I was so excited to see this beautiful maple tree with the sun setting behind it while sitting and studying recently. It got me thinking, though — the tree had to lose all of its leaves, all of its beauty, in preparation for one of the harshest weather changes of the year: winter. After winter, though, the tree is rejuvenated and refreshed, ready for another batch of lush leaves. This was an interesting reminder for me that the hardships we endure are not the end of the story. God will walk beside us, working with us, in us, and through us. That is the beauty of the situation. The beauty…

I am out of words this week, and I do not know how to elaborate upon this valuable concept. I know it is important to remember that God is in control, so I wanted to remind you that he has a plan, even when it feels like we are surrounded by darkness. I think the best way to do that this week is to share some verses with you. Please, enjoy these verses of encouragement about God overcoming the power of darkness. He is in control! Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have…

Yesterday, I went boating with my family, and it started to downpour on the river! It was so much fun, and rather humorous, to see the water filling the boat from the rain! After this, though, the most beautiful rainbow appeared in the cloudy sky! Its painted color stripped elegantly across the sky reminded me that God is truly in control! I find it ironic and completely God’s provision that, during the year that we are all saying we are struggling the most, God is showing us the most rainbows I can remember in a lifetime! We cannot forget that God is in control! Beyond just rainbows, though, I absolutely…

So often, we forget that our God is living and active! I think we get so consumed with ourselves, our own lives, that we forget the God that gave us these blessings. If we were truly to take a step back and realize what God provides for us each day, I have full confidence we would be thrown in awe! Who provides the air you breathe? Who provides the ground you walk on? Who provides the people you love? Who provides the money you need? Who provides the food in your pantry? Who provides your car to get you from point A to point B? Who provides your clothes to…

Recently, I had a conversation with someone regarding talents and skill-sets. It made me really think for a few moments. God gave each person a very unique set of skills to fulfill the plan that he has set for them. I think that, oftentimes, we are self-degrading. We look at our talents, our skills, and our fortes as less important than the people around us. We long for the abilities of our friends, family or neighbors. We forget, though, that God gave us each the skill we need to fulfill the plan he has for us. He has a plan for our neighbor, and that requires the skills he gave…

I have full confidence that God has a plan through all the surrounding circumstances. It may hurt to have God peeling back the comfort of what we know, but I believe that it is when we are uncomfortable with our circumstances that we can be comfortable resting in God. There are so many opportunities around us to be a witness to a hurting world. The people around us that do not know the truth of who Christ is are so lost, and they need hope. We need to open our eyes, step out of our comfort zone, and be okay with admitting that everything is not “okay”. We need to…

God is not leading us in circles; I promise. Our God has a plan. Even amidst the chaos of the world and the noise around us, we need to lean on our Savior. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11; English Standard Version; Crossway, Student Study Bible

We sing it over and over again, nearly every time we sing a worship song, I am sure. We hear it in Church, in our homes, and in our personal lives. It is one of those “Christian phrases” that never ceases to get bounced around, but never gets more than a single thought. Well, right now, you have a second. Think about it: God is your PROVIDER. What does that mean? Does it mean that God will give you anything you want? Does it mean God will relieve you from your current situation? Does it mean God knows what you want, and gives it to you? Does it mean God…

Recently, this week, I had a wonderful opportunity, but it required stepping out in faith. If I did not trust God, but instead trusted my fears, then I would have missed a great opportunity to meet and fellowship with other believers. I was strongly convicted by what one of these believers said about new experiences. They said that, often, when we have time to think about something, we let the stress build up because we consider all the possible issues. This is so true, but also so wrong of us to do because we should allow our trust to be in God, not in what we can control. God controls…

This week is one that marks a lot of change for me, for a number of reasons. So many things seem to be changing, and I know I am not the only one that is struggling with this idea of “change”. So many people I have spoken to recently have commented about their struggles in so many aspects of their lives. We have all agreed that life seems to be crumbling. The wonderful part about that, though, is that life is beautiful because it is a gift. You see, each day that we wake up is given to us by God. We need to remember that we don’t deserve any…