Devotions from Judy’s heart

How important it is to keep our eyes upward on the Lord and not downcast on the situations we may be in. One morning, Al said, did you know one of the light bulbs is out in our dining area light fixture? I had not noticed and don’t know how long it had been that way, as I had not looked up. Sometimes we may get so downcast by the unavoidable hard  circumstances we are in ,that we miss His help and strengthening presence.  We have been told that we would suffer, that we would go through hard times as His followers and these are times when our faith can shine forth.  If we accept suffering for His sake and give it up to him, He can work good from it and we can grow in our faith.
As Sarah Young said in Jesus Calling, “Accept adversity in My Name, offering it up to Me for My purposes. Thus, your suffering gains meaning and draws you closer to Me. Joy emerges from the ashes of adversity through your trust and thankfulness.”  Maybe one day we will get to the place where we can look up and thank Him for an especially difficult  time, even if we aren’t quite there yet!