ear Ones,
Hope your day is full of sunshine! I just finished making cookies for our grandkids and soon going to my exercise class. This afternoon is craft time and then soup supper and Lenten service. Easter is coming soon! A full rich day!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  We are a culture that wants things now and become impatient when we have to wait. We want immediate attention and things done quickly. But that is not always God’s way for often the work He is doing in us now is teaching and preparing us for something in the far-off future.
   Think of Joseph who was a favored child and had hard lessons to learn, who spent time in a pit, later in prison, and then as a prison guard; finally, he was made a ruler of Egypt and second only to Pharaoh after his preparation time. Then there was David who must have learned so much as a shepherd boy alone with his sheep and protecting them with his life against bears and lions. That also must have come in handy when he faced Goliath or was running from Saul.
   We all can think back on our own lives and thank the Lord for things He took us through to prepare us for what He had next for us. When I was a nanny for my aunt’s family, we often had company and I worked side by side with my aunt in preparation. I followed her directions as we worked quickly together and she also had me plan games for the parties. So much of what I learned from her was a help when I became a pastor’s wife and had to entertain and plan parties for the council, youth etc. When we were in the midst of a challenging time in one of our churches, I may have wondered what I was to gain from it; but it was perfect preparation for helping those pastors and wives who came to Canaan’s Rest for healing.
   It’s important we pay attention to what God is teaching us through the circumstances in our lives now and not try to rush through. In fact, we can even be thankful while going through those times; and like Paul said to the Christians in Philippi, may it be also said of us, “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.: (Phil. 1:6).
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to teach you through the circumstances in your life right now.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy