I felt the Lord impressing this upon my heart through this photograph… specifically for a beautiful friend whose heart is crying out for a child, but hopefully it will encourage you, too.  Don’t we all have a vision for what we want our life to look like?  It hurts when our deepest desires and longings look different than we intended, not met at all… or require us to wait.  Or maybe OUR desires and longings don’t look as beautiful as HIS desires and longings for our life.  As I look at the photo again I notice…  He has made this landscape look beautiful in different seasons.  We have a hard time imagining what it will look like as the seasons change… we only think we can imagine it bathed in the color of fall… but our imagination doesn’t even come close to what He has in store.  We can only see what it is like now – so much like our circumstances.  But He knows.  He has planned its beauty so that it looks different in each season… It is beautiful when the fresh spring rain sprouts up new life… or as the clouds set in.  In this image, would we see this specific aspect of His glory if He didn’t bathe it in snow and strip the trees of life?  I pray we find peace as we know that He has planned a beautiful life for us that can display His glory… if we allow it to.  Whether our season is full of rejoicing or grieving.

Here’s a book recommendation for those of you who are thirsting for relaxation… it is rich, deep, satisfying   Grab it before your long weekend begins…

Enjoy and cherish this Thanksgiving!