Dear Ones,
Happy weekend and hope you are keeping warm. So glad it is not as cold as yesterday and is warmin up. I did food prep this morning and went to our Women’s Bible study at church. This afternoon grandson Joe is coming and Ann will take in the Rock show.  
Devotions from Judy’s heart
God Sees! I woke in the night with that simple phrase, God sees! He knows everything and His eye is always on us. He doesn’t miss a thing! When going through times of testing, which happens to us every day, it is a comfort to know that He is watching us and encouraging us to keep on and not to give up.
I’m sure we have all had instances when a close friend or family member knew we were going through a hard time and gave us that knowing look. No words were even necessary but the look told us they understood and were standing with us; it told us everything. Especially when going through sorrow, it is often the look of compassion that ministers most deeply to us.
One mom wrote how of how she was aware that God was looking at her, and often through the day, she just lifts her head upward and smiles at the Lord. You might want to do that too.
Each one of us is given a unique set of circumstances and challenges in life, and we need others to cheer us on. Knowing Jesus is always there to do that, helps us embrace our trials and give us endurance.  Jesus’ brother, James, writes that we should consider it a gift when tests come to us. He says in James 1:3-4 (Message), “You know under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
When testing comes, we may get angry or feel sorry for ourselves at first; but rather than complain, we can seek to know what He is trying to teach us through it. We must remember that the Lord sees and knows how much we can take and won’t give us any more than we can handle with His grace. So let us look for His words of encouragement and His look of compassion, and not ever, ever give up!
Challenge for today: Periodically through the day, thank the Lord that He sees you!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy