Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Light in the Darkness

"For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him." (2 Samuel 22:29-31 NKJV) New Orleans and those that live in the Gulf area are being hit yet again with a hurricane. Gustav is categorized at a higher level than Katrina. Katrina was a level three hurricane, Gustav is forecasted to hit land at a level four. Gustav, and its aftermath, is the darkness for many. But, God says for those who trust in Him He will be their shield, they can run over walls, and against troops. In other words, no matter how many and or how difficult their past, present and future challenges are, God will get them through it. I know it may not seem like it or feel like it at the time but God will. It's promised to you. We can also be one's light in the darkness. We can reach out to those around us. Just giving someone a hug, a pat on the back, or a warm smile or touch can be the light in their darkness. We never know what one is going through and that might be just what they need. Because here we are directly north of Louisiana, we are expecting up to 6000 displaced humans and animals to arrive here. If possible, we are going to look for ways to volunteer. If you're not in an area receiving displaced families (for ANY reason) you can find others to help. At the very least you can pray for these people and their pets. I encourage you this week, on behalf of those affected by Gustav, to reach out to someone or a needy animal...help someone, donate a big bag of food to your local shelter(s), call someone, send someone a card, or just take a minute to pray for someone. And, if someone does something nice for you this week, thank them, pray for them (in secret), and then pay it forward. Love, Beau