I will admit that I have been very attentive to, and consuming as much information as I can, about the war in Ukraine.  While it does weigh on my heart, I am still hopefully that the loss of life will end, and we can rebuild all that has been lost.
It has been proven that watching a lot of negative news has an impact on your attitude, so it is important to balance what you consume, but as I said just two sentences ago, I am choosing to be full of hope for all who are suffering during this conflict.  It is that hope that has not caused this negativity to get to me.
Even though I am hopeful it does help to see the good in the world around us.  There was a lot of good that I saw today, and I wanted to share it with all of you so that you can rejoice in my rejoicing.
Bekkah’s childhood friend is back in Mesa for Spring Break, and she has two daughters who are basically the same age as our girls.  Monday, they came over and played at the splash pad by our house and then came over for dinner and games.  Sunday at church was the first time these girls had ever met and by the time they left Monday night there were hugs, kisses, high fives, more hugs, multiple trips back to the front door to say goodbye, and a little bit of crying and defiance.
It was good defiance though because these girls have become instant friends.  Bekkah even tells me that there is a good chance the older girls are going to be pen pals (that brings back memories).  I have to say it was heartwarming to see total strangers become instant friends in such a short amount of time.
Before the splash pad and dinner party happened, I was outside and found out there was a stray dog in our neighborhood.  Our neighbors and I spent some time getting the dog to settle down.  Boy was the dog friendly, and excited to see people.  I knocked on a few doors without success of finding the owner and our neighbor agreed to take the dog in, and then proceeded to hang up fliers and leave a note on the house we thought the dog belonged to.
As I was writing this, Bekkah told me that she saw on Facebook that the owners of the dog were reunited.  So, thankfully, less than 5 hours after the dog was discovered, their owners were found.  I am so grateful for our wonderful neighbors and our working together to find the dog’s home again.
Today was a very positive and uplifting day for me and my family and I wanted to share it with you because I don’t think we share enough positivity in our lives and perhaps like me, you needed something positive from all the negative we see on the news.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”  We are reminded to weep with those who weep, but we should also rejoice and celebrate when those exciting things happen too.  So don’t forget to celebrate with one another and with God when the cause arises.
Lenten Blessings,
Pastor Brian