The new year of 2011 has arrived.  Looking back over 2010, I am astonished at how many things happened and also how quickly.  2010 had its good parts and also its bad parts.  I have had better years and also have had much worse years.  For me 2010 was a good year.  I got to do some things that I have wanted to do for awhile.  I got to go some places and visit with some relatives and friends that I have not had the opportunity to see in some time.  But near the end of the year things, were just pretty ordinary.  All of the exciting trips were over and life had settled into its usual routine.  However, the end of 2010 was just flat out awesome!  I was so excited about all of the things that were happening in the last month of the year.  In fact the last week of December, really lifted my spirits and gave me even more anticipation for 2011.

But 2011 arrived with a really negative impact.  It was almost uncanny how many things went wrong in just the first day home from our Christmas vacation.  When I left to go on vacation things were ok.  True I needed some new tires on my car, but it wasn’t that big a deal.  I could look forward to better things in 2011.  But when I arrived home and tried to log onto the net, lo and behold my internet connection no longer functioned.  The next morning I went to go to work, started my car, and noticed something different.  What I noticed was that the warm air that usually came out of the vents, was not coming out anymore.  I discovered that the fan on my car’s heater was broken.  In the afternoon I went to go see about prices on some new tires.  I stopped at a local tire place and was about to use the free air hose to reinflate my tires.  But the hose had a crack and so was completely useless.  Later that same day I went to go pick up a prescription for my wife.   The pharmacist very kindly informed me that my insurance had rejected the claim.  Needless to say, that these small problems kept adding up until I was starting to get upset.  Life can be like that.  One minute things are going great the next minute things are spiraling downward.

As I reflected on all of the little problems of the day, I felt God speak to me.  His voice was reminding me about a phrase that I had given in a recent sermon.  “I don’t see problems, I see promises.”  I could feel His subtle rebuke, asking me if I really was willing to live what I had preached.  It’s easy to shout lines in sermons or quote scriptures when things are good.  What really matters is how we live, when things are not so good.  I began to not think so much about the problems and started to think about all of God’s promises to me.   Then the most amazing thing happened.  All of those small problems began to resolve very quickly.  A trip to the store to buy a new power cord for the wireless modem, and presto the internet is working again.  Next I made a phone call to the insurance company and politely explained to them my situation.  They agreed that I should have insurance coverage and were able to adjust their system before I hung up.  My wife was able to get her prescription and go to a doctor’s appointment, fully covered.  A friend at the church was able to repair my car’s heater, for a minimal amount.   He also fixed my rear defrost, and even reinflated my tires.  Every one of those small problems got resolved when I started to think about the promises of God.  In fact, I received even some more added blessings that I was not expecting.  God’s promises far outweigh any of the problems that you or I may experience in this life.  Even when we add up all of the problems that may be facing us today, they will never equal the promises of God that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So in this new year of 2011, I ask you this.  Do you see situations or do you see a Savior?  Do you see circumstances or do you see Christ?  Do you see trials or do you see triumph?  Do you see problems or do you see promises? 

In His Service,