this wasan article i found to be very uplifting...

LIVING IN A WORLD OF CONTINUAL CHANGE

By Bill Ellis
Special to ASSIST News Service

SCOTT DEPOT, WV (ANS) -- PARADE, The Sunday Newspaper Magazine, December 28, 2003, offered glimpses of some of the best and some of the worst things of the past year.

It has been that kind of year for most of us. For some it seemed to be all bad. Little, if anything, had a positive ring to it. There was too much war, pain, suffering, heartache, failure, loss, debt, destruction, and death.

There was, however, a truckload of good things for many people. They were blessed by abundance, success, good health, and happiness.

There are numerous things in life for which I am thankful. For every negative there is usually a corresponding positive. I do not like pain, suffering, or death. I have seen enough of it to last me the rest of my life, but I will see more of it as I continue to live.

During the past year some of my best friends died. In fact, a part of me died the day my only sister, Marie Ellis Welsh, died on July 10. My brother, “Whitey”, visited with her and her husband, Harold, the day before.

Many of you had a similar year. A family member or close friend was taken by death. We go on living, but life will never again be what it once was. Life never stays the same for very long. It is forever changing.

We recall the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt: “I hate war.” I do not know of anyone who disagrees with him. And we can all add, “I hate death.” The war in Iraq, earthquakes in Iran, floods, fires, and famine are all cataclysmic events that totally disrupt life as we have known it.

As I left 2003 and moved into 2004 there were things for which I express my deepest gratitude. I thank God that I live in the freest and most prosperous country in the world and, most of all, that we have freedom of worship in spite of all that is done to limit and destroy it. As I have traveled across the world, I always return with unbounded happiness in knowing that my home is in the United States.

I am thankful that in these difficult times in world history we have a President like George W. Bush, whom I first met many years ago and for whom I have a growing sense of profound appreciation. He is a man of deep faith, strong conviction, a sense of civility and an intellectual capacity that his critics seem to completely miss as it soars over their heads. I thank God that he has surrounded himself with leaders like Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfield, John Ashcroft, Condoleezza Rice, and Dick Cheney.

It has been my privilege to know state and national leaders of both major political parties. I pray each day for President Bush, his cabinet, the Congress, the Supreme Court and other leaders. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have a firm grip on all the virtue or vice in our nation. We are not a perfect people, but we can do better.

How do we prepare for the unexpected and the tragic events of life? My best advice is to be sure that you “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with are your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30 NIV) and that you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and what it means to “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your family will be saved” (Act 16:31 NET).

Every year some of the best things will happen as well as some of the worst things. You may latch onto these words from the New Testament book of Hebrews: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (6:19 NIV). Anchor your life in the eternal hope we have in the living God.