Where is God When ... You Don't Know How to Swim

Recently I took my two sons, Ryan (5 ½), and Will (almost 3), swimming at my friend Debbie’s house. It was an overcast day so the temperature was cool.

Debbie’s pool has both a deep and shallow ends. My boys, who don’t know how to swim, stayed mostly in the shallow end. Will, however, sported his blue and green life jacket which made him feel invincible. Will has hardly any fear anyway, so this life jacket made him fearless in the water.

Ryan, the more cautious of the two, didn’t wear his life jacket, but never passed the blue rope separating the deep end from where he played in the shallow water.

The swim date went on normally. We were there probably three hours before the dark clouds started to drip rain. As Debbie and I gathered up the pool toys and chair cushions, our kids got out of the pool.

And although Debbie and I both had our swim suits on under our clothes, we never got in the pool. That was until I was carrying chair cushions into the garage, miss stepped and walked right in to the shallow end of the pool. I yelled out as the pool casing banged against my legs, leaving bruises on both. I was a little stunned at first, and mostly wet, but I was ok. I climbed out and went on with the business of cleaning up.

I went back to gather my things and my boys' things and made sure both boys were safely out of the pool and drying off. Debbie was also there, cleaning up. And her older children, who can both swim, were cleaning up, too.

As I took a load of toys, life jackets and other items of mine to my van, Debbie and the crew continued cleaning up. She took the long pool broom and was fishing out leaves. Will wanted a turn, so she let him have one. She stayed very close as he balanced the heavy broom. He did fine until he eventually dropped it in the deep end of the pool, far out of the reach of all of us.

It was time to go, but Debbie’s son was having trouble retrieving the pool broom from the bottom of the pool. Since I was already wet and my son dropped it in, I decided it was best that I dive in and get it.

I dove in, scooped up the broom and resurfaced. I handed the broom to Debbie, as we joked about me getting wet right before we were about to leave.

Then a loud splash interrupted our conversation. Time moved into slow motion as Debbie swung her head around and shouted, “Will!”

Will had decided to jump in the water – without his life jacket. Although he jumped in the shallow end, the water was still above his head. He sank to the bottom of the pool, eyes wide and mouth open, arms and legs madly paddling to resurface.

As I clung to the side of the pool about 30 feet away from my son, I couldn’t seem to move. But Debbie didn’t hesitate. She jumped in, clothes and all and reached down to grab my struggling toddler.

He came up, coughed and then loudly cried. I finally freed myself from my shock and moved quickly through the water to him and held him and comforted him. I also reminded him that he didn’t know how to swim, how much he scared me and that he should NEVER do that again. He seemed to agree.

The more I have thought about that situation, the more I have blamed myself. I should have never taken off his life jacket before he left the pool area. I should have watched him more closely. I should have told him again not to jump in the water without his life jacket.

In many ways, I was at fault, and I know it. And I have learned a lesson. But the final decision to jump in that water was still his. I can’t be in his head or even with him at every moment to correct his every step, even though I want to.

That must be how God feels. He wants us to listen and obey Him. He wants us to make wise choices, but because He gave us free will, sometimes we jump in the water when we don't know how to swim.

And I can just imagine God’s reaction – like most parent’s reaction – would be horror as we sink to the bottom. Then we flail and struggle to try to save ourselves. And we don’t know how to swim, so we sink further and further down.

I can just see God clinging to the side of the pool and thinking how upset He is and how what is happening is grieving Him and scaring Him all at the same time. He is there watching us sink.

But that’s when our savior comes in. Without hesitation, God’s son Jesus jumps in with no regard to Himself. He swiftly moves over to the spot where we went in the water. And as we reach up to Him for help, He reaches down and lifts us out of the water.

We come up and we gasp for air and we cry out in pain and in fear. But then we are safe in His arms. He hands us to our Father, who comforts us and keeps us safe.

Our Father whispers to us how scared He was for us. How He saw us go in over our heads and try to help ourselves, but how we were unable to resurface. He tells us how much He loves us and how He doesn’t know what He would do if anything were to ever happen to us. He wraps a towel around us to warm us and keep us from shaking. He pleads with us to never do something like that again. He reminds us to wear our life jackets until we learn how to swim.

