SimplyLife

There's a purple petunia growing outside my front door. It's been blooming since early February. I didn't plant it. The green leaves appeared without my notice until the blooms were turning their faces to the morning sun. The little plant makes me smile every time I look at it. Planted by God's hand, it's putting out new growth and more flowers. It's watered regularly now, which will lengthen the blooming. It survived cold temperatures without a blemish of frost. The plant even persevered through the repainting of our house with men tramping through flower beds and digging ladders into the ground. The petunia is just for me. A blessing from the Heavenly Father who knows how much I love flowers. Why else would it appear? He does that all the time for each of us, but we need to be looking for the little things He provides that let us know He cares for us. The petunia the small plant on left. Irises now dwarf it. The little plant was easy to miss and mistak...

God knows us so well. We're anxious, fearful people--ever worrying about life. No wonder  He says, "don't be afraid," over 300 times in Scripture. I did a little research on anxiety and it's everywhere. The Anxiety and Depression Assoc. of America reports that over 40 million adults in the U.S. struggle with some sort of anxiety disorder. From occasional bouts of worry to debilitating lifestyles of fear, worry often accompanied by depression permeates our culture. Christians are not immune.  We toss and turn in our beds, minds fully engaged and sleep elusive. God says, "Trust Me and don't worry. Tell Me everything that's bothering you. I will take care of you." But do we believe Him?  Richard Foster in his book, Freedom of Simplicity says "The pressing question today is not, "Is there a God?" but "What kind of God is there?" Is God cruel or is He good? In short, can He be trusted?" Anxiety has trapped me fro...