Tonight I am thinking about how wonderful it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ. To feel their loving arms around me, and most importantly, to be able to bless them by my actions. This is what I strive for - to be a blessing to others. Of course I fall short most of the time, but when I know I have truly been used by God to help another, a feeling of utter joy fills my soul.

We have a friend, a wonderful woman with a giving, caring heart. But she does not know the Lord. She gravitates towards the "I believe in some kind of power, don't know what it is, but I know we will be reincarnated and return as something or someone else." I pray for her, and talk about God just enough.....fearing if I go too far she will tune me out completely.

She lost two beloved dogs just weeks apart. Then her mother's cancer returned with a vengeance. Her mother lives 2500 miles away, which only makes things worse. There is an all consuming sadness and grief in our friend's life. She is falling, and without God, she has no net.

I cannot imagine living without God. I cannot imagine enduring pain and sorrow without the knowledge that He has a plan for my life. As a Christian I have God's promise of eternal life, not reincarnation as a potato bug or a trout, but life with my Father, in His heaven.