Category: Uncategorized

Anyone who knows me, realizes that I am all about Hallmark channel movies love stories & mysteries. They usually all have the same type of ending but it is so much fun to see how the characters get to that point. There was a particular 2018, based on a true story, movie called “A Godwink Christmas,” that I watched and loved this last Christmas. The character was minding her own business traveling and all of a sudden, a whole set of events led to a different outcome than she was focused on. Some were good but there were also some very difficult things that happened to her.

The movie starts out with the definition of Godwink: “an event or personal experience often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a prayer.”  Wow, have you ever had times in your life when things have not gone as you expected and thru a series of events, your life ended up being for the best for you and your future? I have had several, but will share one with you today.

When my husband and I lost our home to foreclosure, my husband felt like all we could afford was a trailer. There are several nice areas in our home town that house trailers. Now, I want to say here, I have nothing against living in a trailer or the people who live in trailers. But I did not feel this was the best option for us as most of them have steps and my husband was not able to maneuver steps. I just did not feel that was the right option for us.  But anyway, he started looking up trailers for sale in our price range. He knew I had always dreamed of living by a lake or some type of body of water and he found one by a little pond in a nice trailer park. We went and looked at it, even had my parents come up and look at it. The living room had a bay window where I could “see” our Christmas tree sitting. One of the bedrooms floor was a bit “soft” but I knew my dad could fix anything and he could figure out something. I started getting excited! My husband called to make an offer on it only to find out it had been sold that morning to someone else. I was discouraged but my husband kept looking and found another one, in the same area and if you looked out one of the bedroom windows just right you could still see the pond. We went and looked at it. It had a fireplace in the living room and I started trying to “picture” us living there. It sat on a corner lot and had a ramp to get into the door. We decided, when we got home, to call the person who had it up for sale and make an offer. We went out the door opposite of the road and were walking around the side of the yard next to the road. We were headed to our car and a car stopped and a lady rolled down her window. She asked us if we were going to put an offer on this trailer. We told her yes and what she did and said next is what I consider a Godwink moment from my life. She said she was from out of town and she and her friend were there to visit a relative that lived in this park. She said she was the original owner of this trailer that had been moved to this lot about twenty years before. She said the man who was selling this trailer was a swindler and don’t believe anything he said. She said they always had trouble with the roof leaking, no matter how many times they had fixed it. Since the trailer did not have any other trailers behind it and it also sat on a hill facing the north, that every winter the pipes froze and burst causing them to spend a lot of money to repair them every year! She rolled up her window and drove away. My husband and I just stood there in disbelief, not saying a word, watching her drive away from us. We left never speaking about what had just happened and he immediately started looking at duplexes to rent. The one we found was really nice and on a corner lot so our grandkids could come over and run around in the yard. And the best part was, it had no stairs or steps to get in or out of the duplex. That is where we lived until my husband’s death about three years later.

What are the odds of all that happening to lead to what ended up being the best for our future? Originally loosing our home to foreclosure was good, even though I felt so defeated and sad at the time. After my husband’s death, I did not have to make costly repairs and go through the tedious process of selling it. Our yard was big there and when I was young, I could mow and take care of a big yard, but getting older I would not have been able to care for it. The same with a trailer. My kids and I would have had to fix it up and wait for it to sell before I could move. Renting a duplex, I was released from the contract. My kids could see that I needed to leave that duplex where so many sad things had happened. They started looking for me a home to buy, weeding out the ones that they knew were not good for me or I would not like. They settled on about four homes that were in the right price range. Each one of them decided on the one that they thought I would choose. But they agreed to not tell each other which one until I had made my decision.  I went with them to see the ones they had chosen. As soon as I walked into my present home, I felt at home. I did not have to take care of a big yard or worry about snow removal. I felt protected by my husband somehow. I felt like he would have been so happy that I found such a nice, safe home. The funny thing is, this was the one each one of my kids had thought I would like!

