HOPE

What a strange week it has been!  We have been "iced in" all week with 13 degree highs and 9 degree lows....in TEXAS!  It's been GREAT; not the cold, but the time at home with the family.  I should have used the time to clean my house.  Where is the fun in that?  I have so many books I've been waiting to read, so I indulged myself by the fire in a couple of those (both about Africa, of course).  The overwhelming theme all week has been...HOPE.

Do you love Jeremiah 29:11?  I do.  Michela (my 14 year old) does; she has it written on her vanity mirror.
Here it is from The Message:

I know what I'm doing.  I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

I love the peace this verse gives me in any circumstance.  I can trust God!  He knows what He is doing and it is good for me!

BUT....did God mean this verse for EVERYBODY?  It's not too hard for us to believe; we've all been through ups and downs.  We know God brings us through the highs and lows.  He's done it before.  But what if you are a seven year old girl who has just lost everything?  It is pretty hard to believe that God knows what He is doing.  You feel VERY abandoned.  All you have is HOPE.  You HOPE that God has a plan.  You HOPE that He will not forget you.  You HOPE that He sends somebody to love you.

God does have a plan and a HOPE for the future...US!  We, His hands and feet, ARE the plan!  We ARE the HOPE for the orphaned and abandoned child!  Micah 6:8 says:

But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.  It's quite simple:  Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously--take God seriously.

God has shown us what He takes seriously:  the poor, the sick, the widow and the orphan.

If you say,"Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook?  Someone is watching you closely, you know--Someone not impressed with weak excuses.
Proverbs 24:12

We are so thankful that God would allow us to be a part of His plan.  Don't miss the blessings He has planned for you.