Hello precious and positive friends.  Looking forward to seeing you this week at Positive Woman Connection.  Tuesday at Prestonwood Country Club, Wed at Cottonwood Creek.  Our lesson is about the beauty Christ brings to our lives.  If you have ever wondered, “Am I beautiful?” You will be reassured as you hear this lesson from Colossians. See you soon.

Here’s a devotional thought to encourage you.

Missionary David Miner Stern was plunged into deep grief at the death of his young daughter. Try as he might, David could not seem to get over his great sorrow, even though he was a Christian and knew of the Lord’s care. In his depression, he visited his daughter’s grave every day. He had a walking stick that he used to touch the mound of dirt over her casket, and somehow this seemed to give him a small measure of comfort, as it made him feel as though he had some slight contact with her. The oppression of his grief was so severe that he feared he must give up his role as a missionary. But God in his gracious way brought him relief.

One day as he stood over the grave, David suddenly realized how wrong it was for him to fix his attention on the dead body of his daughter. The Holy Spirit began to impress on his mind what Jesus said to the thief as he was dying on the cross: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”11 The truth of the passage began to transform the way he was thinking and he started repeating the words “with Christ in paradise” over and over again as he walked home.

His mind opened up to the blessed reality of his daughter being with Jesus. He asked himself, “What more could I want for a loved one than this?” This comforting thought allowed him to resume his missionary duties with joy. Instead of dwelling on his daughter in the grave, he pictured her safe in the presence of Jesus.

By God’s grace and power, we, too, can see our circumstances in a different way. It’s time to let go of that old dream and walk hand in hand with the Lord into a new and different place. With our eyes looking up, we are able to catch a glimpse of a new and better dream. Most importantly as we look to Christ, we are reminded of his great and comforting love, which can soothe the pain and give us strength to move forward.

This blog is an excerpt from my book Thrive, Don’t Simply Survive (Simon and Schuster). The story of David Stern came from Roy B. Zuck, comp., Speakers Quote Book (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1997), 180.