In the Hallmark movie, the main characters aunt, told her several things I want to share with you and some thoughts that came to my mind when I think of Godwink moments. She said sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith when the difficult times come (like losing my home to foreclosure, disappointments with giving bid on trailer and finally my husband’s death) or the big decisions that we don’t know what to do (like finding just the right home for me to move to after his death.) When difficult times come or difficult decisions have to be made, we have to see things in a different light-a different mindset. We need to reach up to God in prayer from the very beginning when we have something major happening in our lives. God does not speak to us out loud like He did to old testament characters like Moses from a burning bush or when he received the ten commandments. (Exodus 3 & Exodus 20) But God “winks” at us in our everyday happenings. We read the Bible and have it so embedding within our hearts when troubling times-decisions have to be made, that we can push away all the negativity and weed through the confusion. God gets our attention when we don’t understand why things are happening to us or when things don’t happen the way we think they should. God leads us to the right path-the path He has for our lives-the path that is the best one. The path we need to take in order to fulfill His purposes for us!

 Look back at your life and think how things have happened just in the right order, at the right time-the right moment (even though at the time it did not feel like it), but it was actually for the ultimate good for your life.

Psalm 18:28-30 reads “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

When your life does not go as you think it should or have planned, consider that God is “winking” at you and He is in control for your ultimate good. And next Christmas, look up “A Godwink Christmas.” You will be glad you did!

Till next time!                                                  Keela

SNOW SNAKES

My husband was a letter carrier for 27 years before having to retire with disability because of his deteriorating health. During the time he was delivering mail, he wrote an article for the church newsletter called “Snow Snakes.” Because of this crazy winter we have had, the snow reminded me of this article. I will quote the first two paragraphs of his writing and then put my spin on his subject of snow snakes.

Larry wrote “Most of you reading this article have probably never heard of snow snakes let alone actually having seen them. I was in that same situation until about 35 years ago. Let me assure you they are real. I have seen and encountered several in the time since then. They, on rare occasions, can be deadly. Mostly when you come in contact with them it results in a painful experience. As the name implies, they reside in the snow. Not just any snow. There has to be an amount of snow for them to cone out. A light dusting will never result in finding them. Once you have two or more inches of snow, you have the perfect conditions for you to come in contact with snow snakes. They never come to the surface of the snow, but lay buried in the snow. They prefer to be in the deepest part of the snow. They can be anywhere but usually are found in areas where grass grows in the summer time.

I first heard about and came in contact with snow snakes the first winter I was a letter carrier. Having been hired in the month of November I did not have long to wait for the first major snowfall. The morning of that snowfall I was told by the old-timers to watch out for the snow snakes. I thought they were just pulling my leg. To my surprise they weren’t joking. I soon came face to face with my first snow snake. Luckily being young I avoided any harm from this first snake. I was not nearly as lucky in future occasions. As a result of these snow snakes I have had painful swelling in my ankles and knees. These are the most likely places to bear the attack of a snow snake.”

The fact that these snow snakes are so sneaky (say that three times in a row!) made me think about a verse in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.”  Out in the wild, the lion waits to sneak up on its victim and attacks when they least expect it. The lion waits patiently until he finds a prey that is weak and vulnerable.

Years ago, when my daughter was about 8, I took her and her friend to the zoo. I always loved going and seeing all the animals and getting the reactions from my kids. Well, this particular day we had seen the elephants, the monkeys and were headed for the lion’s cage. When we got there the “mommy” lion was laying on a rock sunning and watching her three cubs running around playing with each other. My daughter said, “I wonder where the “daddy” lion is.” About that time, we heard some ferocious roaring coming from behind the rocks (I was sure glad those bars were there!) and here came the lion strutting his stuff. He paced back and forth and roared, looking at the people gathered in front of the cage. All of a sudden, he stopped and looked at us, turned his rear end to the bars, raised his tail and shot ….! Well, you can guess what he shot! For some reason, my body jerked into action and I pushed my daughter and friend one way and I jumped the other. Needless to say, some of the “liquid” splashed on my daughter. The look on my daughter’s face was priceless! Somewhere between being shocked and mortified. I was laughing so hard, tears were running down my face, as we made our way to the restroom to clean up. When we came out of the restroom, you can be sure we headed in the opposite way from the lion’s cage!

