Hope

You have to love Spring...flowers beginning to poke up out of the ground, grass starting to green in spots and the anticipation of Easter Sunday. No matter what the state of the economy... or the world in general...how blessed we are that Jesus Christ chose to die on the cross so that we might have a way back to heaven one day.
This year especially, most of us have experienced some hard times one way or another. With the mortgage crisis, lost jobs, the price of groceries, etc. there certainly is much to pray about. Thinking about it all, I was still excited for the opportunities before us. Much is learned through the adversities of life that can be used along the way to help others as well as ourselves.
With having to cut back on entertainment and travel, we are discovering our families again. The chance to actually sit down together for supper without the noise and distractions you find in a restaurant is such an eye-opener. Give it a try and discover what goes on in the head of your teenager or get a view of the world through the eyes of a 5 year old....much better than our view I can assure you. Turn off the news one night and set up a board game or puzzle on you dining table and spend the evening listening to some upbeat music. Read a story from a Children's Bible.....very easy for anyone to understand. Perhaps plant a small vegetable garden ...even in an apartment you can plant tomatoes, pole beans, small fruit trees and others crops in just a few pots on your deck or patio. It's great fun and helps with the grocery bill as well.
Yep, I am excited for Spring.......for the opportunity to "pull (ourselves) up by our bootstraps", to lean further into the Lord, to our prayer life, lifting our lives, our nation and it's leaders up and watch what what God is going to do.
I would love to hear some other ideas of how we can enjoy the time we have on this sometimes crazy journey. Will you share a thought or two with us?

Until next time.....
Carol