Our Hope!

Two days before the last snowstorm.  Abby, Will, and cousins Noah and Eric.

It seems that weather history is being made consistently here in Minnesota this year.  In our state we now have made another historical landmark by having a snowstorm that has dumped up to 17 inches of snow in various parts of the state.  We here in Winona, received about 6-7” with around 2 inches of sleet before that.  Flowers are bent over and the limbs of the budding trees moan with the weight of the snow on them.  The common joke here in Minnesota is that we hope summer comes on a weekend!  Well, it is turning out to be more of a reality than expected.  My friend Gerry Frosch said this morning at breakfast, "We have had snow now for 9 consecutive months, a little strange to say the least."  I jokingly said in facebook that we now live in the land of Narnia.  Narnia is a land in the book, "Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe" where there is perpetual winter.

Driveway after the storm.

 

In spite of this I see the signs of spring all around me.  Flowers are seen struggling to bloom with the green grass just now poking its head through the snow.  Migrating birds along with the ones that stay year round, are crowding now to the feeders in hope of getting food that normally nature provides this time of year.  I am reminded of a statement that a friend of mine made recently, he said that insightful people see difficult situations as opportunities for positive outcomes, rather than seeing them as  roadblocks.  These are words to live by now as life seems to change daily at every turn. 

Jesus said, “I am the truth, the light and the way.“ (John 14:6)  I know that when I get my eyes off of God’s purpose for me, then I have a tendency to look at the darker side of life.  The fact is, I find that I need to get into his word (Bible) everyday or my focus is skewed, and I loose track of his direction for my life.   When that happens, I find that my day has in many cases been wasted on futile attempts to find the peace that is often lost in material endeavors.  God has created us for specific designs and purposes, and that is only found if we stay in constant contact with him through reading his word, praying (speaking and listening), and committing our days into his hands. 

God bless you on this day my friends!

Hope!