Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Many of you have probably begun thinking about your 2014 goals. Typically resolutions include losing weight, picking up a hobby, planning a vacation, etc...Regardless of the goals you want to accomplish this upcoming year, there are three very important facts we should not lose focus of.

 

1. God must be the priority in our life. Building our relationship with the Lord and seeking to please him in all of our ways should be at the forefront of everything we do. We should continuously build on the fruits of the Spirit--- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control--- as these impact all areas of our life. 

 

2. Be in line with the will of God.  “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). God has great plans for our lives, but we must be willing and obedient to his calling and have faith that he makes all things work together for our good. We can make plans but if they aren’t in line with God’s word or God’s will for our life, then they are meaningless.  

 

3. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.  We often take life for granted because we think “there’s always tomorrow”. The problem is we don’t know if there will be a tomorrow or what it will bring.  “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1). We need to approach each day as the blessing that it is from God.  Live each moment knowing that you are making good use of it.  That your life isn’t just flying by you without you making an impact.  Make your mark in life! With God's guidance, we should seize each day. Seek to love, to bless people, to serve, to grow, to live; not just exist! 

 

So as you set your resolutions, I encourage you to spend time in prayer. Present your petitions to the Lord and be open to his guidance. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). 

 

I pray you have a Blessed, Prosperous, Spirit-filled, Happy New Year!

 

Merry Christmas

Christmas traditions are a dime a dozen.  Some decorate a Christmas tree together; some gather around the tree to divide up gifts.  Some incorporate Santa Claus and dress up like elves while others like to bake cookies together and make their own decorations. The options are endless. In my home, we like to remember the birth of our Savior! We gather around the tree Christmas morning, in our comfy pajamas, and read the story of Jesus’ birth.  We each take turns reading a verse until we complete the story.  Afterwards, we bless each other with gifts, all the while, bearing in mind that the greatest gift we have received is Jesus! 

 

 

Luke 2:9-16 says:

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Regardless of how you celebrate this holiday, I encourage you to take some time to meditate on the birth of our Lord and Savior.  Spend time thanking him for all of the countless blessings in your life. And even if you couldn’t afford a gift for someone or didn’t receive a gift from someone, remember, that the greatest gift we can ever receive is Jesus himself.  Because only through Jesus, can we obtain eternal salvation.  “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

 

Merry Christmas to All!

 

 

Giving Thanks

How do you value Thanksgiving?  Is this the day you spend with family and friends, a day of thanking the Lord for all of the continued blessings, or a day taken to wait in line at the stores with black Friday sales?  Ponder on this thought…Thanksgiving is another day to celebrate and rejoice in the Lord for all of the blessings he has placed in our lives. 

Give yourself the opportunity to cherish those moments; don’t rush through them because you ‘want’ a new TV, laptop, etc...  “You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified” (1 Corinthians 14:17). These things all are materialistic and will not give you the special memories that Thanksgiving should hold.  Take the time to spend it with your loved ones whether they are family or friends.  Enjoy the smell of turkey in the air, the pure and natural taste of stuffing and cranberry sauce; savor your taste buds in the mashed/sweet potatoes.  Have a family dinner and share the exciting moments that have happened during the year.  Enjoy the fullness of life and don’t cut it short for the wants.  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

Faith In Action

There was a blind man called Bartimaeus who sat by the road begging.  When he heard Jesus was walking by, he began to cry out to him.  When he came to Jesus, the Lord asked what he wanted.  Now Jesus knew that he was blind but he wanted evidence of Bartimaeus’ faith.  The blind man asked to be healed and Jesus said “Go your way; your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52).

 

 

There was a woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years.  She had spent all her money on doctors and couldn’t be healed.  However, she worked herself through a crowd to reach Jesus.  When she touched the border of his garment, she immediately got healed.  Jesus felt power go out of him and asked who touched him.  She declared to him the reason she had touched him and he responded “Daughter be of good cheer; your faith has made you well” (Luke 8:48).

In both of these examples, these individuals were healed because of their faith and by taking action. “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). Bartimaeus didn’t only have faith, but he had to take action by walking over to Jesus and making his request.  The woman, had faith for healing, but she had to take action and work herself through the crowd to touch Jesus’ garment. 

