Memorial Day is approaching and many of us are making plans for the long weekend. May 25^th is particularly special to me because it’s the day that I met my husband. This year will mark 35 years, where has the time gone? We met on a beach in Hawaii when I was just 17 years old. He was 20 and in his third year of the Navy. He asked me the other night, did you ever dream on that day, 35 years ago, that we would be sitting here now? Honestly…no! I wasn’t even looking when I found my greatest treasure. God just dropped him into my lap.

Won’t it be interesting when we get to heaven and we can see what God saw during these times in our lives? I can remember that in 1984 I was in a new state, at a new school and I was so lonely. I was desperate for a friend. God brought me a young woman in her 20’s that I met at the church I was attending. Her husband was on a submarine and we spent time together. All these years later, I don’t remember her name, but she was there for a brief moment in my life and brought me through that difficult time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born, and a time to die,
a time to plant, and a time to uproot,
a time to kill, and a time to heal,
a time to tear down, and a time to build,
a time to weep, and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn, and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search, and a time to give up,
a time to keep, and a time to throw away
a time to tear, and a time to mend,
a time to be silent, and a time to speak,
a time to love, and a time to hate,
a time for war, and a time for peace.

For the past two months, we have all been facing difficult times. Most of us have never experienced such a global upheaval as we are living today. We have sayings, like “social distancing” and my personal favorite (insert sarcasm), “the new normal”. But friends there is a time for everything, and I believe this too will pass. Now is our time to isolate and reflect. It’s our time to refrain from embracing. But through God all things are possible. We will once again be together, and we will once again embrace. Please do not let the evil one, steal your hope and your joy. Nehemiah 8:10 “…Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” I pray you will be encouraged and that this long weekend you will see the hope that the Lord provides. Remember, even when you aren’t looking, God may drop a great treasure into your lap.