time if there needs to be, because everything has its time and season in the Lord’s order.

What verses give you a fresh perspective when you are overwhelmed?

<A version of this post originally appeared here.>

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Why, yes. Yes, there is! And we have access to front-row-seat tickets.

Yet, I’m not talking about things or situations we attribute to the phrase, “It was heaven on earth.” Such as food, trips, or any experience we feel was heaven-like.

We are so limited in what we imagine for heaven. It’s much bigger and carries more awe than we realize.

A New Heaven and Earth

But the new heaven and earth will one day replace this fallen world we live in.

Look at how it’s all described in Revelation 21:

“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Verses 1-5, NIV).

How wonderful this is what we have to look forward to. Still, in the present, there are moments of heaven touching earth and touching our lives.

Moments of Heaven Touching Earth

1) Look around and look up—often. We may never know what God desires to rain down from heaven unless we remain aware, looking for it…looking for Jesus.

2) Engage in our life and in prayer. Who knows what is waiting behind the veil of heaven ready to pour over us until we ask. And ask on a regular basis.

Heavenly Father, oh how I need an outpouring from heaven in this situation, today, this hour, this moment in time. In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

3) Be present in the present. Showing up in our loved one’s lives both physically and emotionally. Showing up at church, at work, in ministry, with our neighbors and friends. We carry a piece of heaven’s real estate, sealed by the Holy Spirit, as a promise of new life.

4) Act as Jesus with skin. That’s a sure-fire way to see glimpses of heaven. Model Christ to our family and friends, to the downcast, wayward—anyone without hope.

A surefire way to see glimpses of heaven on earth. Be Jesus with skin to others. @FridayKaren #Jesus #heaven
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5) Abide in God’s presence. Both worship and God’s Word instill in us the riches of heaven. We are a walking billboard: “The same God who reigns in heaven, lives and reigns in me.

We are a walking billboard: The same God who reigns in heaven, lives and reigns in me. @FridayKaren #heaven
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Bringing Pieces of Heaven to Earth

Want to bring the hope of heaven, Jesus Christ, to this world? Grab ahold of true hope, the anchor for our souls. Living in such a manner that others ask where to find it. And then lead them to the cross and an empty tomb and a risen Savior.

Want to see the mercy of heaven displayed in living color? Access God’s mercies, new every morning and then dispense mercy to others without limitation or hesitation.

Want to encounter the goodness of heaven as we dwell on this earth? Allow the Spirit to lead us, crucifying our flesh. The Spirit grows the fruit of goodness in us, pointing others to a good Father in heaven (See Galatians 5:16-24).

Want heaven’s love-factor brought down to our daily lives? Walk in God’s ways and His love. Refresh our minds with the unconditional love of 1 Corinthians 13. Since we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Acts of real love for our fellow man is one of the greatest manifestations of heaven on earth.

So, you see, we’re already citizens of heaven.

And we hold front-row-seat tickets to heaven on earth.

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Join @FridayKaren to discover how we are not only citizens of heaven, but we also have access to front-row-seat tickets for heaven on earth. Link up is open! Share your blog. #heaven
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As I open the garage door, I gaze at the front yard, where our very own dogwood tree welcomes me home, its first blooms cheering my winter-struck flower bed.

Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love the fall, with its magnificent, colorful forests and crisp cool air after the scorching summer months, but there’s something about spring that makes my heart sing for joy.

After a long, dreadful winter, when nature dies and rests in complacent abandon, the first blooms remind me that there’s an end for every sorrow… and there’s hope in every trial.
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I find it important to create visual reminders of God’s grace in our lives. Symbols often anchor our hearts in truths which are usually shadowed by our troubles. As we go through the dreadful winters of death of a loved one, unemployment, loneliness or sickness, it is so very hard to keep our focus beyond our circumstances. The blooming of dogwood trees in spring has become one of those symbols to me: a reminder to keep my focus in check, each time I’m going through a shadowy valley.

‘”No pain lasts forever,” the blooms sing to me. God is always at work, birthing new joys when we think all hope is gone.

