Good morning Y'all!!! I hope and pray that wherever Y'all are this morning that you are trusting in the Lord for this day. With what has been going on and is still going on in the world, it's hard to have a lot of encouragement, but if you know Jesus, you should be encouraged. The days are still tough, but not as tough as they would without HOPE. Our hope is in the Lord.
I just wanted to share a little story with y'all and hopefully it will give you some encouragement.
Years ago, at a country church I was a member of, there was an encourager. An encourager who not only spoke of encouragement, but he lived it out. This was before I was married, so probably 42-43 years ago. There was a pretty large young adult group. When Training Union was over each Sunday night, we would all meet back in the sanctuary and sometimes there would be a little informal talking. Sharing testimony. One particular night, this gentleman turned around in his pew and just started talking, mainly to the young people.
He spoke about a time when he was younger. He was farming at the time and had eaten breakfast and got out to the field. It was a particularly hot day and he was just about done plowing the field and something broke on his old tractor. He just so happened to break down near a tree. So he was stewing and fretting about what needed to be done. The more he stewed and fretted, the angrier he got. He didn't have what it took to fix the tractor and he said he finally got to the point of actually cursing out loud. He said in the midst of the cursing he felt the power of the Holy Spirit and his cursing turned to singing. He actually told us that it's impossible to curse God and sing Amazing Grace in the same breath. He said he finally leaned up against the tree and shed a few tears and sang and praised God for a little while. He got his head straight and his heart straight and and in that time, he actually fixed his tractor.
He said that was a turning point for him. There are always 2 actions or reactions to each situation. It was an encouraging moment for him to realize that calmer heads prevail and when we praise God thru it, it will work out. There may some some loss of time in the process, but even time can be redeemed.
So, when things feel hard and they are right now. We can either curse the time or praise God thru it. Right about now, I think some have been cursing the time in which we live, me included. But, I do believe that praising God when maybe we haven't been accustomed to praising Him would be a wonderful way to redeem this time. We may not have an encouraging support system, but scripture is full of encouragement. Life is full of encouragement. Even time is full of encouragement.
So, as the days grow longer we are faced with 2 options discouragement or encouragement. I try to choose encouragement and remember that nothing happens without God knowing about it. If you know someone who needs a little encouragement, be an encourager to them. We can do anything with the help of Jesus Christ!! He is our Helper. That is in scripture.
With this being Memorial Weekend, this was one of the things that I thought of that might be a little encouraging to some who need it, me included.
If you need more encouragement, read about Joshua in the Bible. God encouraged him time and time again.
I pray that you are all staying safe and healthy. I know a lot of people are thumbing their noses at the requests to wear masks and social distance, but I am taking it seriously. I love my husband. I love my Momma and I love my family. So, I know if I stay away from places, I won't be coming in contact with something that could potentially be fatal to me or someone I love. If that's stupid, it certainly won't be the first time I've been accused of that and I'm not concerned about what others think anyway. As a Christ follower, I try to put the needs of others before my own needs, so I want to keep people safe from me anyway.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a story and give some encouragement for the days ahead. They may be long nights ahead, but "joy comes in the morning"!!!
Remember that you are never alone and that God loves you. I pray for peace and comfort to be your headrest. hugs and love and prayers for better days ahead, soon. be blessed, patty
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