That is exactly how the devil attacks us. He is always watchful, ready to attack us when we least expect it: times when we are feeling low because a loved one has died or we are feeling painful and laying in bed with a sickness; times that we just don’t have enough money to pay the bills and buy food for our family; times that we have seen a movie that had scenes we should not have watched or words that we have become calloused to; times that it is easier to take a drink of alcohol or inject drugs into our system because life is too hard to face right now. The devil can sneak into our minds, even before we realize it. There are times at church or when I am praying, that all of a sudden, I realize I am thinking about something else instead! Even in times that we are focused on doing good or spending time with our God, we have to be on the alert. We have to be vigilant or alert, to the spiritual pitfalls of life and take appropriate steps to make certain we do not fall to his cunning tricks of deceit! Ephesians 6:10-13 reads “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  This scripture goes on to say what parts of spiritual armor we should put on in order to be able to fight the forces of evil that war against us every day. The parts of armor listed are: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet with gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the only offensive part is the sword the word of God. We have to always be aware and we must keep the scriptures so embedded within our hearts that we can defend ourselves when evil does come to pull us away from what we know that God wants us to do or be.

So, you are wondering, what does all I just talked about, have to do with the snow snakes, that my husband had written about and what in the world are these snow snakes? A snow snake is a garden hose that has been left out in the winter and when covered up with snow, is just waiting for you to get tangled up in and fall. My husband fell quite a few times trudging through the snow to deliver mail and got tangled up in that hose and fell flat, without warning. That is so true in our lives. Life can hit us hard, make us fall, because the devil is always waiting for us to come along, stumble and fall. He is ready when we are at our weakest to take us down a dark path instead of always following the path that is full of light with God’s love.

Be always watchful! Lion’s are sneaky, they can raise their tail and “shoot” at you without warning. And, as in the case of the snow snakes, can make you stumble and fall! So next time you are at the zoo, don’t stand too close to the lion’s cage! And when you are out walking or playing out in the snow, watch out for those “snow snakes!”

Till next time!                                                     Keela

ORDINARY MIRACLES

Several years ago, when my brother was living in California, he would always come home for Christmas. I remember that one year, we actually had some alone time, just him and me. Very rare was it that we got to steal alone time. We did spur of the moment things. We went to a favorite bookstore of mine and did some other shopping in the same area. We went to a local restaurant and ate cheesecake. Then, we went and saw a movie. Not just any movie but “Charlottes Web.” I am sure it looked strange for a 40-year-old man and a 50 something year old woman, going to see what is characterized as a children’s movie! My brother had always liked that book as a child and had always wanted to see the movie. So, like a big sister should do, I took him to see it.

The main song of the movie is “Ordinary Miracles” by Sarah McLachlan. Some of the lyrics say “…it is not unusual when everything is beautiful…it seems so exceptional that things work out after all…life is like a gift, they say wrapped up for you every day open up and find a way to give some of your own…the sky knows when it is time to snow…don’t need to teach a seed to grow…sun comes up and shines so bright and disappears again at night.”  The song is telling us that everyday wonders of nature are given to us by God, for us to enjoy. These are the day to day ordinary miracles we see. There is no need for actual miracles like Jesus and his apostles used in Bible times because we have everyday happenings and everyday wonders of nature and life. We are told in the New Testament, that miracles ceased when their purpose here on earth ceased. (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) Miracles are supernatural happenings, beyond nature, signs that helped the early Christians to believe in Jesus. John 20:30-31 reads “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”  The Christians in New Testament times had always gone by the laws of the Old Testament and here they were to believe that they were to follow the new laws Jesus and the apostles was teaching them. These miracles or signs were used to help these Christians to believe that Jesus was truly the Son of God and they were to follow His teachings. There are so many miracles that were done in the Old and New Testament to illustrate this. In Joshua the 10^th chapter, we read about the sun standing still. In John the 2^nd chapter, we read of Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine. These happenings were beyond nature. These miracles were not a normal part of what nature or life hands us every day. There are many more examples of miracles throughout the Bible. Today, we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit who helps us to understand the words that are spoken in the Bible. Through the Spirit, we have faith or belief that Jesus was really here on this earth and that He will fulfill His promise of an eternal life in heaven for us one day.

Several years ago, my dryer quit and my neighbor let me use her clothes line to hang out my clothes. One morning early, I had a load I needed to hang on the line. The dew was still on the grass and the sun was shining so brilliantly. As I got to the line, I almost ran into a huge cobweb. Usually this would have “freaked” me out and I would have run screaming back into my house, but this time, there was no spider to be found. Whew! The sun and the dew were making the cobweb just shimmer! It amazed me at how intricate the cobweb was. In the movie my brother and I saw, there is a scene when the spider, Charlotte, is making a web. She weaves up and down and around in circles, hanging by a thread of the web. How in the world does a spider have that much “thread” in that little body? Is that a miracle? Well, the answer is no, it is an ordinary happening-just an ordinary miracle. A day to day reminder from God that He is who He says He is.

