Hope

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

John 20:27,28

Sitting out here on my porch the world just seems to go on as if nothing changed, nothing happens. A wasp is flying around looking for a place to build a nest. The breeze gently sways the maple leaves. Birds visit the feeder dropping sunflower seeds onto the ground below. Some dropped long ago have sprouted and lift their heads to follow the sun. A yellow swallow-tailed butterfly flitters through the rafters overhead. Mountains sit quietly in the distance under the blue haze. All seems quite normal but inside the lives of people, turmoil and tragedy wreak havoc.

Shootings, senseless killings, unthinkable diseases in young children, a toddler killed in a tragic accident, a newborn left motherless because of complications, and our hearts break. 

How does Creation go on seemingly oblivious to our hurt, our heartache? The answer is, it isn't oblivious. God created it to calm us, restore our memories and give us hope. 

Stand in your garden. Butterflies will kiss your cheek and land on your fingertip. Sunflowers will follow the sun with open faces and remind you to follow the Son. After terrifying storms, we look for rainbows that give us hope and a promise. A promise that God keeps His promises to reunite us with our precious loved ones after this life has passed when we look to Him in faith. He bears the scars to encourage us to "be not faithless but believing".

Hey Kids:

Have you ever lost a relative or a friend?

It hurts so bad.

God created the universe to show His love and give us hope.

What other things have you noticed that give you hope and comfort?

Here are a few hints:

Robins sing, "Cheer-up Cheerilee!"

Crickets only chirp when there is no danger around.

Blessings,

Gail