God was with me, too, when I fell in the pool. But because I knew how to swimso when I fell in, I was ok - not nearly as scared and able to use a little help to pull myself up. It still hurt. I got all wet and hadn’t intended to. I was even bruised with ugly black, blue, purple and yellow marks that have lasted two weeks now. They are serving as little painful reminders of my miss step.

And when my parents saw my bruise, they hurt for me and were concerned about what happened. They reminded me to be more careful and to not be so careless. And I knew that I should have asked for help and not taken on such a load.

God is there for us as believers. We will make mistakes, take miss steps. We will fall and get wet and bruised and have to back track even. But we know how to swim because we have God.

None of us are born knowing how to swim. It is something we have to learn how to do. And it is likely that at one time or another, we have gotten in over our head and had to be rescued or helped up.

Sometimes we are given false hope when we somehow manage to keep our head above water as we struggle in the water. We think we can swim. But sooner or later, we find out we can’t do it by ourselves.

All we have to do is reach out to Jesus’ hand, which is already extended and waiting for us to grab hold. That hand has been there all along waiting for us to grab it and accept the salvation God is offering us. Jesus is like the life saver thrown to a drowning man. It may have hung on the wall by the pool all along, but until you were ready to accept its help, it wasn’t used.

I learned how to swim years ago, but still need help from time to time. And I make it a policy to never swim alone. I am sure to take my Father along with me to help keep me safe and to forgive me in advance when I take a miss step.

What about you? Are you still trying to do it all alone? Are you struggling to keep your head above water, frantically paddling and fearful of the moment when you can’t do it anymore? Are you looking around for a life saver but not sure where to find one?

If that’s you, then accept that hand that is being offered to you. That hand of help that comes from Jesus. He is right there waiting for you to reach to Him for help. And with His help, you will learn to swim. You won’t always be a perfect swimmer, but you will also have some help whenever you need it. And once you learn to swim, life will be so much easier. Some days it will be an easy float. Sometimes a marathon dog paddle. Nevertheless, your head will assuredly be above water.

What a peaceful feeling.

Where is God When You Are Misunderstood

So where is God when you are misunderstood? I have been misunderstood a lot. And it is no surprise that I have been misunderstood again by my blogs. I have debated about how to handle the misunderstandings, if I should just let them go, but I think it is important to clarify what I meant. So here is a reply to the first comment on the last post:

Dear Anonymous,

I appreciate your feedback. I want to set a couple of things straight. I never said if I prayed enough I would be protected, I just said God answered my prayer with protection and provision. He may have answered my prayer by saying no, but that was not the case this time. He has told me no plenty of times. And if you knew me, you would also know that I DO believe that even the bad things that happen are all apart of God's plan for my life.

Again, I do not believe God cause bad things to happen but I do believe he allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.

I also never said that the people at Virginia Tech didn't pray. I never accused them of not being Christians or not being obedient or anything like that. Read it again to see. Their prayers may have been for protection and provision and God might have said, "No." Answering our prayers has nothing to do with how good of a Christian we are. In fact, we are all miserable examples of God's idea of a "good Christian." We are going to mess up and do the wrong things over and over. We could NEVER be a good enough Christian to please God or be good enough to get an answer to prayer. That's why what God does for us is called grace. And grace is an undeserved gift from God.

I am not sure who you are so I don't know if you have children. But if you do, or if there is someone in your life you love unconditionally, maybe it would make sense if I say it this way. I love my children with all of my heart. In fact, I didn't know my heart was capable of such love. And my kids try to please me but fall short all the time. They make mistakes. They break the rules, they get in trouble. So does that change my love for them? Does what they do make me any less likely to love them and care for them and do things for them? No, of course it doesn't. There is nothing my children could do that could cause my love for them to fail.

And that is the same way with God. There is nothing we could do that could change His love for us. In Romans 8:38-39 it says, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

And just as my children could not ever do anything to "earn" my love for them - because they had it from the moment they were created - there is nothing we can do to earn love or favor from God. In fact, there is nothing we can do FOR God that He can't do for Himself.

