Hope

What a wonderful word hope is. The dictionary says: expect, trust, anticipate, wish, look forward to. There are so many things in life to be excited about, but walking with the Lord is the most exciting. My OT life verse is Isaiah 40:31(NIV): "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I'm full of hope - expecting, trusting, anticipating, wishing, and looking forward to the great things God has in store. This morning we sang "I Can Only Imagine" which is one of my favorites - I actually light up and feel like my soul is soaring. (I'm sure I'm levitating - just no one on earth can see it. Some of our worship team told me this morning that when we sing this song they have to look at me - they say my face just shows I'm soaring.) It is with hope that I look forward to being in God's presence in Heaven - worshipping Him, loving Him, and enjoying time with Him - "will I dance for You, Jesus? Or in awe of You be still?" God is awesome and it is with HOPE (trust, anticipation, etc.) that I look forward to what God has planned for me tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that! Hope in the Lord and walk with Him daily - there is nothing greater in life - He is life...

Joy

September has been a busy month. It's almost over already. Every day holds some joy for each of us - we just have to be looking for it and recognize it. Some things that have given me joy this month have been: time with my hubby enjoying the countryside, taking pics of barns and fields, seeing the dedication of Ashley to follow God's leading, time with my kids and grandbabies, time with friends, and enjoying God's creation. One day, Nutty (a squirrel in our backyard), came up and sat on the window ledge. I could only see his tail. I said Nutty, look at me and he did. I told him he made me happy just watching him, he looked for a couple of seconds and then off he ran. (Nutty and I have an unusual bond - we give each other joy). John and I were on our way home from church one evening and we topped the hill to see a beautiful sunset. It was as if God had taken a brush and every so softly put in a whisp of a cloud here and there - so light, so airy. The sunset was beautiful with its orange and golden hues, warm, light, but not to bright. It gave me great joy to see the sunset. The colors God has used to paint the earth are magnificent - boundless joy.

Difficulties

Sometimes life is difficult. There are things that happen or don't happen that are hard to understand. Sometimes you just want to run away, but the problems will still be there. It seems stress is a constant in this day and time. It is not always easy to cope with stress. I'm a half glass full type of person and I like to solve problems. There are problems I can't solve. Things I can't change even if I really want to. The only solution left is to trust in God - wait upon the Lord. I recently read that if we don't understand why things are happening the way they are, it's because we don't know all there is to know. Only God knows and He has it under control. Once again, I'm reminded that I must surrender to Him. Pray that I will be able to faithfully surrender myself to Christ...