A light in the darkness

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

After reading this mornings newspaper I have come to the conclusion that our world is quickly becoming a mess,violence is way up, people have lost their minds.I wonder at times if there is any good news happening in our area.I have always thought that we need a newspaper of just happy,positive things going on.But would there be enough to fill it? I'm sure there would be plenty but most days after reading the press it makes you question.

I love the picture of the mountain above with the moon.It makes you think of how dark the world has become.Some days the darkness and the heaviness hangs over us like a thick dark blanket,we question if there is any light out there?.Where I live it is dark,So dark at times you can't see your hand in front of your face if there is no moon.When we first moved out here,the outdoor spotlights didn't work,So, when it was time to go to your car if you didn't have a flashlight,good luck trying to find where you where going.

You had to take baby steps,like when you are blindfolded playing a game as a child.You take tiny steps with your hands outstretched to protect you in case you trip or run into anything like a tree or a wall.A little hesitant for fear what was ahead.

At first living out here was a little too dark,a little too far from civilization,and there was a little too much nature walking around at night.Things you could hear but couldn't see.The fear of what was out there or who was out there, was there at times.The fear of the unknown in a strange place

.But as we began to work on our house and put up the spotlights and become familiar with our property things began to look differently.We could walk outside with confidence,knowing if anything was near us like the raccoon who happened to be following us hissing as we dragged the bag of trash to the cans.We could find our way,even if there was no moon.We felt safer with the light.

This is how the Lord is ,if he is in our lives.While the world around us continues to become more violent.When some days we think about what our futures will be like ,especially for our children and grandchildren,we shudder.
But the one thing we have is the Lord.He is the light in the darkness.He will show us the way.He will keep us on the path.He will be our protection when at times the darkness seems to be everywhere,closing in and surrounding us until it is hard to see any light.He is there.Like the tiny looking moon over the mountains in the picture above.While we may be deep in the dark valleys at times,or hanging on the side of a mountain too big to climb ,by just our fingertips.All we need to do is look up.And the light of Jesus will shine down upon us,illuminating our way like a lighthouse on the darkened beach that beckons the lost ships in the night."Here I am " It says,"Here I am,I will bring you to safety"",I will bring you out of harms way".A comforting glow that calls us to the shore safe and sound.So, when your world seems its darkest,and you can't find your way,look up and his heavenly light will shine ever so brightly for you to see.
Blessings
Dee

2 Samuel 22:29

You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.

This morning as I sat on the porch having my morning Coffee,I watched the squirrels surrounding the bird feeders like a little group of boy scouts around a campfire.The birds going back and forth to get their breakfast of sunflower seeds.All was calm,except the hummingbirds.They are about the cutest little birds you have ever seen,if you have had a chance to see them up close.Tiny in size,their wings go so fast they are a blur.All day they zip back and forth from the trees to the feeder.When you see them they look so sweet and adorable,you want to put one in a cage so you can look at it all day and hear their little squeaks.

But if you happen to be another hummingbird,look out,Looks are deceiving.They are the most territorial birds around.All day they fight.Zooming into each other little fighter planes.We have 2 feeders ,there is plenty of nectar to go around,but all day they are like spoiled little children.Defending their territory,smacking into each other,squeaking quite loudly.Always on the defense.They seem to waste precious energy defending their turf,they rarely rest.I would think they would be exhausted by nightfall.

We all have days like this.While we look sweet and nice on the outside.Inside we are not pretty at all.Sometimes we can hide it ,other times out is all comes and those in our path ,get a smack,just like the hummingbirds.We wonder why the birds act the way they do.They can never change,they are a bird,thats how God created them.They will defend their territory until the day they die.

But we have the choice each morning.While the Lord did create us with certain personalities and traits.What is inside does not have to stay put.We can constantly work on changing our hearts,our thoughts and our actions.Each morning we need to go to the Lord and ask that our hearts be overfilled with his Love and His peace.Sure we can skip that and go about our merry old way.And some days our way is far from merry!.But do we want to go through our day with heavy hearts.with aggravation upon us,looking at the world as the hummingbirds do,waiting for people to come near us,invade our territory and take what we think is ours?

No,this only drags us down.It causes up to lose our joy,our peace.If we let it take over we walk around grumbling and complaining,holding onto things like spoiled little children who have a death grip on a toy they don't even want,but they can't let it go for fear someone else will take it.We need to let it go.Let go of the anger ,the guilt,the things that cause us to be defensive.Let it go and let God replace it all with joy and peace.Let go of the fear that grips you and causes you to want to hide under the covers.Let go of the past that still holds on and refuses to let you move forward.Let go and let Him begin to replace it all with Peace,Hope,and strength.Remember the birds,they cannot change but you have a choice.
Blessings Dee

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law