GROUNDHOG DAY!

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow today, which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

I read this on news.yahoo.com: Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 15 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.

C'MON SPRING!

YOUR GROUNDHOG DAY
Does life ever feel like the same song, just a different tune? That you are somehow caught on ‘the hampster wheel’ of life, repeating the same drudgery day-after-day? Do relationships always end in disappointment? The diet always fails. The weight never comes off. You never get around to getting the credit cards paid off. There just never seems to be enough time for daily quiet times with God. Or to serve others. Sigh! Oft-repeated trials can be discouraging.

In the 1993 classic movie, Groundhog Day, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) finds himself living the same day everyday. Like many people caught up in the trappings of this life, Phil is a bit self-centered. But as he is forced to repeat the same day, every day, he learns something valuable along the way. While neither his day, nor circumstances change, he has the power within to change Phil…and how he handles the circumstances. As a result, he begins to change and makes a difference in the lives of others.

There’s a little Phil Connors in most of us. But the good news is that God loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He gave us the gift of eternal life through Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell in us. The Holy Spirit prompts and nudges us to make wise decisions and not repeat the mistakes of our past. Being sensitive to His leading, He steers us off the hamster wheel and onto the righteous pathway of abundant and joyful living in Christ.

It’s been said that doing something for 30 days will make it become a habitual action. This is the plan I set out for my 2007: What is it that you want to change in your life? Commit to working on that one change for 30 days. Ask God to help you be disciplined. To provide you with wisdom, insight, and strength to be successful as you seek to honor God with your life. You have the power within; the Holy Spirit is your greatest fan and wants to see you succeed. He is motivated by His unfailing love for you. Renew your hope. Step forward in faith. Believe you will succeed with the help of a loving God.