Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. It's helpful to retreat back to the stream in order to regain a longer, broader view of things.

Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. It's helpful to retreat back to the stream in order to regain a longer, broader view of things.
Take some time to let the roots grow deeper, time to nourish the spirit for the work of bearing fruit for a hungry world, time to meditate on the Words that give meaning and purpose and direction.
Whether it's fresh cantaloupe or a shiny new car, a politician or a prophet, it might look great but be all wrong for us.
Life is hard. Loss is part of it. Pain is part of it. But: the one who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps, and we are not alone. The psalmist certainly knew that sometimes it's important to look back at where we've been and what we've been through, so that we can see how God has "brought us out into a spacious place."
Good news to Mary. Good news to the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized. God was keeping the promise made to her ancestors centuries before. A Messiah would come. The powerful, the oppressors, would be overturned. The Messiah would bring justice and peace. Things would be set right.