Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of the connections we have in our lives?

I think it’s amazing how God places people in our lives every day. Some may come along to encourage us; some to challenge us, and some to make us aware of our own existence.

If we had it our way, we would love to meet happy people, generous people, and those who enrich our lives.

God doesn’t give us everything we want. He puts some people in our life so that we can be like Jesus to them. Some won’t be lovable, they might even make our lives miserable, but know this, it’s God’s plan taking shape.

I have seen over the years the people God has placed in my life.  Most have been blessings, but I admit, some I’ve questioned.

At the time I thought to myself, “why?”  Why would God subject me to this person?”

God knows what He’s doing. Right now, He is setting the next divine appointment in our life.

Don’t dismiss God’s power. Never forget that in our weakness, He is strong. When we don’t understand the circumstances, look to the one who surpasses all understanding.

Romans 12:10 - “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Having lost my dad at the age of 10 kept me searching for the ‘knight in shining armor.’

There are very few memories of my dad, and they keep fading every year. From what my sisters have told me, I was his little princess. He adored me. I always wondered what kind of girl I would have turned out to be, had he been in my life, especially during the teenage years.

For those of you who don’t know me, I was a very rebellious teenager. Even if you did know me, I kept it hidden, even from my mom. She never knew most of the trouble I got myself into.

Looking back, I seemed to have been looking for that one guy that would take my daddy’s place, and treat me like a princess.

No one measured up, not even close. It wasn’t their fault. It was wrong for me to ever set that expectation on any man that came into my life.

Had I looked for God to fulfill my desires of having a father, I would have saved myself from a lot of grief and misery.

I can’t complain though. I have no regrets, other than leaving God out of my life for many years.

For those of you who are still looking for your ‘knight in shining armor,’ just look to Jesus. He will make you feel like a princess forever.

1 John 3:1 - “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

My mom left us 5 years ago this month, only days before Christmas.

She led a devoted Christian life; raised 8 kids, loved God and her family. I always get a little sad around Thanksgiving, as that was the one day of the year most all the family gathered at her house. You could see the joy in her eyes, having all the kids and their kids under one roof.

She taught me values that made me who I am today. I never heard her say a mean word to anyone.

Some days I just wish she would call me on the phone; walk into the room. To hear her laughter and listen to her quick wit, just one more time.

I do have peace though when I think of her, knowing that I’ll see her again some day.

She’s safe now; no more pain, no more tears.

How about you? Are you looking forward to reuniting with a loved one some day?

Oh, what a day that will be.

I thank God for His promise of a reunion above all reunions.

Revelation 21:4 - “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

I like entertaining, bringing people together making new friends. There are some that are entertaining every weekend, busying themselves with planning, shopping and organizing all the festivities so that everyone invited will be entertained. This can get crazy, and most times, very stressful.

As Christians, we need to be very careful in this area. If we depend on this type of entertaining for a sense of happiness and fulfillment, it will lead us away from God.

I used to think that idols are something man-made, a structure that people worship. In reality, an idol can be anything that takes up our time, something distracting or addicting.

Idols can distract you from God, and destroy your relationship with Him.

I have to be careful myself. I love spending time with my grandkids, but if I’m not careful, I find myself putting them before God.

Colossians 3:5 - “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

I never really experienced the solitude of the wilderness until I started hiking about 11 years ago.

As a kid, growing up in the foothills of West Virginia, I experienced walking the hills and enjoying outdoor adventures. But, I guess I didn’t really appreciate the retreat that was before me.

It’s fun to explore the wilderness, with the exception of getting lost in it. There’s a peace in the quiet of a forest, sitting and listening to the animals in their element.

As God led the Israelites into the wilderness, they were sorry to have left Egypt. They complained that they might die of starvation and thirst, so God sent them manna (food) from heaven. It fell down to the earth. Can you imagine this happening today? Wow.

You would have thought they’d be grateful for the food, but they kept complaining and were getting tired of the same food. They didn’t have the faith required, faith that God was going to deliver them from the wilderness.

For 40 years they wandered because of their unbelief and disobedience.

God promised victory; it was already theirs, they just had to believe.

And so it is today - we all have the free gift of eternal life right in front of us; accept it today and escape the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:8 - “do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,”

I’m like a kid when it comes to opening presents at Christmas time. I love giving gifts and watching others open them, and often find myself wanting them to open the gift even before Christmas.

The anticipation is often more exciting than the actual gift.

Don’t you know that this is probably how God feels when He blesses us with spiritual gifts? He’s waiting in anticipation for us to use these gifts.

God has blessed me with the ability to write. I’ve always tried to keep a journal, most of my adult life. And, even though I’ve been writing a while, I feel God is showing me how to use writing to reach others, to bless those who are doing life with me, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, and hopefully to spark some curiosity to those who don’t know Christ as their savior.

God gave you a gift, or gifts. Don’t miss the opportunity to use that gift to bless others.

Writing is so much more rewarding to me once I realized it’s a gift from God.

Open it now - use your gifts today to enrich your life and the lives of others around you.

Romans 1:11 - “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong.”

How you live your life, how you treat others, is like an open story to your heart.

If you see someone helping another, in their time of need, you might say, “they have a good heart.” Whereas, a heartless person appears cruel and mean to others.

It says in the book of Matthew, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

Jesus is concerned with our heart. Although you may appear that you have it all together on the outside, that’s not enough.

When you give your life to Jesus, He changes your heart. You no longer want to do what you used to do. “Man looks at our outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Whatever you are thinking usually comes from the heart and unfortunately in most cases, out of your mouth.

We are born with dirty hearts, but Jesus came to purify them.

Allow God to cleanse your heart and purify it with love. Open your heart so the world can see Jesus in you.

Proverbs 27:19 - “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

Having faith in God is risking what you’ve always known for God’s purposes.

There are thousands of people, mostly in foreign countries, risking their lives to tell others about Jesus.

After my first mission trip, I came home wondering, “why wouldn’t everyone want to do this?”

Most will say that they’re scared, afraid to get out of their comfort zone. They’re not alone. I was afraid too, scared of being rejected and mocked. I was afraid someone would ask me a question about the bible that I couldn’t answer.

You may wonder what changed in me? What made me risk embarrassment and go for it?

Faith. I knew in my heart, I couldn’t do it on my own. I knew I would fail if I depended on me. But, the changing point came when I decided to trust what God was doing inside me.

I went and can’t recall one moment when I felt scared, embarrassed or unfit.

I had faith that whatever I did, God would be with me in every moment.

Friends, take a chance. Risk it; leave your comfort zone and let God use you today.

2 Corinthians 5:7 - “For we live by faith, not by sight.”