So why did God answer my prayers in the affirmative this time? Only He knows. It is what was supposed to happen. My purpose in sharing that story with you and everyone else was not to say, "Wow. Look how special I am. God answered MY prayer." My purpose was to show you that God gave me the tiniest insight on His sovereignty by answering my prayers in an amazing, complete and generous way. He was proving to me that He is real and always with me. And I shared it in hopes that you and everyone else would see it, too.

And as far as the financial support comment; I am not really sure what you were trying to say. All I know is that I did not anticipate nor ask for it. It isn't like I am always bailed out financially, in fact, it is quite the opposite. In my adult life, there have been few times that has happened. But when it did, I believe it was God's provision for me and for my family. Each time I have been humbled and extremely grateful for the gift, as I am this time. And there have been times that God has told me, "no" and it has been OK. We made it each time.

The last thing I want to tell you is that you made the comment that maybe my daily inconveniences weren't really all that important to God's bigger plan. I can relate to that logic. I mean, really, how could God care about my flat tire?

Here's the thing, though. He DOES care. He cares about everything that happens in my life; the good and the bad, the big and the small, the important and the trivial. He is like the best best friend ever. He knows me inside and out. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:29-31.

Finally, I want you to know that I am praying for you, whoever you are. I understand your doubt and bitterness because I have been there. I know how miserable it must be to feel that way. My prayer for you is that God would soften your heart and help you understand His truths, that you would grow to know Him and most importantly that He would fill you with a peace that surpasses understanding.

Thank you again for being bold enough to post your comment. I hope you will continue to do so.

In Christ,

Michelle

Where is God When Your Tires Are Worn Out

Seems like a silly post to you maybe. Well, I imagine it will at first. And you're wondering, is this some creative metaphor or what?

No, loved ones. This time it is very literal. Sometimes my posts will be commentaries on a hot topic and sometimes they will be like this one, a personal story.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a pull on the front tires of my van. It was slight so I dismissed it. A few weeks later, I started feeling the notorious vibration that my wheels were out of alignment. The faster I drove, the more it would shake.

As you may know, I am a stay-at-home mom for with my two precious boys. It is a wonderful job, but my husband and I make some sacrifices, specifically financial sacrifices for me to be able to do this.

So when the vibrating got pretty rough a couple of weeks ago, we decided to wait it out until we got paid at the beginning of the month. There was nothing dangerous, as best as we could tell, by looking at our tires. So I prayed as I drove.

I would really pray when I traveled two times a week on the interstate to go to Bible Study Fellowship. It was about a 15-minute drive on the highway. The boys were always with me when I would go. So I would pray for safety and protection.

Today, I went to my very last Bible Study Fellowship for the year and my boys weren't with me this time. So on my trip there and back I was in prayer for my safety and praying gratitude for God's protection on my traveling thus far. There was a moment when I thought of what could have happened if something bad had happened ... and I pushed the thought out of my head as quickly as it came in.

After I returned from the study, I fed my boys lunch, took my oldest to school and took the youngest to my parents house. They were going to watch him while I took my sister in law to lunch as a thank you for watching my boys while I went to my last study.

She and I had a nice relaxing lunch and headed to pick up my youngest son from my parents. When we pulled into their driveway and got out of the car, we both immediately noticed a loud hissing. When we investigated, we watched my front right tire flatten in about 60 seconds flat.

That was the first time I had noticed a little bit of the steel belt showing through on the outside of the tire. It wasn't enough to cause a flat, so I figured I must have run over something right before I got to my parent's house since the tire flattened so quickly and in their drive way.

After figuring out what to do, I called my roadside assistance to come and change my tire. It is a wonderful service my mom got for me that is a lot like AAA. The service person arrived more than 30 minutes before their promised arrival time and quickly change my flat and put on the spare donut. I knew even before seeing the tire off, I would need a new one.

As the man pulled my tire off the rim, I saw the real reason for the flat. A large 2-inch-wide by 6-inch-long gap lay where the treading had been on the INSIDE of my tire. It lay open and had apparently ruptured as I turned into my parent's drive way.



