Summer and I had a chance to go out and do some visiting yesterday.   We went to visit a Christian lady in our church whose husband died this week.  She is a very strong lady and was doing very well considering what's doing on in her life.  I felt more encouraged by her than she probably did by me.
After visiting with her we moved on to another house and visited with a 16 year old girl who just had a baby out of wedlock.  She is a sweet girl who used to be involved in our church not to long ago.  I held her precious baby and tried to encourage her to come back to church when she can and that we love her very much.
On our way home we stopped by the house of one of our school kids whose dad was killed last week by an elephant and then tragically finished by hyenas.   We sat and talked with the mom and family that was there comforting them.
As I went home reflecting on the visits we had made I realized that through it all, the death of a husband, birth of a child out of wedlock and the tragic death of a father and husband, that the message stays the same.  Jesus is our firm foundation, our strong hold!  There is nothing outside of that truth that can get us through each day.
My hope and prayer is that we can encourage our neighbors with that truth and live it daily.
"To live is Christ and to die is gain." Nothing more, nothing less. May we live to God's glory no matter what!