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Sonshine

2012 MISC 034

My boys have a Boxer named Roxie; she is almost 2 years old and has found her way deep into the hearts of all of us in the family.  She is an outside dog, but likes to find ways to sneak in and cuddle with someone on the couch.  Today when I was coming home from some errands around town, I found her laying on the front porch in the sunshine.  My first thought was “Roxie it is way to cold to be outside why are you not in the garage?” My mind started turning and my conclusion was that she feels the warmth of the sun and that is way better than a closed grey garage.

How many times have I chosen to stay in a safe place instead of out in the Sonshine?  My answer is not what I am very proud of, I too often let my fears take charge and I find myself still in the house instead of out in the Sonshine with Him.  My mind knows the truth, it knows that anywhere with Him there is joy, grace, love and WARMTH, but sometimes my heart has a hard time believing and it tells me that a warm house with a blanket is the place to stay.

When I look outside today the sky is blue, the sun is shining bright, even when the temperature says it is really cold out there.  I need to always remember to keep my focus looking UP and on the SON because no matter what anyone else says, HE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN PROVIDE THE WARMTH THAT I NEED!

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BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

Indiana has been experiencing some cold weather the past several days.  It has chilled me to the bone,  since I am not a big fan of winter.  While taking my boys to school this morning Ty checked the weather on my iPhone as the temperature on the Envoy read 3 degrees, he stated that it was -34 with -41 wind chill where Grandpa and Grandma live in Manitoba, Canada.  Wow, that sent a shiver through me.  So what is cold?  All about perspective and what we get used too. It brought up memories of the times we were in Manitoba over Christmas with these temps and you still went about your normal business just with a little more urgency when you were outside.  The truth is that it is cold but we have to realize that to others this temp would feel good.  I told my boys that we probably should not tell our Canadian relatives we had 2 hour delays the past several days for cold.  They would probably chuckle.  But for us who are not used to it, it was the right decision.

This concept applies to circumstances too. We have things come up in our lives that seem big and overwhelming, but in light of what others are going through it might appear small to them.  An example is Bryson’s broken toe this week.  In light of all of his other issues, a broken toe is quite trivial and to the many people who are on my prayer list who are dealing with BIG, TOUGH stuff, it’s just a toe!!   I had to keep reminding myself of this on Tuesday when I was taking him to the doctor and for x-rays.  I found myself having a pity party for myself and grumbling about another bump along his journey.  But I realized I can’t stay in that place.  We all will experience circumstances in our life but compared to the bigger picture it isn’t something to get depressed over.  Yes, I have to recognize that it is a bump but not stay in that place of pity but realize God’s provision and grace. Thankfully  it wasn’t anything worse, it was just a TOE.