Maybe your situation is going to require fasting on your part to get an answer.  Perhaps, you’ll have to sow a seed to receive the increase you’ve been wanting.  Maybe you’ll have to be a blessing to someone before you can receive your blessing.  Whatever your situation, act in faith “for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).

What are you battling in your life that requires faith in action? 

 

Where’s God in your life?

What place does God have in your life?  Is he your first thought when you awake? Perhaps he’s your first thought when you are in trouble or maybe he is far from your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon him while he is near.”  Our relationship with our spiritual Father has to be our top priority.

Ever notice that when we stop spending time with the Lord; maybe we aren’t reading the bible as much or praying as much, that our life goes off balance? We begin to feel the pressures of life as we attempt to control everything through our own strength. The problem is that we aren’t meant to figure things out through our own strength.  We are created to honor and serve the Lord.  It is our reliance and faith in him that gives us victory; not our self-will. The word says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  The operative words are ‘through Christ’ not through ourselves, or any other method.

I challenge you to analyze your life and ensure that God is your priority.  “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). If you find that your priorities have gotten out of order, then reprioritize.  Let’s make sure that we are spending time with the Lord, seeking his will for our life and living in obedience to his word.  Everything else will fall into place so long as we honor the only one who is worthy of honor- our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

Laying Out Our Clothes

Throughout the years, things have become so expensive that at times I cringe when I have to go buy something.  I’ve always been very frugal and always look for sale prices, but at times, sales are not a possibility.  I know this is something that as mothers we tend to struggle with because our children grow very fast and we want to supply them with every need.  One of those needs is clothing.  We want to make sure our children look presentable and are tidied up.  I’ve come to realize that clothing is just a covering for our body. Do not give it more value than what it deserves.  Understand that our children play, get creative and dirty throughout the day. So why invest in clothing that might only last a day or even a month when there is so much more we can spend our money on or even SAVE?

 

 

On one of my Facebook mommy groups, one of the mothers mentioned that she only keeps 5 outfits for her children, one church outfit, one pair of dressy shoes, and two pairs of regular shoes.  Some of us might think this is too little, but think about it! Do our children need an abundance of clothing?  We have to learn to minimize and cut back.

Here are several suggestions:

1. Get rid of the clothes that you do not use.  If you have a large quantity of clothes and always wear the same ones, get rid of those that you don’t wear or change up your wardrobe. Begin to use those that you haven’t worn in a while and get rid of the ones you have been using.  You can always donate the clothing and claim it on your taxes as a donation.

 

2. As a woman, I LOVE shoes, but for the most part, I wear the same couple of one’s every week.  Someone once told me: “if you buy a pair of shoes, you should get rid of a pair of shoes.”  I always keep that in the back of my mind.  What’s the reason for the new pair of shoes? If the old pair is worn out then get rid of them.

 

3. Lately, one of my favorite things to do is to go to consignment stores.  They have cheap, recycled clothing that are very comfortable to wear since they have been broken into.  We even see the reuse of clothing in the Bible. “Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob” (Genesis 27:15). This is a way to buy clothing not only for yourself, but for your children.  It is inexpensive and they even have sale days.  Many people might think, "I don’t want to wear anyone else’s clothes", but try to understand how much you will be saving. 

4. If you are planning on having more children, save your child’s clothing so that in the future you don’t have to re-buy.

 

5. There are many mommy groups in your area as well. Some mommies are willing to give their child’s outgrown clothing to other children who can use them. Do some trading off.  It will keep some mommy’s happy!

As mothers, let’s think about how we can lessen our load, lay out our clothes and benefit others that might not have as much!

Back to School Anxiety

If your children started school today, then you are probably feeling like a crazed mother this morning.  It’s a mixture of emotions between feeling excited that your children are moving to a new level, and feeling sad that they are moving to a new level. It’s hard letting our babies grow up!  However, we can’t get bogged down by anxiety.  We have to trust in the Lord to watch over them and protect them. 

So to all mothers fighting with anxiety this morning, let’s take a stand.  We have some choices to make:

1.  Pitiful or Powerful: Joyce Meyer said “You cannot be pitiful and powerful at the same time.” In other words, you are either going to sit, sulk and listen to the lies the enemy feeds you or (and this is the better option) you are going to believe in the word of God and receive the power he grants you through his Spirit.

