a RAY of Hope!

 I am going to make a bold prediction. As I type this I am greatly anticipating the SUN today! AND as a bonus the temperature here in Bluffton, Indiana is supposed to reach 50 degrees!!!!!! Yippee! It seems like forever since we have seen the sun here in northern Indiana. It probably hasn't been that long, but the darkness of winter drags me down. SO, any ray of sunshine, any glimmer of hope, is a welcome sight and lifts my spirits. Yes, I know, it has only been a little over a week since Stephanie and I returned from the "Sunshine State." (By the way, it wasn't all that sunny there either!) Nearly twelve hours of darkness each day and gloomy, rainy, snowy, icy, and cloudy skies throughout the past two months have a way of removing joy from a person's spirit.

It just happened that my spirit also got a boost today as I went back to my study of Isaiah:

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian." (Isaiah 9:2-4)

The weather can really be depressing at times. Our mood is affected greatly by the sun and the lack of light. So, in the Bible where Jesus is referred to as the light of the world, it makes perfect sense to me. One of the ways I can get myself through these gloomy days of winter is to think of my joy in Jesus Christ. I cannot comprehend how those who do not have a savior like I do, make it through a single day of life. Just like I need sunlight, I also need SONLIGHT!  

My hope is in Jesus. My joy is in Jesus. My everything is Jesus. 

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, be we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." (1 Corinthians 4:8-10)

"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said 'I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." (John 8:12)