Heart Hope by Olga

I’m weird; I’ll admit it. I’m one of the crazies that loves to go to the grocery store around holidays. I prefer to have most of my shopping done ahead of time, but will go in the day before a holiday just to see the people scurrying around, feel the excitement in the air and  pick up the last few items needed.  I was shopping on Saturday for Thanksgiving when halfway across the store, I heard a lady that I had met a couple of times ranting and raving about her experience to other shoppers. The parking lot had been too full. The aisles were too crowded. The experience was taking way too long.  I hadn’t planned on speaking to her, but our paths crossed, so I just started with a bit of small talk to be cordial. But again she began complaining and ended by saying, “I hate this grocery store.” Well, she was in the mood for the Thanksgiving holiday, wasn’t she? Not one pleasant word, only complaining. As I walked away, I knew one thing - I was thankful t...

Do you give thanks in everything? It seems like a foreign thought. How can we give thanks when illness, death and hardships take place in our lives?  Many years ago I was in a Bible study and we had just studied Ephesians 5:19-20 “ Sing and mak e musi c i n you r hear to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this verse it is not a suggestion, but a command that we give thanks no matter what is going on around us. Not when things are going right, not when you feel like it, not when you are happy, healthy and wealthy, but in everything. It doesn’t say we have to like the situation or be happy going through it, but it does suggest that there is always something to be thankful for in the situation. After studying the verse, I had an opportunity to put it into practice. My husband and I were on a trip with another couple. The men were out hunting for wildlife, but the girls were also hunting for somethi...