In the movie Julie and Julia, there is a scene where Julia (who played by actress Meryl Streep) is walking in a park with her husband. A couple passes by them, walking in the opposite direction, pushing a baby stroller. As Julia looks over at the stroller, her smile fades into a frown. Her husband takes her hand, and raises it to his lips, giving it a kiss. In those few moments, we see Julia’s pain over not having a baby, and the love between her and her husband.

There are many reminders around us of what we don’t have. Most of us are missing how life used to be. We want to be together again. We want all of this to be over. While things are opening up, there are still many things missing from our lives. But in our pain over what we don’t have, God invites us to cherish what we do have.

God provides us with places to live, with our church community, and with things big and small–from food to sunsets to flowers to laughter. There will always be things missing from our lives, things that we really want. It is okay to be sad about those things, and to bring them to God in prayer. But there is always something to be thankful for.

Bring to God the things that you are sad about, and praise God for the many good gifts that God is providing for you.

Question to Ponder: How has God been providing for us during these times of quarantine and physical distancing?
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This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions by Jeff Manion. Zondervan, Grand Rapids. 2010.