Words to SPARK your Heart-Song from our co-founder Sherry Douglas.

#uplifting #positive #encouraging #motivational

Hi everyone! I’m Sherry Douglas with Heart-Song. 2020 is a year of the unexpected. Unexpected quarantines. Unexpected good-byes to loved ones for various reasons. Jobs have ended. Kids have been home while parents continue to work. Entertainment venues are closed. Loved ones are choosing not to gather during the holidays for the first time ever. You have definitely had a year of the unexpected.

I recently visited Daniel’s Peace Memorial Park in Germantown, Ohio. Daniel was a young man who struggled with addiction and lost his life to it. In his grief, his father decided to make something good out of his new unexpected reality – life without his son. Daniel often spent time on family property that has a pine forest and additional natural beauties. The father created a peaceful park so others in the same life circumstances as Daniel, and the rest of us who experience other challenges, can walk the woods and grasslands to allow the calm and serenity to seep into our souls. He’s been innovative in other features he’s added to the park to encourage visitors to seek quietness and to worship the Lord. This father is redeeming a negative, unexpected, heartbreaking occurrence. 

As a Jesus follower, the apostle Paul had many unexpected situations in his life, too. His response was to submit to the Lord, meaning he intentionally relinquished what he wanted, to accept whatever the Lord permitted. If we follow Paul’s example, our desire to control what’s happening is traded with trust in the Lord. This choice becomes more attractive when we understand that the alternative – struggling against our circumstances – brings anxiety, fear, and stress. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This is an act of intention. To help us navigate the unexpected, we can choose to trust in the Lord, submit to him, and let him guide us. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks for being here. See you next week.