2.  Rejoice: If you spend your energy on rejoicing, you’ll allow your flesh to rest in hope. Hope in what you may ask? Hope in God and that he will take care of all your cares if you will just trust in him. “Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.” – Acts 2:26

3.  Be Blessed: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him”- Psalm 34:8

Will you take a stand today?

Do you trust me?

I was watching a video the other day that addressed the issue of faith.  In the video, the woman was challenged to trust Jesus.  Jesus asked her to allow herself to fall backwards and trust that he would catch her.  The woman hesitated but ended up allowing herself to fall back and of course, Jesus caught her.  Then, Jesus asked her to face him and allow herself to fall back.  Now granted, there was no one on the other side to catch her so the woman was fearful and told Jesus that she couldn’t do it.  Jesus asked her “do you trust me?” She responded with “Jesus, if I fall back, I’ll get hurt.  There’s no one there to catch me.” So she walked away from Jesus and didn’t follow thru with his request.

 

 

 

Can you relate to this story?  How many times have you been faced with challenges in life that aren’t clear?  You simply can’t see a resolution.  You know that you have to trust in God but you can’t rationalize your way through the problem so you doubt.  Many times, we need to be able to visualize the end result, or draft our own plan in order to follow through with something, but that’s not really having faith.  The bible describes faith as follows:  “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” (Hebrews 11:1, Amplified)

 

Now I’m not pretending that this is easy because it’s not.  However, we have to work with the faith we have.  Romans 12:3 says:  “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Start with the faith you have and ask God to increase your faith.  As you grow in your spiritual walk and take steps towards developing your faith, God will increase your faith so that you can depend more on him.  I pray that we all get to the point in where we are able to face Jesus, fall back, and know with certainty that Jesus will create a way and not let us fall. 

 

Body Image

The struggles of life aren’t only those of daily living, but can also be of how we look at ourselves.  Many of us struggle with our body image.  However, God has made us all with special characteristics that make us who we are. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).  He loves us unconditionally even with flaws. 

When we struggle with body image issues, everything around us makes us upset.  We find ourselves thinking about how others might perceive us.  From the moment we begin to get ready in the morning, we begin to question: What will they say if I wear this? What will I look like to them? Do I look chunky? We need to accept ourselves for who we are.  God has!

Love yourself unconditionally and enjoy your life. Believe in Psalm 139:14 which says:  “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” Do not give others the power to control your thoughts, you body and what you desire to do or wear.  Regardless of your thoughts or actions, people will speak their mind, but it’s not something one has to accept in their life.  Move forward and see yourself as a graceful, beautiful being because that’s how God sees you.  Always think and say Jesus loves me, and I love myself.

 

Don't Exhaust Yourself

You have your to-do list prepared and you take a deep sigh wondering how you are going to get it all done.  You feel overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of tackling the load. You carry on day by day getting exhausted and irritable as the days progress.  Stop and ask yourself, “Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing?”

 

Now, obviously, we all have responsibilities that require effort and sacrifice.  So we aren’t talking about living a reckless life, but I challenge you to think about your load and through prayer, determine if what you are doing is fruitful.  Sometimes, we get wrapped into doing tasks, events, etc…that we shouldn’t be involved in.  Maybe, we were meant to do a task for a season but that season has passed.  Maybe, we were never supposed to be involved to begin with. 

 

Proverbs 31 is talks about the virtuous woman.  Verse 16 says “she considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties].”  In other words, she doesn’t take on more than she can handle at the risk of neglecting her present duties.  Verse 17 says “She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.”  Notice the words “God-given task”.  Are you in line with what God wants you to be doing?  Sometimes, we spend so much energy on things that don’t really add value to our lives, our family, or our household.  Instead, they add stress to our lives and take away energy from us to do the things we should be doing. 

 

Stop exhausting yourself by fulfilling the role someone else should be fulfilling.  You have your own role, your own purpose.  Focus on that! And if you don’t know your purpose yet, then begin by praying to God and ask him to reveal his plan for your life.  Ask him to reveal the areas in life where you are being wasteful, or not adding value.  Set your priorities and allow God to guide you through the process of change.  It’s not easy to let go of certain things especially if we’ve formed a habit out of them, but if it’s not adding value, we need to be willing to let it go.  We need to ask God to help us redirect our energy on the matters he wants us to focus. 

