Taking time!

I get caught up and to busy sometimes and I miss out on the really good stuff. By the good stuff... I mean- laughter, smiles, fun, and spending time with the people I love the most. Moments and memories can be gone before we know it. Those are things that you can't get back. This weekend has been unforgetable. I was blessed by getting to hang out with four very important people this weekend. Four amazing young woman who I am proud to call my daughters. Thanks for being exactly who you are!

Encouragement

When do you feel like you need the most encouragement? Sometimes we go through our daily lives and feel like we are unloved and unnoticed. But God is watching and He sees what we are doing and loves us every step of the way. He offers us encouragement in so many ways. His word is a wonderful source of uplifting, loving, and soothing encouragement. Paul talks about this very thing in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, he says; May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and hope which we don't deserve, comfort your hearts with all comfort, and help you in every good thing you say and do. We can depend on God to lift us up when we need it the most. Romans 15:5 directs us to live in harmony with others, to have a Christ like attitude toward others, and then we can praise the Lord together in one voice. As God fills our hearts with His love we are in turn to share that love. In other words we are to share the encouragement God gives us with people around us. We are to lift each other up. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father is there when I need Him the most. I know that He will never leave me and will always love me. What a gift He has given us!

The gift of forgiveness.

I love the idea that when we ask God for forgiveness he grants us that gift. He does not hold a grudge and allows us a fresh start. A clean slate. He does not keep me trapped in the past expecting me to prove to Him that I have changed or that I really meant it when I said that I was sorry. I know that God expects me to have Christ like behavior. To treat others as I would like to be treated. It is very hard to let go and give someone a new start. It's difficult to let our guard down. But how can we know for sure if things have changed if we continue to find that person guilty based on assumption or past experience.

God has a purpose for us. He started the story in Genesis and you can find out what happens at the end in the book of Revelation. I find great comfort knowing that He has a plan. He created a wonderful, glorious world from darkness. I thank God for His gifts. The gift of sunshine as you gaze at the sky at the end of a rainy day. The strong smell of pine as you stand among the trees in a forest. The feel of cold clean snow as it falls from the sky. The cry of a newborn baby as it enters the world reassuring us of life. The feeling of warmness that spreads over your heart when someone you love hugs you. God is generous in His love for us. I stand amazed at the glory of His love for me.