Comfort Zone

2 Corinthians 1:3-5
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Some people buy clothes according to style; I buy them according to comfort. My favorites include my comfy shoes, my blue jeans and a cotton tie-dyed t-shirt. When I dress down and indulge in some French silk ice cream, I’ve really found my comfort zone. But when the struggles of life push me out of that zone and into areas that bring pain and sorrow, only one true comfort combats my fear, anxiety and tears.

God’s compassion for us, as his children, wraps around our shoulders. His love embraces us and his strength keeps us standing. He surrounds us with his people, who care about us and give hugs and kind words. He brings peace to our hearts through his Word and his Spirit. God comforts us inside out. As God entwines your hand in his, know that through Christ our comfort overflows.

Healing

Psalm 34:17-18
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

As a teen, I had the responsibility of dusting my parents antique bottle collection. Carefully I picked up the fragile bottles and wiped off the dusty particles. One day I was cleaning my favorite piece, a clear vessel that had a water pattern on the bottle and a clear-glass fish for the cork. I’m not sure how it happened, but I broke the neck of the bottle. I was upset, but we were able to glue it back together.

In life, we may experience times when we are broken. Those times when we experience problems we cannot resolve on own that cause tears of sadness, self-doubt, hours of anxiety, or even anger. David, the Old Testament King, knew God healed broken hearts and that He remains close to us as we suffer. God heals the brokenhearted if we let him. He loves us and wants us to experience forgiveness and grace.

I still have the “broken” fish bottle sitting on a table in my living room, and I love it just the same.

The Search Begins for the Albino Squirrel

Finally! What we've all been waiting for. My friend Teresa Slack has asked her amazing friends to hide an elusive albino squirrel on their blogs. Your job, fearless hunter, is to follow the trail below to these blogs to find as many albino squirrels as you can. Simply visit each of the blogs listed. Find the albino squirrel posted somewhere on the blogs, and send the list of where you found them to teresa@teresaslack.com. Each entrant who finds at least 8 squirrels will be entered in a drawing to win a $15 Amazon gift card and a can of mixed nuts.

Because of different countries' regulations, we regrettfully restrict the contest to entrants living in the U.S. only. Sorry.

Here's the list of blogs in no particular order:
http://writingtodistraction.blogspot.com/
http://www.sandirog.blogspot.com/
http://www.thebookdoctorbd.blogspot.com/
http://www.midsnovelidea.blogspot.com/
http://www.midspointofview.blogspot.com/
http://www.ebussey.blogspot.com/
http://www.wisdomwalk.wordpress.com/
http://www.daneymoco.blogspot.com/
http://www.diannesagan.wordpress.com/
http://www.lionheartedkat.com/
http://www.sftlm.blogspot.com/
http://kellyklepfer.blogspot.com/
http://www.marionmarchetto.com/
http://www.livingourfaithoutloud.blogspot.com/
http://www.lisalickel.com/cgi-bin/blog
http://www.wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/
http://www.encouragementjourney.blogspot.com/
http://www.pennyspicks.blogspot.com/
http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com/
http://www.carlaspathways.wordpress.com/
http://www.sallyhanan.wordpress.com/
http://www.byelizabeth.blogspot.com/
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/
http://www.youcanwriteanovel.blogspot.com/
http://www.livingwaterfiction.com/
http://www.therehastobeabeginning.blogspot.com/
Happy Hunting!

Psalm 32:7
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

The author of this psalm recognizes God as his hiding place, a haven of comfort and protection. What a joy to know that we have a place to rest from the weariness of our journey. But even as we hide in him and find strength, we know that we cannot hide from him.

God knows our hearts and thoughts, he hears our words, and he sees every action. If you’ve ever played hide-and-seek with a young child, then you know that they often think you can’t see them, even when their arm or leg is sticking out from behind a tree. We are much like that with God; we may think he can’t see us even though we are never totally hidden from his eyes. As you seek God’s protection, reveal yourself to him so that he can surround you with comfort and deliverance.

Age & Wisdom

Job 12:12-13
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?
13 "To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.

Everyday we are bombarded by ads, commercials and talk about staying young. Take away the wrinkles, remove age spots, cover the gray (I fell for that one), and on it goes. Age and the wisdom that comes with it have been pushed aside for youth and beauty. But, God did not create us so that we would stay young all our lives. He knows we age and intends for us to embrace the aging experience by gaining understanding and wisdom. As our bodies age, our mind and heart should become wiser.

My parents celebrate their 67th wedding anniversary in a few days. Sixty-seven years of loving and learning. Talk about wisdom! Look to the older folks in your life for advice and direction, don't think they haven't lived and learned. Embrace growing older and sharing life's lessons. Praise God for each new day!