Beautiful Promises, Brighter Tomorrows

dear daughters,

Do you ever feel like giving up? Like nothing you do is ever going to be good enough or amount to anything? Have you ever been in a tough situation you think you can’t survive? I sure have. But God has taught me this is no way to think! He wants us to think good thoughts, hopeful thoughts, trusting thoughts. He wants us to believe Him and what He has promised.

Trusting God during hard times is difficult. But the Bible teaches that God has everything under control. I believe He knows what choices you will make, both the good and the bad, and already has a plan to work out those choices for good. He knows that sometimes your choices lead to disappointments and even pain. And He knows that sometimes other people’s choices lead to your disappointment and pain, too. But God will use it all to help you grow and mature.

If you look at anything in nature you can see that nothing grows and becomes beautiful without some kind of struggle. And a lot of time the effort is pretty impressive. I've heard some of the most beautiful flowers live on tops of mountains amidst rocky cliffs, and they have to push through the rocks to bloom.

Now I’m not saying I’m beautiful, but I have pushed through a lot of rocks. Sometimes I wanted to give up and just survive life instead of thrive in it. I didn't think I'd amount to much or that my life would ever be enjoyable. Little did I know what God had planned for me, and how He'd turn my hard times into good.

So, hang in there. Perseverance produces beautiful character! Keep trusting God and believing His Word. Rejoice in His beautiful promises for a brighter tomorrow!

living to love, loving to live,
momma b

Happy New Year!

dear daughters,

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it is 2009. Aimee turned 18 since I last wrote to you, and she’ll graduate high school this year. Latania turned 16 just a few days ago, while Anki is busy working and taking college courses. You girls are growing up so fast!

I thought of you today. I was stuck waiting someplace and had nothing to do for a few minutes, so I resorted to playing 3-card solitaire on my iphone. It occurred to me the difference one card can make. Anytime I played one card from the deck, it changed the order of the cards for the next round, revealing new cards that I couldn’t play before. Playing that one card was so important, I began to think in my head, “Just one card…Come on…Just one card!” Then it hit me...

The “just one card” effect is true in life, just like in cards. Each day we have many decisions to make in areas like school, work, family, friends, and most importantly, faith. Just one changes everything. Every move affects the outcome. What one card do you need to play to change your life and make it a winning game? I imagine God just might be cheering from heaven, “Just one card…Come on….Play it, and start your new year off right!”

living to love, loving to live,
momma b