It is amazing the technology that we have today! We wonder at the 3D images of a baby in the womb. We can see their little noses, count how many fingers and toes they have, the sex of the child, sometimes they are even sucking their thumbs! How can people today say that this is not a living human being-an innocent child? Are the intricate details of a baby in the womb a miracle? No, it is one of those every day, ordinary miracles!

While visiting my daughter, whose husband is in the Navy, we went to the ocean. I remember the powerful waves coming into shore, but yet the sound of them is so calming. I could feel peace within the power. Is the fact that these waves come up onto the beach a miracle? No. God once again is showing His power and the peace we can find in every day happenings, ordinary miracles.

Have you ever thought about the seasons? How fall, winter, spring & summer are always in the same order? Is that a miracle? No, it is every year happening, an ordinary miracle. There are so many other examples I could give. But the point here is that God does not have to use miracles today like He did in Bible times to help the people believe in Him. We are blessed today to have the words in the Bible and all of the ordinary miracles of nature and life that we witness each and every day.

So, the next time you start taking the ordinary happenings of each day or the ordinary beauty of nature for granted, stop and remember who has given those things to you. Stop your hectic life for a moment, take a deep breath and remember who gave these ordinary miracles to you. Thank Him and remember He is always surrounding us with the proof of His existence.  Psalm 143:5 reads “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I ponder the work of Your hands.”  Believe, have faith, in His power to work in our lives by all of the ordinary miracles we experience in each moment of each day! And by the way, watch out for those cobwebs. But when you do see one, look at the intricate details of the web and marvel at the greatness of God! Thank you, God, for the ordinary “miracles” we see each day!

Till next time!                                                     Keela

PATCHWORK LIVES

Sitting in that room with so many other sad faces, did not feel real. It was something that I had tried so hard to fix so we would not have to go to bankruptcy court. Because of medical bills, my husband, our attorney and I sat waiting to go into court. There were different ages present. Some had little children, others had canes. So many dreams dashed! Our son had taken us because it was downtown Kansas City and I have never been good about driving in that area with so many one-way streets. I remember sitting in his backseat and then in that room with all those people, feeling defeated-heart broken-embarrassed-so tired. What a sad dark memory!

On the other hand, I recently flew to meet my new granddaughter! What an amazing time her brothers, sister and I had. We played games, read books, played barbies, tickled and snuggled! On the plane trip there, I remember looking out the window and the landscape looked just like a patchwork quilt. The farmland was in squares and rectangles, showing the outline of their properties. Some of the squares and rectangles were dark, probably because of so many trees. Some of them were a lighter color and then there were some that just glistened in the sunlight. So many different shapes and colors, all beautifully intertwined to make an amazing picture from above.

My grandmother was an amazing seamstress making so many beautiful quilts! She created her quilts originally not for the beauty of them, but rather for warmth for her family to keep them protected from the cold. My mother had so many of those intricately designed quilts. Each one a different pattern, so colorful and so beautiful.  My grandmother created a special quilt for my one and only cousin, Keena, and I when we got married. (not the two of us, of course, but to our husbands ha!) She created bonnet girls holding an umbrella. She used old pieces of our mother’s dresses and used them to make the intricate details. Some of the material is made of dark colors, some are pinks and purples, and then some are bright red and beautifully patterned! When my mother passed away, my family got to have several of these quilts to cherish. I remember holding them close trying to cherish their warmth and love that she had sewn into them. One particular quilt was signed by all the women who were sitting at that quilt frame at that time. There are names of women I remember my grandmother talking about and of course, my grandmothers signature written in that patchwork thread. What amazing creations that will live forever thru the generations to hold close and feel the love my grandmother had put into them.

Our lives are like those fields and the patchwork quilts my grandmother made. We have dark days like I described above. Days that we remember with heartache. We would like to forget them, but they are engraved within our hearts and minds, threatening to bring us down and make us feel hopeless. Then, there are the days that are normal. Days that we go along with our normal routine. Days that nothing our of the ordinary happens. We are just living life the best we can. Then, there are overwhelmingly amazing days! I remember the day I got married with so much joy. The day my children and grandchildren were born. In 2018, I was blessed with a new granddaughter and a new great-granddaughter. (That can happen, when your oldest and youngest are ten years apart!) I always remember when I get to the airport and am walking down a long hallway, what joy to see my grandchildren running towards me calling Nana, Nana! What days of happiness and joy!

