♪A Note of Thanks ♪
A Word of Hope – The Lord is my salvation
“The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?...For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock…Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Verses from Psalm 27
Isn’t it wonderful today, this Wednesday, following Valentine’s Day, to experience the warmer weather, beautiful radiant sunshine and above all God’s love?
Sometimes during the course of winter I feel sunshine deprived and yearn for the days when we begin to see the first signs of Spring…the sun comes out; the jonquils pop up out of the ground; the camellias, Alabama’s state flower, are blooming; and the Lenten roses begin their season of budding and blossoming. Yet, it’s still February and Spring is not officially here until late March. But, it’s ok to ‘play-like’ as we said when we were children, that it’s Spring, and enjoy getting outside, shedding our heavy winter coats and taking a brisk walk each day to keep our heart healthy whilst we enjoy God’s nature.
I find myself contemplating and dreaming of the plants and seeds to be planted, cleaning up the garden and planning the growing season to come. So, that being said, how is it with your spiritual garden? Do you need to pick up the dead leaves and sticks of the past and put them on the mulch pile? Does your spiritual garden need some weeding, raking, pruning and cleaning up? Do you need to move forward and get out of the funk of your past knowing that God is with you, and that your friends are standing with you, able to help and assist you get beyond the past dreary season. God has something new and exciting in store for you, my friend.
I challenge you to take an inventory of your garden and plant some seeds of faith, bulbs of hope, cuttings of joy, sprigs of kindness, watered and fertilized by God’s love, all the while having patience, knowing that He will bring you to fruition. Yes, there are new beginnings, new seasons and new chapters of our lives still yet to come.
You can make it! You will overcome and be able to see the new growth appear in your life. Keep on keeping on! And, as Sir Winston Churchhill said, “Never, never, never, give up!”
May it be so, this day, and in the days to come! Amen.
Joyfully serving along-side you
Your friend
,
Mark David Jackson
