Through the tough times God is always strong & faithful.

This past week has been a very difficult time for me and reallly forced me to cling to Christ and His ever-present love. I had spent much time feeling sorry for myself and focusing on MY pain. Tonight though I was reading some scripture verses, that my sister had sent in a letter to encourage me, and I realized how much I really needed to get my eyes off myself and discomfort. Sometimes I think in life that God in His finite wisdom knows and allows situations to strenthen me and mold me in His likeness. Not that going through anything hard is easy but for some reason this fact alone brought me so much comfort tonight.

I was at the kitchen table reading when I looked outside and realized how beautiful the backyard tree looked in the evening light. I took several different pictures of the same scene in different aperature and ISO settings. Isn't it interesting how the exact picture can look so different in changes of light. My life is the same way I feel, my situation can look so different based on the way I approach it.

I was also encouraged by the following quote from a book I have been reading by Luci Swindoll.

"Nothing is wasted. The good, the bad, the ugly and the things we think will kill us. God uses it all, and He develops our purpose out of the stuff in our trash. He sifts through it, shows us how to tell it, and then helps others with it. We all meet in our own humanity. How has God enriched you to help others?"