The wise King Solomon put it this way: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance (…)” Ecclesiastes 3:4

I can’t compare other people’s sufferings with my own, but I’ve certainly had my share of troubles. I’ve gone through many health problems, including cancer. I’ve lost a loved one in a tragic accident. We’ve lost a lot of money in a business venture. We’ve experienced unemployment and the financial burden that it brings to a family. I’ve experienced the emptiness and loneliness that followed my separation from family and friends when I moved to America.

Life has certainly not always been a bed of thornless roses. But as I look past each trouble I’ve faced, this truth stands out, larger than anything I’ve ever endured:

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Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning - Psalm 30:5
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This truth, proclaimed by King David, who certainly knew hardship and pain, has been repeatedly tested and proven in my life:

God has always provided me with the grace needed to endure each testing – if only I would choose to look up to Him, instead of fixing my eyes on my fleeting circumstances.
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I look at the picture we took almost nine years ago in front of our dogwood tree and I can’t help but smile.

At the time we planted it, the tree was but a small, puny green shrub, dwarfed by the weight of our troubles. I was pregnant with our second daughter when we planted it. We had just lost an unthinkable amount of money in a business venture. We had no idea how we would make it with a toddler and a baby. The dogwood tree peeks from behind us in the picture, and today it’s as if I hear it say:

“Keep your focus on God, Holbrook family! This too shall pass. Just as you’ll watch me grow and bloom, one day you’ll realize it – God was pruning your character, strengthening and preparing you for a new chapter, in which the sorrows of the long and restless night are but a shadow compared to the beauty and strength that He’ll bring forth. If only you trust and obey Him.”

Twelve years have passed since that Spring, a time when my husband and I had to chose not to lean on our own understanding, but tell our hearts to believe and trust our faithful God. Our dogwood bush grew into a beautiful, tall and strong tree.

Much like our faith.

As I write these words today, I can look out my office window and see my blooming tree, standing as a faithful reminder that my God has repeatedly breathed new life through my veins after each dreary winter of my soul. His faithfulness is everlasting. His love is overpowering.

He is faithful, Winter-Weary Soul. He is faithful! Your Spring shall come! Tell your fickle, hurting heart… to believe!

The post A Promise for the Winter-Weary Soul… appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

He loves me. He loves me not. 

I plucked the white daisy petals, deciding the outcome of my childhood crush.

Years later during a Sunday church service, daisies on my dress stirred those memories as I waited for my pastor-husband Mike to call me to the platform. He’d asked me to share the long journey of praying for my father to come to Christ. First we watched the Billy Graham video, Hope for America—a Message of the Cross.

While I waited for my cue, the white-and-yellow daisies on a background of black seemed to blossom on my dress. The Lord put an image in my heart of plucking flower petals, representing a young girl’s hope for love. 

The image conveyed a message. Hope comes from the kind of love that went to the cross. 

Hope comes from the kind of love that went to the cross. @FridayKaren #hope #love
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He Loves Me Not

As a young girl, I longed for love—especially from a father. For a few years in childhood, my father was absent from my life, his love absent from my heart.

Starting in childhood we form beliefs about love. Beliefs about God often shape what we think about love. There may be unbelief in God’s existence. Or we may believe there’s a God but form wrong thoughts about His character and love.

God is...

• watching our every move, ready to bust us for every wrong turn and slap us with condemnation.
• like our earthly father who abandoned us physically or emotionally—perhaps both.
• a God who does not love us…a God we cannot count on.

God’s Love

You see, abandonment confused my notions on love. And I wasn’t sure what I thought about God. 

When my dad came back, I spent every other weekend with him. A self-proclaimed atheist, he often said, “People think there’s a God, but there isn’t.”

Yet, my mother introduced me and my twin sister to truths about God by taking us to a small-town church in Virginia. At sixteen, when I became a Christ-follower, I found the kind of love missing from my life. I became a daughter of the Most High God…my heavenly Father.