Now you might be thinking this is a coincidence or luck. Luck that the tire didn't flatten in an inconvenient place, like a parking lot or driving my son to school. Luck that I wasn't in a rush to go somewhere. Luck that I didn't have a major blowout on the highway and have a devastating crash.

My sweet daddy kept repeating this phrase over and over to me. "Michelle, you are so lucky. I can't believe how lucky you are you didn't have a blow out." He was obviously shaken to have seen what a close call this had turned out to be. He was so thankful for our safety, he even bought not just one but three new tires and had them aligned. He said it was much better than seeing me or my family in the hospital ... or worse.

But I know that there is no such thing as luck. What happened to me today was God's answer to my prayers for protection and beyond that it was His provision. It was an answer to prayer for my safety as I traveled.

And not only did God provide safety, He even allowed me to attend my last Bible Study, run my kids where they needed to go, let me have lunch with my sister in law AND guided me safely into my parent's drive way before that tire finally was exhausted. He also knew I didn't have anything important to do this afternoon and had already arranged for my wonderful friend Angela to pick up my son from school. He covered everything.

And when I learned how much it would cost to replace the tires (two of the other tires were miles away from the same fate) I was really upset. Although we do have an emergency fund for situations like this, it was going to put a major dent in it. It was going to be a lot of money.

So God used my parents to provide for me. They so generously replaced my tires even if for their peace of mind and my safety.

God is so amazing. He knows everything that will happen before it does. He makes a plan for us to be safe and to provide for us. And on this day, he proved to me again that He is very real and very involved in every last little detail of my life.

God promises us His protection: Psalm 5:11-12 says, "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield."

God, my refuge and my shield protected and provided for me today in unexpected and amazing ways. I am have no words for my gratitude and am sad to say amazed at what He can do for me.

To God be the glory for the things He has done, is doing and will do.

Where is God When Evilness Occurs?

If you are back reading my second post ... THANKS! I am glad you are here. I wanted to address the question I posed in the last blog about where is God when there are evil deeds or in disasters.

We all know what evilness is. Someone chooses to do something that is mean, that is hurtful, that is unimaginable. There is evilness in every murder. There is evilness all around, really everywhere we turn. There would be no 24-hour news stations if evilness didn't exist.

First, let's examine why there is evil. Sadly it didn't have to be this way. As you may or may not agree, but what I believe is true, is that God created the world. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 26, it says that God created human beings. When God created humans, he created them to reign over the earth. And he provided every plant and tree so we could b e nourished. And while it was no surprise to God, something there in the Garden of Eden where God's first human creatures resided, when awry.

You see, Eden was perfect. And I don't mean really good. I mean it was perfect. Beautiful. Luxurious. Without fault of any kind. God's only requirement was that Adam and Eve not eat from just one tree in the garden - the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or they would "surely die." Up until this point, Adam and Eve only knew the good. They only knew what they needed to know in order to live in this perfect place. They were in charge. They were provided enough food forever and they basically had it made.

Enter the serpent. The serpent throughout the Bible and throughout modern times represents evil. Eve was tempted. Somehow, she allowed the serpent to convince her that she wanted the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She needed that fruit. The serpent tells her in Genesis chapter 3, "You won't die ... God knows your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it."

And with just a little more convincing, Eve ate the fruit. And then Adam followed.

Thud.

Evilness was born into the world. Man and woman fell. Their eyes were indeed opened. Opened to evilness. And because they disobeyed God, even though God knew it would happen, there were consequences to their actions. Adam and Eve became afraid. Even though they were deceived, they still disobeyed God, resulting in sin. God tells them that their sin would result in curses and torment. It was the price they paid for eating that fruit.

Do you ever disobey someone and have to suffer the consequences? It's with 100 percent certainty that I say we have all disobeyed. It is in our legacy. As early as we can think for ourselves, we choose to disobey, just like Adam and Eve chose to disobey. It is our nature and our instinct. If you doubt this, then meet ANY child who can start to make his own decisions. You won't wait for long to see the child doing something he knows he shouldn't.

So how does evil relate to what happened to Adam and Eve? When the serpent tempted Eve, and Eve first gave in, evilness entered. So we struggle with it.

So why did God allow evil? He didn't want to. He wanted us to live in utopia, just like Adam and Eve started out living in. But by their choices, we now have the knowledge of what is good and what is evil. So evil exists and we know it.

God also gave us free will (an excellent topic for a future blog). So just like when my two year old disobeys me and he has consequences for his bad choices, so do we.

Our lives are filled with temptation and tolerance. We are tempted to do whatever we can to feel good. We are tempted to spend beyond our means. We are tempted into promiscuity. We are tempted into putting others down to make ourselves feel better. Have you ever done any of those? Yeah, me too.

We are not perfect and we never will be. So we fail. We can't resist temptation. Now sometimes we can, but we never bat .1000. It's probably more like .350 for season pros at resisting and .75 for the rest of us.

So we make bad choices. Then we pay the price. Evilness occurs.

So, you might be wondering, does that mean the people who have evilness done to them had it coming? Of course not. None of the people killed in the Virginia Tech Massacre or the Oklahoma City Bombing or Columbine had it coming. They didn't do something specifically to pay for not resisting temptation.

The evilness that murders many times comes from sick and twisted minds of people who are desperate for help. Sometimes we recognize it and help. Sometimes we recognize it and don't know how to help. And sometimes, we just miss it. We are imperfect.

But God has a lot to say in a lot of places about evil. But I think I can take the liberty to sum up his message. Don't do or be evil. It's a sin. And if you do it, you will suffer the consequences.

So why doesn't God throw down big lightning bolts and stop tragedies and disasters from happening? It is a question for the ages. But I believe based on my limited knowledge of the Bible, is that although God hates evil and it breaks His heart when evil occurs, our free will prevents Him from stopping it. He loves us so much, He has given us the ability to make choices ever since the beginning in the Garden of Eden. The choice to do the right thing.

And since He knows we won't always make the right choices, He allows us mercy and grace. There is hope. And that hope came in the form of a man name Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, the true son of God, was sent to the earth more than 2,000 years ago. He lives a little more than 33 years here on earth. Then he was persecuted and nailed to a cross and died in my place. He also died in your place.

If we accept Jesus as our savior, if we say, "Please let Jesus' death on the cross pay the price for all the things that I have done wrong. Let Jesus' death be the substitution for the consequences for my mistakes, my giving in to temptation, my disobedience," then there is hope. WE don't suffer the long-term consequence of death. Instead, if we ask that Jesus' death apply to my sins, we can spend forever in Heaven. And God promises Heaven is too amazing for words to describe.

We still pay earthly consequences for our bad choices. But the eternal one - death in a fiery pit - isn't our consequence.

And what about that thing I said in the last blog. What about my statement that God works all things for our good. Someone asked if that was a utilitarian move on God's part. In other words, is God just going for the greater good for as many as He can?

No. He is in it for YOUR good and mine. It isn't a greater good situation, or a survival of the fittest. It is a personal thing He does for each of us. He turns all the bad things that happen in all of our lives to good. For each of us. Personally. For everyone who believes, accepts and loves Him.

Murder is evil, but it is not a total wasted life. God will use it for good for everyone involved. Again, it's not to say that even one life taken is worth the good that will come of it. It is saying that even though the evilness occurred - and it grieves God immeasurably - He will make good things happen as a result.

If you are exploring God and wondering if Jesus' death on the cross might apply to you, if you are wondering if God will turn the bad things that happened in your life to Good, then the answer is yes. All you have to do is ask that it all apply to you, and you can be saved. You could pray this prayer:

"Jesus, I want your death on the cross 2,000 years ago to apply to me today. I want to accept your death as the way to not pay eternal consequences for my bad choices. I want to live in Heaven. I am so sorry for the things I have done I shouldn't have, for the temptations I have succumbed to. I know that I won't be perfect, but I want to do better. Thank you for loving me. Amen."

If you prayed that prayer from the depths of your soul, your new life starts right now. You have just been welcomed in to the most loving family on earth. Welcome, my brother or sister.

If you are still thinking about it, open your Bible and read about forgiveness and mercy and grace. Look in the back in a concordance and see what you find. And post your thoughts or questions.

Today I leave you with my own personal prayer: "God, use me to write your words and spread your message of hope and good winning out over evil. I pray for the people who read this today and ask you to touch them and speak to them in a special way. Thank you for loving me. Amen."

Praying for each of you,

Michelle

Copyright, Michelle Sutherlin April 29, 2007

Where is God in the midst of the Virginia Tech Massacre?

I know some of you are thinking about that question. Maybe some of you have uttered it aloud. And it is times like these that people start wondering how a loving God could let a tragedy like this happen.

I can relate. Two tragedies had me asking this question. The first was the Oklahoma City Bombing on April 19, 1995. I covered it for my college newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, when I was just 20. The other was the May 3, 1999, tornadoes that included the largest tornado ever recorded. I was working for the American Red Cross at the time. I was 24 and saw some horrible things that most people never see.

I can relate to wondering where God is in tragedy and disaster. I can relate to being so angry that you have to have answers to why He let something like this happen. I was so angry after the tornadoes that I literally shook my fist at God and demanded to know where he was.

Strangely, God answered me. I didn’t expect that. He didn’t answer me all at once or right away, but he did answer. The first thing he did was put a friend in my path who believed God was loving. She invited me to church to get my questions answered.

I went in that first day with my arms crossed determined to prove that God wasn’t really so loving. I mean, if he were, how could he let this happen.

But instead, God used that church to speak to me in a way I have never been spoken to. And again, it wasn’t all at once. It was always just enough to have me come back the next week.

Skip ahead now eight years. God has been answering my question about tragedy and disaster – as well as many other questions – on a regular basis. And what I have learned is that it isn’t so easy. The answers aren’t so cut and dried.

But there are some things I have come to understand during my search for answers. And this terrible event at Virginia Tech that resulted in the death of 33 people has reminded me where God is at times like these.

God is right here. He is right here by my side. He is right by yours, too, whether you acknowledge Him or not. And you are wondering, I know you are, how can I be so sure?

I am sure because I believe His words in the Bible are real and true. And God promises us he is with us. In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, Jesus says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You are also wondering, I know you are, how a loving God could allow such a disaster, any disaster to happen. I will speak more on this topic in my next article, but let me shortly address this question. Evil exists in our world, plainly and simply. And with evil comes evilness. What happened Monday was evilness.

And maybe you have watched the news or read articles. But God’s name has come up much more than normally. People who don’t pray are praying. People who don’t seek answers from God are seeking answers. People who don’t normally love each other are coming together in unity and compassion. God, as He always does, is using a horrific event to do some really wonderful things. In the book of Romans chapter 8 verse 28 in the New Testament, it says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

This is God’s promise that he will use really bad things in positive ways. I have seen this first hand over and over. In fact, this very principle is what led me to seeking God in the first place. In the Oklahoma City Bombing, a sheer act of evil that killed 168 people but changed lives of thousands of others, I saw first hand acts of kindness that changed my life. I saw people offering the clothes off their back and shoes off their feet to rescue workers. I saw people come to Oklahoma City to help, at their own expense. I found a place with people so kind and wonderful, that they wanted to feed me, give me warm clothes and pray for me, when I didn’t even know that’s what I needed.

So I am not saying there is anything so good that will happen that will justify even one life lost. That is not the case. Life is precious. But the lives lost are not wasted.

When I watched the pictures of the dead scroll across the screen last night, I wept. I was so sad for the families and friends of the murdered. But I also knew that each person had a story. And now it is a story millions will know. And even though most were very young, the very thought of their loss will send people, like you, on a search for answers to why and how and who could do this.

Good will prevail. Families will be drawn together. Strangers will love each other. As a nation mourns, God will be lifted to a place of importance and immediacy. Some will find God as a result of this disaster. Maybe it will be you. Maybe it will be in 10 years, but, like me, you will look back at a time of uncertainty and anger and see your search for why started on April 16, 2007. Like mine started on April 19, 1995.

Keep on looking for answers to your questions. And if you want to submit a questions to me I will gladly take a stab at it. I am not a Bible scholar or a Bible expert in anyway. I am just one person with a passion.

In the New Testament book of Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Copyright Michelle Sutherlin, April 20, 2007