All these days create, our life story. We have dark days. We have normal days. We have bright happy days. These all create the patchwork of our lives. God helps us through the dark times to put one step in front of the other. He holds us up when we do not think we can take anything happening to us and it is all trying to knock us down. God is by our side when our normal days happen. Days like today when we are doing the laundry, changing another diaper, reading our daily devotion or driving to work. Then He is with us during those joyful days. Giving us sunshine for our journey on this earth!

God weaves all of these types of days into the “patchwork” of our lives. He uses us, through those days, to work for His purposes for us on this earth. Romans 8:28 reads “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to all those who are called according to His purpose.” Paul, the author of this New Testament book, was telling the Christians that all of the trials they were facing, God was using them for their final good and for the purposes that God had for each Christian. Our trials, our normal days, our happy days, work together to form our future, where we will spend eternity. Our dark days will help us to help someone who is going through the same trial. 2 Corinthians 1:4 reads, speaking of God, “who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God.” We cannot truly comfort another unless we have experienced the same trial. Our normal daily routine, is also a part of this patchwork. Philippians 4:13 tells us “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  God is right by our side, no matter what is happing in our day. He gives us strength for our journey. God is with us, making those bright patterns in our patchwork, when we are happy. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for everything. Verse 4 says “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

There is a poem I have always liked. It is call “The Weaver.”

My life is but a weaving

Between my Lord and me,

I cannot choose the colors

He worketh steadily.

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow,

And I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper

And I, the underside.

Not till the loom is silent

And the shutters cease to fly,

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the Weaver’s skillful hand,

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

-Author Unknown_

Let’s pretend that when we go to heaven, God rolls out a beautiful quilt representing our lives here on earth. We look down on it, just like I was looking out the window of the airplane, and we see all the dark patches, all the regular looking patches and all the bright cheerful patches of that quilt. All of the patches are weaved together in such a way that we see an amazing work of art! That amazing work of art represents our lives, stitched together by God.

God used that dark day I talked about at the beginning, to humble me. To help me realize I cannot fix everything, but I can use it to help someone else. Help someone else know that they are not the only one having problems in their lives. That bankruptcy led to us loosing our home to foreclosure. There were thirteen stairs to get into the front door. As my husband’s illness progressed, there was no way he could have climbed those stairs. The yard was large and I would have to mow and keep the foliage from climbing and intertwining within the fence. The house was getting older and would need a lot of expensive upkeep. Looking back, I can see that God was in the middle of that dark time, knowing what our future held and what we needed in our future!

Just remember the next day that is full of trouble, the next day that is a normal day or when we have the happiest day; that God is working those days together for our good. No matter what type of day we have, God uses them for His purposes. God is weaving together the patchwork of our lives!

Till next time! May God be with you in your daily patchwork life!                          Keela

IT IS WHAT IT IS

Well, just kick me when I am down! That is how I felt, many years ago, standing in Walmart’s parking lot, tears streaming down my face. It was not how I had envisioned my day ending. My day had started at 4 am, rushing my husband to the hospital. He had a reoccurrence of congestive heart failure. Fluid would build up in his body causing him to not be able to breath. He would have to go into the hospital for them to try to “drain” that fluid that caused so much pressure on his organs and his ability to breath. At 7am I had to leave him so I could get to my two jobs. He was to go to a room shortly and I was assured that they were going to care for my husband. I went to my jobs, trying to focus on my work, calling him several times to make sure all was going well. At 7:30 pm, I left my second job to head home. I needed to check on our dog (who I ended up taking in the car with me), and I got my husband some clean clothes. I went to the hospital to check on him and spend a bit of time with him. After I left the hospital, I needed to pick up some necessary things from Walmart. When I came out of the store, I remember that I could just barely put one foot in front of the other! I was so exhausted! I could see my dog watching me from my car and that encouraged & helped me to make it. I sat in the driver’s seat and breathed a big sigh of relief. I was finally going to get home and get some much-needed rest!