So, I started praying for my earthly father to not only believe in God, but to also accept Christ as Lord. Though I prayed fervently, I found it hard to visualize my father coming to Christ. He seemed unreachable with God’s love.

Sill, I knew Scripture confirmed, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 NLT) 

And I knew, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

When I prayed, inserting my father’s full name into these Scriptures, they became promises of hope. Believable promises opening my faith eyes. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

Finally, sixteen years later, my father accepted the message of the cross. A message of hope. He realized God existed—a God who loved him.

He Loves Me

Eight years ago my father passed away five days before Christmas. The holidays that year were bittersweet. My family would not be going to his home for our traditional Christmas night Mexican feast.

A lover of spicy food, he started the tradition knowing that by Christmas night, his kids and grandchildren were ready for a change from the usual holiday foods.

Yet, my father now celebrated with a his own feast in heaven. A sweet image.

God is not the earthly pictures we so often paint. But, there is a God. He is love. Love originated with Him and from Him. He loves us. God’s love is not conditional on anything we do or don’t do.

God's love is not conditional on anything we do or don't do. @FridayKaren #unconditional #love
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And His love is not based on some whimsical hope of the last flower petal landing on “He loves me.”

Instead, there’s a message forever ingrained on my heart. The hope of true love is found in the cross.

Plucking petals from a flower, we can never say about God, “He loves me not.”

It is always, “He loves me, He loves me. He loves me. He love me.”

He loves you!

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They line up the streets as I enter my subdivision.  A festival of white and pink bloom, cheerful reminders of warmer and brighter days to come. I utter a prayer of thanksgiving – spring has sprung! After a dreary winter, I can finally walk outside and breathe in the beauty of God’s colorful majesty.  As I open the garage door, I gaze at the front yard, where our very own dogwood tree welcomes me home, its first blooms cheering my winter-struck flower bed.

Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love the fall, with its magnificent, colorful forests and crisp cool air after the scorching summer months, but there’s something about spring that makes my heart sing for joy. After a long, dreadful winter, when nature dies and rests in complacent abandon, the first blooms remind me that there’s an end for every sorrow… and there’s hope in every trial.

I find it important to create visual reminders of God’s grace in our lives. Symbols often anchor our hearts in truths which are usually shadowed by our troubles. As we go through the dreadful winters of death of a loved one, unemployment, loneliness or sickness, it is so very hard to keep our focus beyond our circumstances. The blooming of dogwood trees in spring has become one of those symbols to me: a reminder to keep my focus in check, each time I’m going through a shadowy valley. No pain lasts forever, the blooms remind me. God is always at work, birthing new joys when we think all hope is gone.

I can’t and won’t compare other people’s sufferings with my own, but I’ve certainly had my share of troubles. I’ve gone through many health problems, including cancer. I’ve lost a loved one in a tragic accident. We’ve lost a lot of money in a business venture. My husband was unemployment for eighteen months in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. I’ve experienced the emptiness and loneliness that followed my separation from family and friends when I moved to America.

Life has certainly not always been a bed of thornless roses. But as I look past each trouble I’ve faced, this fact stands out, larger than anything I’ve ever endured: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” This truth, extracted from one of King David’s psalms, has been repeatedly tested and proven in my life. God has always provided me with the grace needed to endure each testing – if only I would choose to look up to him, instead of fixing my eyes on my fleeting circumstances.

I look at the picture we took almost nine years ago in front of our dogwood tree and I can’t help but smile. At the time we planted it, the tree was but a small, puny green shrub, dwarfed by the weight of our troubles. I was pregnant with our second daughter. We had just lost an unthinkable amount of money in a business venture. We had no idea how we would make it with a toddler and a baby. The dogwood tree peeks from behind us in the picture, and today it’s as if I hear it say: “keep your focus on God. This too shall pass. Just as you’ll watch me grow and bloom, one day you’ll realize it – God was pruning your character, strengthening and preparing you for a new chapter, in which the sorrows of the long and restless night are but a shadow compared to the beauty and strength that he’ll bring forth. If only you trust and obey him.”

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