Romans 15:13 (ESV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
I heard a story about a man who was imprisoned during
Napoleons reign. While sulking in his dungeon one day, he etched on the wall the
words "Nobody Cares".
A few weeks later, through a crack in the dungeon floor,
a little green shoot sprang forth, reaching toward the tiny ray of sunlight
that came from his small prison cell window. The prisoner began giving a
portion of his daily water to the little shoot and it began to grow. One
morning the man awoke to a beautiful flower. A tear rolling down his face, he
crossed out the words, "Nobody Cares" and replaced them with
"God Cares."
The story goes on to tell that His devotion to the flower
was reported to the Empress Josephine. She was so very moved that she convinced
Napoleon to set the man free.
How many times do we feel like "Nobody Cares"?
God has planted little shoots of hope in each and every one of our difficult
circumstances -- do you know that? Perhaps we're stepping on them, not even
noticing they exist. Perhaps we're pulling the shoots before they spring forth
into beautiful flowers.
God wants us to be released from our prisons of despair.
Look around! See what God has planted since the beginning of time especially
for us today. Be encouraged!
Dear Lord, help us to look around us and see all the
things that You have planted for us to see. Help us not get discouraged. In the Name of
Jesus, Amen.
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