Storing up for the winter.....

This time of year, I always seek to prepare our home for winter. I normally stock up on candles, flashlights, extra food and toilet tissue. I do this mainly because I have found myself buried in snow with no electricity with all five kids and believe me it was no fun. So, I have learned to always "be prepared". Ironically, I had a few minutes to sit down at my kitchen table and watch my squirrel friends. For those of you who know me well, also know that I am fascinated with squirrels and have taken numerous pictures of them. However, this squirrel on a bright sunny day was doing what? He was storing up for the winter! I actually watched him bury 3 nuts under our swing set! He then meticulously, with his little hands moving ever so quickly, dug the hole, buried the nut and very creatively covered the hole with dirt and then placed a pretty leaf over the spot. I then began to really think about what all we as Christian store up. Sometimes we store up anger, bitterness, resentment and hurt. We can even store up our joy and laughter by not sharing our experiences with others. So, I pose the question--what are you storing up? What do you need to lay down and bury at the feet of Jesus? Where are you storing your hurts? Where are you offering up your joy? Have you meticulously buried something in your heart and then covered it up with a pretty leaf? Oh, how we all need to allow God's grace to flood over our souls. We need to turn loose of what we are holding onto and then store up God's grace so that we may then bestow God's grace onto others.

Romans 5:5.... and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.....