Hold Tight To HOPE

It's the Christmas season; a time for family and friends, making memories, laughing, and buying someone that one special gift that will make them tear up with joy. For many though it is also a time of stress, family chaos, and often mourning and loneliness.

In a time when carols are playing on the radio and outdoor lights are twinkling in the neighborhoods, there's also a lot of tragedy in the world. Just this week I've heard stories of unthinkable situations; shootings of innocent children, beatings, robberies, and hostage taking. So how do we hold on to HOPE when so many destructive obstacles are being thrust into our paths? If I had the absolute answer I could relieve a lot of anxieties, but unfortunately many things are out of our control.

In the midst of all the bad, we must push ourselves to search for and hold on to the good. Still embracing Christmas and all it stands for doesn't mean that we are careless about the tragedies. We should still plan our holidays, bake our cookies, and enjoy our family gatherings. BUT we should also take a step back and consider what is most important; it's not about how much we spend on the gifts or how much food we pile on the table for the Christmas meal. It should be about embracing the blessings that we have and praying for those that have been less fortunate. We should pray for peace and mornings where children around the world can wake up with smiles. We should pray for an end to senseless violence. We should pray for safety for our military troops. We should pray for a growing consciousness and sense of morality. 

In the end I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. My prayer for you this holiday season is one of love, joy, peace, and HOPE.

Who or What Do You Pray For?

What kinds of things do you pray for? More importantly ... do you pray? When you do pray do you feel guilty for praying for something selfish or trivial? Most people it seems pray to either 'gain' something or 'eliminate' something. We may pray for the sick, the homeless, the sad, or the jobless in hopes of eliminating the negative aspects of their lives and gain the more positive ones. We may pray for good health, wealth or at least financial stability, relationships, discipline, and a stronger faith.

Whatever you choose to pray for, I think, is good - as long as it's coming from your heart. God knows your needs. I often pray for strength, direction, hope, and sometimes 'clarity'. I can learn to deal with things (both good and bad) in the human world if I have a better understanding of what I am dealing with. I will admit though that I often pray for signs ... a sign that I'm on the right track, a sign that I'm doing the right thing, or a sign that I'm actually moving toward fulfilling God's plan for me. It's easy to get off track or get distracted. For whatever reason we often think 'we' know what is best for us (as if we have any control).

I'll admit I am a work in progress. On a good day I think I have a small glimpse of what my life is actually supposed to look like. More often than not, I'm slightly off course. I know I need to learn to step back and not worry so much about tomorrow or next week or even next year. If I could just learn to take life one day at a time my shoulders would probably be a lot lighter. The load can get pretty heavy when you try to get through everything on your own.

My prayer for you today is one of hope, grace, forgiveness, patience, and mercy.

Blessings!