Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a day that is filled with thankfulness for the season the Lord has you in. Today is Donut Day and Al will be off to Men’s group. When he gets back, I go for my therapy and later we have Bible Study. In between I am wrapping gifts and sending cards etc.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I have been reading from Ecclesiastes lately and love to think on King Solomon’s examples of how to live a rich life. You are probably familiar with the first verses of chapter 3 as he writes of “ a right time for birth and another for death, a right time to plant and another to reap, a right time to kill and another to heal, a right time to destroy and another to construct, a right time to cry and another to laugh, a right time to lament and another to cheer, a right time to make love and another to abstain, a right time to search and another to count your losses, a right time to hold on and another to let go, a right time to rip out and another to mend, a right time to shut up and another to speak up, a right time to love and another to hate, a right time to wage war and another to make peace.”

I read what author Eugene Peterson had to say about these verses as they are not opposites that are contradictory but rather what real life is all about as God puts together. Everything that happens is part of God’s time so then it is the right time, whether it be now to cry and then later to laugh, He is with us in both times of sorrow and joy. Now if you are like me, I would prefer to have the good times rather than times of suffering, but God is with us in each of those times. If we leave Him out of either one of those times, we miss the closeness of His presence and what He may be teaching us.

Let us not exclude certain times in our lives for they may be significant in our growth and maturity. We need both. God is with us in times of health or times of suffering. Lately I have had to pay more attention to my health and getting treatment each week. I can say I am learning things I was not aware of before and have greater empathy for others who have chronic conditions and live in pain. God is also with us when we are working as well in our leisure and if we look forward so much to the time we won’t have to work, we miss what He is teaching us daily in our work. May we be in the season God has us in right this minute and grow closer to Him.

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for the season you are in today and thank the Lord for what He is teaching you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy