This has been a hard week so far, but no more so that usual really. Our central air conditioner has ceased to function…in other words, it is broken. We don’t know what is wrong with it yet since we haven’t had it checked out by a repairman. But since it is blowing out hot air, there is a good chance that something is definitely wrong! This does not set well with me since I have asthma and allergies and need the AC to breathe well. Nevertheless, God has been with me and I have been making it through the long, hot days without AC. Then yesterday, our daughter called to tell us that she had been in a car accident. The accident was not her fault since she was stopped at the time, but her car was badly damaged and she and our granddaughter are sore and achy. You know, bad things happen. Things that are beyond our control and certainly things that we don’t expect happen. It is our reaction to these things that become a witness to the world.

As long as we live on this earth, our bodies are dying. As my astute son says, “We start dying the day that we are born.” Sounds kind of pessimistic, doesn’t it? But think about it. We are headed towards death. On the other hand, if we know the Lord as our Savior, our spirits are being renewed daily as we draw closer to Him. I assume that you know that to be renewed is to be made new again. That’s what it’s like to be a Christian, to have a spirit in tune with God and to know that His Spirit inside us is renewing us daily. Bad things happen, and we have to “keep on keeping on”!

I want to be an olive tree because according to Google, they can live hundreds, even thousands of years. I am an olive tree in God’s house, with my Spirit living on eternally. No matter what is happening in my life, I am trusting in the Lord’s mercy. I am so thankful that my daughter and granddaughter were not badly injured in the car accident! I am thankful for a fan for my living space and a small window air conditioner in the bedroom to help me sleep! I am thankful for each breath that I take and each step that I take! I depend on the mercy of God! No, the week did not start out well as far as life’s events are concerned. But all is good in my world because I know that God is in control and He loves me. And His love makes ALL the difference.

I pray that you know His love and power in your life so that you, too, can trust in God’s mercy forever. Be an olive tree…gnarled but still rooted and grounded in the Word of God and producing fruit for Him. Blessings!

Photo from the Mother Nature Network