NOT ONE THING

Greetings,

I have a cold.  My eyes are watery, my throat hurts, I have a wacky cough, and my nose is stuffy.  But worse still is that I cannot, will not, kiss or cuddle with my little precious granddaughter.  For the past couple of days when she has arrived, she runs to me expecting the typical greeting, which consists of me squeezing her and hugging her and smooching with that chubby face.  However, I literally turn my back to her because I don’t want her to catch my cold.   To make it up to her, I allow her to watch a little extra Bluey, her favorite TV show.  But today before she left, she came up to me and hugged my legs.  Cue the tears! She does not understand that I have to keep her at arm’s length.

I hope we all understand however, that our Father GOD loves us and that nothing – NOT ONE THING – exists (certainly not a cold) that can ever make Him turn His back on us. The actual bible verse is so powerful:

“Neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

These verses settle it: Nothing we have ever done or will do can keep God from loving us.  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help us to accept this truth.  If we pray knowing we are passionately and permanently loved, it strengthens our faith to trust that You know best.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Even in a Zoo!

Greetings,

Yesterday I went to the zoo with my daughter and granddaughter.  We had such a lovey day. Little Ellie fed a camel, petted a goat named Cinderella, rode the carousel, oohed and aahed at the lions, hyenas, and Cuban alligators (yes, my people have a reptile named after them), and thoroughly enjoyed frolicking in the splash park.  I loved watching her and her reactions at all the new sights and sounds.  

But my favorite part of the whole experience is when it started pouring rain.  We rushed into a covered gazebo and were soon joined by a family of five.  A mom, dad, and their three young sons. The father struck up a conversation and asked us if we were tourists or locals.  I quickly thought, “Yenisita, make a good impression; Miami is counting on you.”  I shared that we were, in fact, locals and welcomed him to our city.  He shared that they were on a two-week vacation that started in Houston, made a pit stop in Orlando, and then after a few more days in Miami, were headed back to Qatar.  

“Qatar?” I sort of squealed, “How interesting.” And then I asked him what the main religion was there. 

“The main religion there is Islam, but we are Christians.”

I enthusiastically replied, “We are too, praise Jesus!” 

And in those few moments as we waited for the rain to pass, we talked about God’s faithfulness.  It turns out he and his family moved to Qatar a few years ago because religious persecution in his old country was becoming more pervasive and they no longer felt safe. It was a sobering moment.  Before we parted ways, we blessed each other’s families.   

  

How is it that complete strangers can bond over their love of Christ? Easy: We are all brothers and sisters who share the same hope, same faith, and same Father (Ephesians 4:4-5). And, I know God allowed this powerful moment in my life to remind me to always be grateful for the religious freedoms we have in this country.  Even the freedom to pray and praise in a zoo!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You that there are believers who love You, trust You, and seek You from all over the world. We are all Your children, and we are grateful because You cover us in Your goodness. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.