I pulled out of the parking space and headed for the exit. That is when I heard it. Thump, thump, thump. You guessed it-I had a flat tire. I had been babying that tire for a long time because I did not have the money to get it replaced. So, I turned around and got into a parking space that I knew my son would have room to change the tire. I reached for my phone. I did not have it. I had left it plugged in at home so many hours ago. My feet were hurting and I was “bone tired.” I thought how am I ever going to get back to the store to make the call to my son. I got out of the car and started to walk back to the store. I saw a young couple putting their groceries in their car and putting their baby in its car seat. I asked them if I could use their phone to call my son to come and change my flat tire. My son answered and said he would be right there. I turned around to hand the young woman her phone and I burst into tears. She said I could use a hug and she would pray for me. I turned around and got my dog out of the car on her leash and leaned against my car bawling and praying.

I remember praying and crying with my eyes shut with my head raised to the sky. I opened my eyes and gasped. There before me, in that night sky, was the most beautiful array of stars I had ever seen! Those bright stars touched my heart. They helped me remember that God was right there by my side helping me throughout that day. Were those stars already there? Of course, they were! God did not all of a sudden say, well Keela needs some bright stars right now and poof, they were there shining for me. I prayed to God and He helped me to find peace within my heart through His magnificent beauty in nature. When I looked at those stars, my tears became tears of thankfulness. I had been on the road several times over the last few days. My daughter, who was away at college, had flown in for a friend’s wedding shower. I had gone to the airport, about an hour away from my home, to pick her up. Then, she, my two granddaughters and I had driven ninety miles to see my parents and back home. Then, just the night before I had taken my daughter back to the airport to get back to college. That tire had needed to be aired up several times through the years, which made my car shake if I got over sixty mph. Those stars had become stars of thankfulness! What if that tire had blown on the highway? What if it had gone flat that morning trying to get my husband to the hospital? What if it had blown while I was trying to get to my two jobs? There were so many “what ifs” that could have easily happened. But they did not! It went flat in a stores parking lot. God had been looking after me!

Well, my son got there to change my tire. I am sure he could tell I had been crying but did not say anything. After he got it changed, he said to try to be careful driving on that spare tire. Get the tire fixed or get a new one.  I told him I would have to wait until Friday when I got paid. (Ended up that I did not have to drive on it for very long. A dear friend came by one of my jobs and asked for my keys. She said several members at church had gotten some money together to buy me a new tire. Another, thank you God moment!)

 I gave my son a big hug and thanked him for coming to my aid. Of course, I started bawling again. Then, he said something profound. He said “it is what it is.” On my way home, I thought about what he said. Some days can hit us so hard! Some days can be so tiring! Some days we can loose loved ones or have a loved one in the hospital! Some days the weight of the world seems to be pushing us down. Some days we feel that we just cannot take one more bad thing happening to us, one more thing that the devil can throw at us. When Jesus was talking to his disciples in John 16:33, He said “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” God tells us that we will have trials. That is life. It is what it is. This world will give us trials each and every day, but God promises that He is right by our side helping us each second of the day. God through Jesus, has overcome the world through Jesus death on the cross. “Be of good cheer” in the verse above, means to be confident and courageous. We have to put our trust and faith in God. This world can give us wealth and seemingly happiness, but this world can also turn on us and give us no hope for future. God is the only hope we can rest on. Earlier in John 16:20, Jesus said “…your sorrow will be turned into joy.” We can have joy in the middle of trials because we, as believers, have the hope of an eternal home when we depart this life; free of all these trials here on earth. We do not know what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future!

Some days, life can hit us so hard, just like my long day. But life on this earth is just that-here on the earth. What happens to us-happens! It is what it is. There is just nothing we can do sometimes. The devil likes to work his way into our days, happily making as much trouble for us as he can. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “…your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” We are here on this earth with its troubles. Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped. Therefore, my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise Him.”

This life on earth will not be free from days like I just shared with you.  We need to remember that God is right by my side; maybe even reminding us through nature that He is there. We just have to reach out to Him. God is right there with us when we are bawling and feel so helpless.

When the weights of this world once again threaten to knock us down, remember to thank God for being there with us throughout the normal day. Thank God of His promise of an eternal home one day. That is where the joy is! That is our hope, our future, our faith!

It is what it is! Thank you, God!

                                     Keela