November 21, 2020

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend! Hope you are staying well and at peace. This morning I studied and made Al’s favorite cookies. I can’t share them downstairs as we aren’t allowed to meet now. This afternoon may include a hop over to Kohl’s.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We may not realize the blessings we miss when we think negatively or hang on to our past.  I read an article by Lysa TerKeurst who had a painful childhood as her father left their family when she was a young girl. She lived with her aunt for almost a year when things were falling apart. She tells about her aunt’s beautiful rose garden and the rule that she was not to run through it. But one day the thought of those petals just sailing in the air with their fragrance got the best of her and she took a run through the roses. She quickly came to a halt as thorns pierced her legs and blood began pouring down. She felt like that was a picture of her life that had handed her thorns and she was having a hard time seeing the beauty of the roses. Jesus said in Luke 8:14 (God’s Word), “The seeds that were planted among thornbushes are people who hear the word, but as life goes on, the worries, riches, and pleasures of life choke them. So they don’t produce anything good.” Lysa had a choice to make in her life if she would focus on the worries and thorns in her life or the beauty of a flower that would one day be seen. She could dwell on her father’s absence and all the negatives or she could let go and know that God would work it for good in her life. She still hasn’t heard from her dad in 25 years but she is not letting the absence of her dad be her focus. Although she acknowledges the negative,  she is dwelling on the beauty of the roses and letting the word take root in her. Just before I read Lysa’s writing, a friend e-mailed of some devastating circumstances in her life. Right now, it’s hard to catch the scent of the roses and seems like the thorns are choking out the beauty of her garden, but one day she will see and smell the beautiful scent. What about us? Do we trust the Lord when we feel like we have been pricked and are bleeding? Let us let go of the negative and remember that one day we will see beauty that was all the while taking place in our transformation process.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to show you any area that you are focusing on the thorns and to help you smell the roses.