This past year has been good for some……

I'm not sure exactly how to describe the year 2009. It was the first year of Pres. Barack Obama’s presidency which some people consider a true victory. For others, this year has been a very hard year especially those who are unemployed, or those who have family deployed overseas in military operations or those who have lost a loved one because of those military operations. There have also been many "good people" who died this past year due to age or accidents or other causes.

I don't like to think about death, especially during holidays, but since it's a normal part of life I suppose it's always in the back of everyone's mind. I'm sure there are many people who don't really know where to turn when a tragedy strikes, if you can call death a tragedy. In some cases those who have died have lived a very long productive life, while others have died far too young. Yet in all cases we who love them are not ready to let go even if we know that they are going to a better place.

It is during times like these that we have to turn to God for our comfort and our strength, because the strength that we have is not enough. I have seen many people who try to ignore the grief and pain they feel when they lose someone but eventually it can take a terrible toll on your body if you do not let it out.

God loves us all, even if we have to go through some trials and tribulations here on earth. Christians can rely on the Him for their strength but people who do not have faith in God only have their own ways of dealing with grief, loss and pain which sometimes can cause more pain. Jesus came into the world to give us hope and strength through relying on Him so that we will be able to serve him and whatever capacity that we are called to.

In God's word, the Bible, you can find wisdom, hope, and much more useful information than you could find in most any library on earth. The Bible itself may be over 2000 years old but the information contained within it is timeless and is still relevant. There have been many people in the past few years that are trying to take all references to the Bible out of our society and our culture. As Christians in America we should not allow that to happen, in our service to Christ we cannot allow that to happen.