Heart Hope by Olga

It had been a particularly exhausting week and I needed some time by myself in order to fill my tank back up. Just God and me, alone in His beautiful creation was exactly what I needed. Breathing in the fresh air and walking the path lined with brightly colored summer wildflowers I was already beginning to feel refreshed. Knowing that the flowers would soon be gone, I leaned over to take a few pictures to keep as a reminder of summer during the long winter months quickly approaching. I was startled to hear a voice shouting at me, "You can't take pictures."  As I surveyed the landscape I didn't see anyone, but when I looked up I discovered a lift maintenance crew making summer repairs high above the mountainous terrain. The commentator laughed as I replied that he should be glad that I hadn't climbed a previous pole in order to get a picture of the whole field of flowers as I had considered. I had only thought that I was alone, but the eyes of stra...

If you have little ones in your life you have most likely heard of the book Elf on a Shelf . It describes how the elf in the house is watching the children for Santa so that he can provide a naughty and nice report. He moves from place to place and room to room so that he can supply a comprehensive list to the jolly old man about the behavior of the children. The elf is not the only one who is watching our conduct. God doesn't need to send out His helpers to see what we are doing. He already knows it; in fact He’s not just acquainted with our actions but our thoughts. This should make a difference in the way we live, but does it? Just because my grandchildren might think that an elf is watching their every move during the holiday season, it doesn't always affect their choices. Neither does the fact that God is watching me always influence my actions and reactions. What does this say about me? Does it say I really don't believe that an almighty, all powerful ...