Many people dream of a vacation to Florida. Other’s think it must be so wonderful to live in Florida, where it is almost always warm, and spend days on the beaches, in the resorts and theme parks. I am a Floridian—born here and lived all my life in Florida. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. When my northern friends are freezing in the winters…and having huge heating bills…we are often using little to no heat. Some winter days we will even use our air conditioning during the middle of the day. My husband and daughter have been known to go in our pool on Christmas Day!
I was standing in line this weekend to purchase an iced tea when the lady in front of me 
pulled me up into the shade of the building. She was concerned about me standing in the sun. I took a good look at her and realized she looked as though she were about the melt!! She said she didn’t think she could survive in Florida! She was used to the weather in Seattle, Washington. The terrible heat and the humidity were unbearable to her. How could she possibly survive here? All she mentioned was the terrible heat–nothing about the beautiful scenery, the gentle breezes at night, the mild, enjoyable winters.
Think about it! Florida—it’s the same state, some climate, same everything…yet some people view it as wonderful and they can’t wait to come here. They might even envy those of us who live in Florida while my new acquaintance doesn’t know how she can survive here!
Joyce Meyers recently said something that I have heard before, but somehow it had a greater impact on me this time. It’s not what happens to us…it’s not the situations we face…it’s how we react or deal with these things. A couple of my friends have recently lost their jobs. My one friend, Terry, is totally defeated and sees no hope. Even if she manages to be a little ‘up’ one day, by the next day she is in the pits of despair. Contrast this with James. His situation is the same. He wasn’t expecting to lose this job and he definitely needs an income to support his family, but he sees this situation as a challenge and as a chance for something bigger and better in his life. He is expecting a new door to open for him and great blessings.
Staying positive in your life, your work, your family situations is not always the easiest thing to do. My pastor has recently been teaching on a verse that makes all the difference for me. The first part is that we are to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. The next part is harder, but we have to do it. It says we are not to lean on our own understanding. Even if we don’t understand the things happening in our lives, we must trust that God, who loves us supremely, is working out a plan for our lives. And He means it for good!
Don’t ever lose hope and keep smiling. Let the sunshine in!!
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