Better Days

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Just a few days into this new year, I felt the need to offer some words of encouragement to a few family members, friends, and neighbors who are most certainly looking forward to better days ahead.  I often find solace in the above passage from Jeremiah when life seems to take a turn for the worse.  In addition to giving me peace and comfort, this verse also helps me to better understand just how much God loves each and every one of us.

When things aren't going the way that we would chose to have them, many people grow angry with God and view him as this angry and rigid deity that is just watching and waiting to zap us with misfortune.  This misconception couldn't be any further away from the truth about our Father.  You see, God loves is and only wants good things for each of us.  He not only wants us to have a bright future with him eternally in heaven, but also in this life as well.

When we recognize His goodness in our everyday lives, we begin to understand and believe that He really does love us and wants the very best for us, which ultimately provides us with a hope that sustains us.  God is good all the time, all of the time God is good!