Stop and look! There is good all around you.

We need to take some time to get away from our hectic schedules and the daily stress that fills our lives. We should take time to be aware of the gift of life and all the diverse beauty that is all around us. There are those who refuse to acknowledge the love of God because there is so much evil and pain in this life. But if God is the monster that some make him out to be why did he create a world full of color? Have you ever taken time during the fall season to thank God for the trees and their changing colors? This changing kaleidoscope of colors was created for your pleasure? God could have created us to eat only because of hunger, without the ability to enjoy the diverse tastes and numerous flavors of our foods. What about the gift of sex, have you ever thanked God for the enjoyment of sex? God could have created a world where sexual intercourse was only for procreation, and where the sexual act only caused pain and not pleasure. Think of the sense of touch and the God given ability to feel differing textures, this also is a gift. Have you ever thanked God for the ability to feel the warmth of a warm shower? Think of the many times when you came in from a very cold day and were able to sit by the fireplace and enjoy its comforting warmth. Think of the joy that comes from hearing a little child’s laughter, or your own ability to laugh. What would this world be like without the ability to cry? These are all wonderful gifts lavished on us by a God who loves all of humanity. The greatest of all gifts that God has given to us is the ability to love and to be loved, and the ability to be an instrument of comfort to those who are hurting. These are all gifts of God! Yes, in this world there is a mixture of evil and good, sorrow and joy, pain and pleasure, but as you can see even though we lack the ability to explain how God can be a God of love and yet allow evil to exist in this world; there is so much good in the midst of evil, that if we will open our eyes to it, it screams out to us every day that God loves us. Have you taken time to thank God this day for all the goodness he has abundantly bestowed upon you?