new year.

new year.

by Kathleen Moulton

I’m not going to tell you this year will be better.

It  might not be.

But I can tell you that you are not alone as you face a new year.

The Bible says this:

Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.

So we say with confidence,

The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

When we’re faced with trouble, sadness, disappointment – no matter what it is – we can be sure God is with us.

I know this to be positively true. The darkest time in my life was when I lost my son at age 24. They say losing a child is the worst thing.

It is.

You have to believe in someone bigger than yourself.

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And when you do, there are surprises along the way – like love notes just for you – from your Heavenly Father.

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begin again.

begin again.

by Kathleen Moulton

Every morning, without fail, the sun rises and presents us with a new day.

It’s a new year with new hope and a new beginning.

Remember, you will get off track…you will mess up…you will fall down.

But you can start all over the next day and begin again. Doesn’t the sunrise tell us that?

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Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22

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empty or full?

empty or full?

by Kathleen Moulton

Do you see the glass half full?

Or half empty?

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Optimism is a choice. So is pessimism.

Which will you choose?

Life can be very difficult.

But how we look at it makes all the difference in how we proceed.

 

 

“Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of good things, and no good thing ever dies.”  -Shawshank Redemption

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a new year.

a new year.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

new-year-tea_l

There’s something about a fresh start. It’s a God thing.

The Bible encourages …

forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.

Some things we should carry with us into the new year.

Some things we should leave behind.

What are those things we should leave behind?

Those things we cannot change.

Memories are good things. But we should always look forward with anticipation – no matter what we’re dealing with today.

If you’ve had a bad year, look ahead with hope and expectation. It’s right around the corner.

Bask in it like it’s already here.

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holidays.

holidays.

by Kathleen Moulton

Are you alone today?

It’s a day when there’s lots of being together.

But it’s just a day. A day that is one out of 364 other days.

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Don’t be hopeless because you feel left out. Lots of people don’t get together at holidays. And some who do – end up fighting and not talking to each other the rest of the year.

Being with people isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

If you are alone, enjoy a movie. Just you!

Or, reach out to someone.

Both work.

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deliver us from evil.

deliver us from evil.

by Kathleen Moulton

Evil exists in a broken world.

Accidents happen.

People get sick.

Tires go flat.

Houses catch on fire.

We relish in the good – and so we should.

But sometimes, evil can shadow the good and we forget the good is there.

There is only one who can redeem the atrocities in our lives. God.      hopehely-snowflake_l

The Bible tells us he is compassionate and merciful. His love is so great that he died for the world because evil kept him at a distance.

Does his love stop there? No. It continues on and on and on.

And often, God shows he is with us when he surprises us with comfort when snowflakes fall gently upon the earth.

All around us is God’s presence.

Be comforted.

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losing a child.

losing a child.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 1 Comment

Like a wave, the crest of heightened emotion will fall to find a path as it crashes upon the shore of a new day … a new week … a new year.

Life will demand and routine will resume.

The fathers and mothers of the Sandy Hook school shootings will feel helpless. They will tread water as raw grief pierces deeper and the numbness wears off.

Everyone leaves and the temporary buoyancy of strength leaves, too.

You cannot leave them. Not yet.

There is a gaping wound in their heart. And life is pulsating out of it with every breath.

Place your hand of quiet presence upon their heart until it beats on its own.

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The silence is deafening. Weeping openly was allowed.

Life must go on we tell them.

But life is on hold for them.

Let them. Please let them.

There are no words to comfort. All they want is their child back.

Time. They need lots of time.

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Time to learn how to live again.

Some will not want to live again.

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But they will.

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MrClean1982 / Foter / CC BY-NC

 macropoulos / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Vicki’s Nature / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

sandy hook school shooting.

sandy hook school shooting.

by Kathleen Moulton

Words dissipate.

Tears fall.

Steps falter.

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The beauty of innocence frozen in time.

And held closely to God’s heart.

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light.

light.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 1 Comment

Where am I going?

I am baffled.

I was headed there. I was certain of it.

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But when it happened, everything changed.

And now I am here.

It’s cold. Everything looks dismal. This is not where I want to be.

Then I looked up. I saw the light. It is the one thing that is constant. It’s always there. Even when I cannot see it.

And it will guide me.

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great.

great.

by Kathleen Moulton

God is so great in his love, He continually places sure footing before our steps – even when we have messed up. God doesn’t sit back like some of us do, just waiting for the ax to fall on someone. His mercy is so great and His compassion is so deep that He weeps over us.

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          As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

  -The Bible

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