 

What are you watching?

Do you ever sit and think to yourself if what you are watching on TV or what your children are watching is truly appropriate?  I know I have.  Sometimes we use the television as a way to relax or settle our bodies down, but is what we are watching benefiting our lives or hurting it?  We should sit and analyze what we are truly watching.  “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”  (Proverbs 3:7- 8)

 

There are many shows, movies out there that share some type of violence, sexual content and/or vocal content that is not good for our spiritual lives.  It is not producing any seed, but actually placing harm into our life.  You might think that it’s minimal, but if you have nightmares of what you’ve watched or if it plays a role in your life and how you act, you should re-evaluate. 
 

As far as our children go, we have to be careful of what they are watching and the age level these shows or movies are targeting.  Are they really appropriate?  Can our child distinguish, at their age, between reality or fiction?  Have they watched too much TV for the day?  Children should not be watching TV shows that say ‘profanity’… words such as stupid, dumb, and so on.  Remember, they are at their learning stages and if they see it on a show they are most likely able to say the words because they have learned it.  They don’t know what’s right from wrong until it’s taught to them.  As well as, if you have children who are a bit older, 7ish…be careful with introducing shows that may have boyfriend concepts.  Our children are growing too fast these days and there are a lot of influences out there. Let’s try to keep them children and not have them learn from things in our household that they shouldn’t be learning at such a young age. 

 

We have control over what happens in our household so let’s take care of it. View what benefits our spiritual lives and will provide nourishment to it; not what will take from it. “They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.” (Nehemiah 9:25)

 

 

 

Eye Covenant

Have you made an eye covenant? We all have areas of our lives that are a struggle for us.  Perhaps we are tempted by food, sexual temptations, addictions, etc…Whatever our weakness, we can overcome through the Holy Spirit. 

 

Job 31:1 says “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?” Now Job was referring to not allowing himself to lust over a young woman but we can apply this same principle to the areas that we are tempted with.  For example, if you are struggling with a shopping addiction then viewing fashion magazines isn’t going to help you resist the urge of shopping; it’s going to fuel it.  We have to be mindful of the areas that are a struggle for us and not feed those; lest we fall into temptation.  “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). 

In her book Reshaping It All, Candace Cameron Bure makes the following statement: “teaching our minds to listen and yield to the Spirit lays out our inner road map directing the paths by which we should go; couple that with self-discipline that brings our body into submission, and we’re on the right path.” This is why it is super important that we renew our minds daily through the word of God so that we may be transformed and “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). If we don’t renew our minds and practice self-control, it will be difficult for us to overcome the temptations that we struggle with. 

So I challenge you to make an eye covenant?  Train your eyes not to lust over things. Through prayer and studying the word, you can renew your mind. Ask God to help you overcome your temptations and resist them by not feeding into them.

 

Time Out

It was one of those days where she was whining from the moment she got up until she went down for a nap.  Nothing I did would please her.  My daughter was now 3 and the whining stage had begun.  It was so rough that I found myself burning inside with the urge to scream.  I came out of my shell and told her: “go to your room, mommy needs a time-out.”  I literally took a time-out for myself.  My daughter went into her room, as she kept whining, and I went into my own room to breathe. I thought the madness would never end.  I can’t handle the whining and part of it is my fault because I have to learn to work with my daughter. And although not to accept her whining, I still need to allow her to express herself and give her some time to settle down and relax. 

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for him and patiently lean yourself upon him…” (Psalm 37:7). It is in that still moment that we are able to be replenished in the Lord.  So I prayed and I asked God to help me get through the day.  As I was in my room, my daughter got upset because I was now in a time-out. She then knew that she needed to settle herself down before she received mommy’s attention.  Once I composed myself, she settled down, and then we were able to resume our day with less whining.  At that point, she understood that if she didn’t calm down, she would need to go back into her room.

Allow yourself as a mommy to take a time out; it is totally okay and it’s healthy.  Make sure your child is in a safe place and allow yourself to breathe.  As much as our children need timeouts to allow themselves time to think about their actions, we need one too.  Sometimes if we don’t take a time out and stop feeding into the madness, we get overwhelmed with the negativity and in turn, take our actions to a foolish state of mind that will make matters worse.  Taking that extra time to yourself will allow you to get composure and rethink what the punishment should be, if any. Then when going back into ‘the real world,’ you are somewhat replenished.  Give yourself a time out, reload, and set yourself up for a positive outcome!

