REFUGE

The calendar is only on day four going into the new year, and already, sad news has reached me concerning the severe illness of yet another dear friend. I am keenly sensitive to the number of people of all ages falling ill to the various diseases in our world. Of course, compared to the perfect garden offered by God at the beginning of creation, people now live in a hostile world courtesy of our bad choices through the gift of free will. Some might argue that the environment is getting worse over time. Although this could be true, and I am no expert on the subject, what I do know is that nothing about God has changed. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. For Him and from Him, there are no surprises!

Seeing the positive side of life has been my nature since I was a child. My sweet husband used to laugh and say, “you are delusional!” whenever I insisted on seeing “the glass as half full.” You and I could debate this topic all day long and perhaps end up having to agree to disagree, and that’s okay. Whichever idiom we prefer, the truth is, this world is not heaven. Bad things, accidents, and sickness happen here as well as good, joyful and pleasant things. Through it all, what matters is that whether we experience a windfall of goodness or a plight of hardship, the Lord is always with us. He loves us, and He knows everything about us. He celebrates our victories and embraces us when we grieve.

Whatever our circumstances, Jesus offers us an eternal pathway to The Father. Now, I hope we can all agree that This is Good News!

Sherry Sharp