Cause and effect

I hadn't realized it had been so long since I have posted on my blog. Life has been busy, I made it home from Ukraine safely and with wonderful new friends. I moved into my new apartment closer to my family and friends. This has allowed me to start a Bible study in my home for my friends, which has been a wonderful experience so far! I started attending school full-time in hopes of finishing my degree before I turn 50......oh and yes, I turned the big 40!! Life's been busy but God has been good and provided along the way! Things have started to slow down a little so I thought I'd sit down and blog for a moment.

The other day I was making my 45 minute drive down 74 on my way home from school and noticed how beautiful the trees were. The colors were slowly changing from bright green to orange, yellow, brown and red. It struck me right then how every year at the same time (give or take) the leaves begin to change color and start falling off the trees preparing themselves for the cold winter to come. Through the shedding of this year's foliage new leaves will bloom in the spring! I started to realize how God wants us to shed our foliage (or sin) in order for new foliage (or life) to bloom.

Do we really think about the effect our sin has on our lives and on others. If you haven't, consider the broken home and the child who has to separate their time between parents. The home where alcohol or drugs plays a major factor in someones life, how is that behavior effecting those around them. Consider the parent who gambles away their pay check and the family that is left without money to pay for food, clothes or shelter. Lastly, think in your own life at what point did the sin of someone else effect you. If it hasn't consider yourself a lucky one, because I can imagine for the majority of us, the sin of others has been an effect on each of our lives even if only indirectly.

When we start to think about how our life effects others, either good or bad we may consider changing how we live. It's the selfish person who only considers their own happiness and not the happiness of those around them and whom they love. God gives us the ability to be forgiven and start over, we need to just believe that He's forgiven us and want to start over. It's time to shed our old selves in order to make room for the new.