 

Sweet-Smelling Aroma

As I soaked in a bubble bath, I took a deep breath and absorbed the scent of my bath gel.  It was such a soothing, sweet aroma that it made me feel at ease and at peace.  At that moment, the following verse came to mind. “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma “ (Ephesians 5:2).

 

 

How many of you want to be a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord just like my bath gel was to me?  Well, the way we can accomplish this is by walking in love.  So what does that mean, walking in love? Matthew 5:44 says: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Sounds tough, huh? However, through the Holy Spirit, we can build on this fruit of the Spirit, and learn to love like Jesus loved.  We can take simple steps each day to develop in this area and show love to others whether or not we think they deserve our love. 

Remember that 1 John 4:16 says: “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.  God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.” So if we want to abide in God, we must abide in love because God himself is love.  I encourage you to practice loving others.  A simple act of kindness, generosity, mercy, and compassion goes a long way.  Be the light this world needs and overcome evil or wrong doings by showing the love that is within you. 

 

What's Not to Like

Ask yourself the question:  “What’s not to like about my life?” 

 

At times we get caught up on what everyone else has, how others do things, how relationships are different and the materialistic things in life that we forget the mere importance of it.  Be grateful for your life, what you have and who is in it. 

 

If there is an aspect you don’t like, you have the power to change it.  There are only 5 essential things you need in your life:

1.     God

2.     Food

3.     Clothing

4.     Shelter

5.     Water 

All the rest is not a necessity; they are wants.  Let’s stop wanting what we don’t need.  If we do, we will live a more appreciative life and enjoy the simple things in life. 

 

Life in itself has become so complicated, and at times because we want what others have, we make it more difficult.  We get ourselves into debt, we quarrel with our significant other, we let our children believe that they can have whatever they want and we allow ourselves to get upset if we don’t have the means to buy those wants. There is nothing wrong with your life and what you have because God has allowed us to have the essential things in life. Wanting more and more is not meaningful.  Be thankful for what you have.    Let’s stop asking for more because what’s not to like?

Finding Time for Him

Sometimes, I can honestly say that I’m running around on empty. I’m so exhausted about life’s ups and downs and all around that I find myself blaming God for things that happen. Sometimes I find myself overwhelmed, hurting or plainly just feeling ‘blah’ about everything. I think this happens in any good relationship. Our deepest bonds are with people who we walk through life with through all the highs and lows. God wants to walk with us just as we are.

It’s amazing that as I read and meditate on his Word, how quickly He can snap me back into place, and align my heart with His heart. There are times I’ll pray about the smallest things, and he will answer me. Do you know how amazing it is to realize that the God of the universe is reaching out to you?

 

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”  Psalm 145:18

At times I whine and complain about feeling far from God, but I only have to look at my time management to figure out what went wrong. Then I make a choice to be still before God. I make all the craziness of my life pause for a while and I draw near to God. God promises that when we do this, He will come near to us. He isn’t hiding from us. When we go to Him with a humble heart, He listens.

 

Memorial Day

Remembering all of the heroes! Happy Memorial Day!

 

 

“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

 

Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields

 

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

 

 

Overcome with Peace

Have you faced a difficult moment in your life where all you could see or think about is the problem you were facing?  You felt overwhelmed with life and you couldn’t imagine how in the world that problem could get resolved?  If you’re in this situation, there is hope. 

 

 

Philippians 4:6-7 says:  ^“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  When we enter into a moment of praise and express gratitude for all of the great things we have in life or for the mere blessing of breathing, then we allow God’s peace to overcome us. 

The word says that God’s peace will guard our hearts and our minds.  And that’s exactly what’s needed during trials, right?  Because we become so overwhelmed with thoughts that we can’t see or think clearly enough to be in tuned with what God is trying to reveal to us.  It’s like searching for the answer, but closing the door on the response because we are too wrapped up in the problem.  We need to take a step back, and with determined purpose, praise the Lord. 

Praise him and thank him.  Trust that he is working in your life regardless of the circumstance or how dim things may appear at the moment.  As we trust in him, he will complete his work in our lives and lead us in the direction we should go.