Hershey Kisses from Heaven

I have heard people say that it is in the good times of life that God becomes forgotten, people become secure and start to depend on their own strength. Yet, it is in the storms of life that most cling to Him with every fiber of their being, holding on to the only thing they have-Him. What do you think? I don't want to be a "wayward Christian," only being strong in my faith at certain times of my life. I want to realize that all things in life come from Him-the good and the bad.

Beth Moore has started a rally to encourage others to memorize scripture. The 1st and 15th of every month, anyone can go to her blog and write what verse they are going to memorize for the next two weeks.The best way to pick one verse out of so many, is to think of what you need right now. It could be patience, or confidence or the need to trust and no longer worry. In January, I needed strength; strength of mind and spirit, so I looked up "strength" in the concordance of my Bible and read every verse about strength until I found the one my soul needed most. It was weird how it almost lept off the page shouting, "I'm it, I'm the verse you are looking for!" When I would start to lose my patience or become weary, I would say that verse and it would really change my perspective. I was reminded that He is my strength and that I am not meant to handle everything life throws at me, on my own.

The beginning of this month, I really wanted to be mindful of being thankful of all the blessings in my life. When you live each day thinking of how blessed you are-it's hard to get weary or bothered or begin to worry. My ladies Bible study group has been going through a different book of the Bible each week. Since the beginning of this year, we have spent a lot of time going over verses that at one point in my life-was all I had. There have been so many times I was taken back to a horrible time in my life and saw the drastic difference of how things were and how things are now. I have spent a lot of time thanking God for saving me from myself and for restoring what the locusts of sin had eaten (Joel 2:25). I pray my heart will always be mindful to look around and see how blessed I truly am.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,

continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him,

strengthened in the faith as you were taught,

and overflowing with thankfulness."

Colossians 2:6-7

Do you remember when you first found Jesus? You might have felt that you could do anything and would go anywhere He told you to go. You were totally mindful of His sacrifice for you. As time went on, you might have forgotten just how good it feels to be "washed as white as snow". Life might have gotten rocky and you wondered where God was. Life is hard, no doubt about it, but this verse reminds us to live life in Him, doing His will, just as you were when you first accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Have you ever seen a plant that has been pulled from the soil? It doesn't take long until it droops and beings to die. We are the same way. He cannot build us up or strengthen us if we are no longer "rooted" in Him. Remember that faith grows by believing-believing He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. As my pastor said at church last Sunday, if God has done something before in your life, He can do it again. We will not fear, but have the same faith we had the day before.

I encourage you to be mindful of His blessings and stay overflowing with thankfulness for what He has done in your life. It might be hard to find things to be thankful for, but He will show you. It could be as simple as seeing a full moon, eating a hot chocolate chip cookie, sleeping in a heat filled house while it is cold outside. There is always something to be thankful for and those things come from Him. They are the Heavenly Hershey kisses that say, "I love you!" Cling to those things and give Him all the praise and all the glory.