My husband and I had the pleasure of spending part of yesterday with our granddaughter as she spent the night with us. Food, Wii bowling, TV, and visiting occupied our time. When I went to turn down her bed in the guest room, there under the comforter was Ruff-Ruff, her stuffed animal that has been with her most of her life. This almost 13-yr-old was thrilled because she had thought the special toy was lost since she hadn’t been able to find it at home. He had been waiting for her to return to the room and bed where she had left him on her last visit.

This reminds me that our Heavenly Father is also waiting for some of us to return to Him. Have you wandered away? Do you need to go back to a time when He was a part of your life? He’s waiting.

God bless – Sue

Good morning, all. It’s Monday and I’m thankful for a new week and the sunshine streaming through the window. The grass is green, daffodils are blooming, and I feel encouraged with a whole week in front of me. What will I or we (my husband and I) choose to do? What will you choose to do with the hours and days that have been given to you?

As a retiree, I have the ability to choose the activities in my day, since I don’t have a work-week ahead of me. In reality, though, we all have choices in how we choose to spend our “free” time. I find myself busy with church activities and Bible study leadership, family activities, and occasional travel. After the last two years of restrictions, I feel blessed. When I consider the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, I feel guilty. Some of my time this week will be spent in prayer for all those experiencing warfare conditions. I ask you to join me in seeking God’s mercy on the people in this situation.

Use your week wisely – it’s time we won’t get back. God bless.

Sue

Good morning, I think. 💤

It’s early on the first day of Daylight Savings time, and I went to bed too late. Coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, and I need to leave in a couple hours for church. I am “springing forward” the day after snow came down from the sky with temperatures dropping over 40°.

I don’t feel very springy for a variety of reasons. What about you? Are you feeling weary and weighed down with two plus years of illness, news of warfare in Ukraine, everyday struggles, and family issues? You’re not alone. Life for many has gotten very challenging. It’s tempting to not even try to count our blessings, but let me encourage you to do so. I have much for which to be thankful – hopefully you do too. If you have a roof over your head, heat, food, clothes, a working vehicle, job, etc., you are blessed compared to many others. Let’s try to be a blessing to others in these difficult days. We are blessed to be a blessing. Spring foward!

Once a month my small church conducts a drive-thru food pantry to benefit those who need help for their families. We give them bags of non-perishable groceries and whatever else has been collected through our resources – yesterday it was socks and gloves. The cars come by and volunteers speak to the people inside, offering food choices, an invitation to our worship service, and asking if they have any prayer needs. Most of our visitors are grateful for the offer of prayer and tell us of illnesses, wayward children, or losses of jobs and loved ones. Many people we meet are broken, physically and spiritually. In the midst of all the uncertainty this world is currently offering, they are adrift without an anchor.

I’m sure your neighborhood has the same needs as the one surrounding my church. People are hurting and they need encouragement. More than that, they need a Savior, the One who cares for them. Share Him today.

God bless – Sue

I’m awakening to news of increasing tensions on the Ukraine/Russia border, a second winter storming approaching our area within a week, continuing political unrest within our country, and updates on more hospitalizations and deaths among people I know or have been asked to lift in prayer. The challenges continue as life as we knew it is still gone two years after it went missing. Many people are really struggling with losses, especially of loved ones. A scripture – Isaiah 57:1-2 – that I read today on one of my devotion sites speaks directly to those questions we have when struggling with the heartache of losing someone.

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I have actually had the thought over the past couple of years that I’m glad the family members who I’ve lost over the years are not alive to see what is happening to our country and the world. I am relieved that they are at peace with the Lord. For those walking day by day under heavy loads of grief, I hope my thoughts, these verses, help. God bless.