It's March.
And it's still stormy, cloudy, cold, and dreary.
BUT...
The sun is starting to come out today!!
And the temperature is rising!!!
The flowers will be blooming soon and the birds are going to be nesting.
We have a large number of birds I feed on our back porch, mainly Cardinals.
They are gorgeous. But they will start barking soon. Yes, barking.
They love dog food!!!
And with the sun creeping out from behind the clouds, I wanted to share some light and bright things with you all. I hope the winter snows and storms are beginning to subside where you are.
(Unless you're my friend Melanie in Australia!!! : )
With the storms and cold of this past winter, I've been thinking about times in my past when the storms of life seem to be never ending.
I was told once that when you're in the valley of the shadows, that SOMETHING has to be there to make the shadows....LIGHT! So instead of concentrating on the dark and shadows, turn around and look at the LIGHT. The ONE Who is the LIGHT is Christ.
Wise words.
But His promises are for those who obey Him. Who walk uprightly.
And we can only do that through His Son, Jesus.
Jesus Who died on the cross, was buried, and Who rose again the 3rd day.
I was a child when I first heard of Jesus, and was told Bible stories that I remember to this day.
But I was an adult before I realized that Jesus dying on the cross had a purpose...
for ME! He died in my place to take MY sin on Himself.
I don't have to pay that penalty now. It's been paid by HIM.
God gave me FAITH to believe that!!! It's a gift from HIM.
Ask Him for faith to believe.
You can't muster it up in yourself.
I'm reminded as I look at the clouds still thick in the sky as the sun breaks through that the sun is ALWAYS there...there are times we just can't see it. And yet there are times during the thick clouds that the sun breaks through and there is beautiful light!
How like our Lord to give us pictures all around us of the way He works!
And He cares about the littlest thing. The birds that I feed...He knows about each of them.
The things that you are concerned about...He know them too.
And when the threads of our life start to unravel, or get tangled, He is there:
He is there to take them from us, and to make them into something beautiful!
Each of us has a history, each of us has a past.
We are none of us perfect, and we have no perfect family.
We tend to dwell on our past, to try to bring back the good times, instead of looking at our future and making it worth while. My past is nothing compared to what God is doing in my future!
I don't know about tomorrow, He alone knows what it is.
There is a hymn I love...the last words are these:
"But I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand."
To you my friends who have come alongside of me and brightened my days, I dedicate this post.
My Lord and Savior alone is my Pearl of Great Price, but I see each of my friends as precious pearls or jewels along life's way to make each day beautiful in special ways.
My prayer for each of you is that Jesus be your Savior.
Pray for Him to be just that.
He gives beauty for ashes and makes all things new.
Praise Him for His wonderful grace!!
Blessings,
Doni
