Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend to you! The snow is quickly melting again and hoping spring is around the corner. This morning I made bars and we went to Costco to pick up the birthday cake. This afternoon we have our monthly birthday party here so need to set up for that. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all experience loss throughout our life and sometimes it seems like we have lost everything. At such times tears seem to flow endlessly and we wonder will we ever recover; will we ever feel happy again? I know it must feel that way for a friend who has lost her husband and dad and have two other loved ones who are struggling to recover.
Recently, I read Jennifer Maggio’s devotion who felt she lost everything. She got a call at 3:30 in the morning that she needed to get out of her house immediately as her neighborhood was flooding. It took her only 20 minutes to load her car and get out during the Great Louisiana Flood of 2016. Everything was gone, and she had to fight Satan’s lies that God had left her too.  She felt hopeless.            
The Apostle Paul experienced so many trials, so many losses and yet he said in II Cor. 4:8-9 (Message),  “We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.”                                                                            Yes, we need to grieve our losses and take all the time needed for them to heal but let us never believe Satan’s lies that God has left us. No, He is right there with us, even when we are not able to feel His presence. We can’t base truth on feelings that come and go, but on what Jesus said in the Word. It helps to defeat the enemies’ lies with scripture for he is out to destroy us and rob us of our joy and hope.                                                                                                                                                                                             Today if we feel all alone and that we have lost everything important to us, let us pray the prayer that Jennifer prayed:                                                                                                “Lord, I’ll just be honest: I feel like everything good has been taken from me. And I feel like You’ve let it happen. Can I admit that to You? Thank you for being big enough to handle all my fears, angers, and uncertainties.                                                            
Lord, thank you for this truth: I am afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, struck down but not destroyed.                                                              
  Lord, help me- give me Your Spirit, help me know Your goodness even in the midst of this pain. Help me out of this pit, Lord, and onto steady ground. Thank You, God for never leaving me. Help me only have hope in you. In Jesus’ Name,                            Challenge for today: Sit quietly in God’s presence and let Him comfort you with His love.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy