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"He and I always felt we were invincible," a young man said with tears in his eyes as he remembered his friend who had passed away a few days prior. Apparently, since they were children, these two young men used to tell each other that they were invincible. On this day we were all sharing our memories and encouraging each other.  The parents of the young man who had passed away couldn’t find the words to speak, and just sat and listened with a broken heart. That was, without a doubt, one of the most heartbreaking days of their lives. With deep respect, since I know this couple personally, I want to reflect on the words that their son's friend said.  To be invincible. How much we like that concept. Since before television and superhero movies existed, we have had stories and legends of people with superhuman powers, invincible heroes. The great conquerors of ancient times felt invincible as they conquered region after region. Alexander the Great is said to have been one of the most skillful military strategists who ever lived. He conquered the Persian Empire, the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. His empire covered some two million square kilometers on three continents. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes him as "ruthless, dictatorial and ambitious to the point of considering himself as divine." According to historical records, Alexander the Great never lost a single battle in his 15 years of conquests. Was Alexander the Great invincible? Even if we win every military battle there is, there will always be a battle that we cannot win. The final battle, death. Despite all his conquests and his undeniable skill, this great conqueror died after being bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito. A mosquito! Sometimes human beings seem strong and invincible. Even so, the naked truth is that we are still fragile mortals. We don't have to go too far; the pandemic we just went through claimed the lives of more than 3 million people. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. Psalms 103:15-16 NIV   But there was one, and will only be one, truly invincible; one who emerged triumphant in the battle against death: …Jesus Christ who faithfully reveals all truth to us. He was the first to rise from death, to die no more. He is far greater than any king in all the earth. All praise to him who always loves us and who set us free from our sins by pouring out his lifeblood for us. He has gathered us into his Kingdom and made us priests of God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever! Amen! See! He is arriving, surrounded by clouds; and every eye shall see him—yes, and those who pierced him. And the nations will weep in sorrow and in terror when he comes. Yes! Amen! Let it be so! “I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the Ending of all things,” says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, and was, and is coming again! Revelation 1:5-8 TLB Before he passed away, our friends' son made the best decision of all and put his complete trust in Jesus. He accepted Jesus Christ into his heart. This act of faith was the most consequential and important decision he could have made in his life, regardless of the effects his previous decisions may have had on his health. This defined his eternal destiny. Jesus shared his victory with him. Christ finally gave him what he longed and made him "more than a conqueror." … we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 MEV The Invincible will come again. No longer as a meek lamb, but as the victorious warrior he has always been. Let's be ready. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 MEV Lord, today I put all my trust in you. I open my heart to you and give you my life. Thank you for the price you paid for my rescue. I recognize my fragility, and I am grateful that in addition to being invincible and supreme, you are also merciful; enough to rescue someone as fragile and imperfect as me. I love you Jesus and I long to see you return as the invincible King that you are.   Dedicated to Jackson Thomas Lee 3/28/96 – 10/4/24 © Astrid Gale

A few months ago, I returned to my home country for a few days. My brother, who now lives in my old apartment, hosted me during my stay. He placed me right in the same bedroom where my mother used to stay when she spent time with me. It was a very interesting experience, and for a few days I felt like I was in her shoes. I was glad to have offered her a nice, comfortable room. It may seem trivial, but that experience made me reflect on the principle of sowing and harvesting. Being there those days brought to my mind a story that I read years ago in the well-known devotional The Good Seed. It is about a man who drove his father to a nursing home where he would be staying. When he parked his car in front of the building, his father burst into tears. The son tried to comfort him, to which the old man replied: “Son, I am not crying because you are bringing me here; I am crying because, many years ago, I also brought my father to this same nursing home.” The principle of sowing and reaping takes place every day. We see it, and, at the same time, we don't see it. The days go by quickly, we work from dawn to dusk, and we don't notice all the seeds that we sow around us.     …if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 TLB Jesus has made it very clear to us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a seed. In fact, he gave us three different parables related to seeds: that of the Sower, that of the wheat and the tares, and that of the mustard seed. The comparison of the Kingdom of God to a seed is deeper than it seems. The seed system cannot be manipulated. If it were a human system, we could cheat, like we do on a test. We could bribe someone and get ahead of the crowd. However, in a natural system this does not work. If you don't sow, you don't reap. Plus, you have to plant in the right season. Lastly, it requires patience, since the seed will germinate and grow in its time, not ours. In his great love for us, God does everything possible for us to understand this principle. He wants us to have a good harvest and that is why he speaks to us with simple examples so that we all understand. Perhaps we unconsciously avoid the idea of thinking that the principle of sowing and harvesting is as real as it seems. Even so, the Word is so clear that it leaves us no room for doubt: Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God.  You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7-10 NIV Does this mean that there is no hope if our sowing has not been good? No. The Lord never leaves us without hope. The Bible is full of stories of second chances. We may have to experience the consequences of some of our actions; However, there is hope.   The Lord's kindness never fails!I i f he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 CEV   Today his mercies are new. Today his faithfulness is renewed. Today we have the opportunity of planting new seeds. We cannot live looking back and thinking about what has already been sown. We better take hold of God's mercy and tell Him about our faults and He, who is “ faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ” (1 John 1:9). He will give us another chance. The famous 18th century English theologian, John Wesley, summed it up this way: "   Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.." Time passes quickly. The harvest is approaching. Our eternal home is already in sight.    And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.  That’s why whenever we can we should always be kind to everyone. Galatians 6:9-10 KJV     © Astrid Gale Please leave us your comments below

While watching a movie, all of a sudden one of the main characters said something that really caught my attention. He said: “ Be careful with the past, because it is like a black hole. If you get too close to it, it can swallow you .” Time has passed and that phrase is still spinning in my head. Let's start by understanding how NASA defines black holes: A black hole is a celestial object with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, including light, can escape it . They are regions of space in which matter is so condensed that they distort space-time. How impressive, not even light escapes from being swallowed by these holes. Furthermore, they distort the relationship that exists between space and time. Reading this definition makes me realize that the analogy between black holes and our past does make sense. The past can be a danger zone. If we get too close to it and think about it all the time, it can dim our light, consume all our time and distort our vision of life. All of us think about our past one way or the other. There will be those who view it with indifference. Others see the past with a wide smile on their lips because it is full of beautiful experiences. However, I would venture to say that most of us have had mixed experiences and view it with a bit of nostalgia or with a certain distaste, depending on what we have been through. If we were offered the opportunity to go back and change some things, I think most of us would take the challenge and go back to fix some things we regret. However, even if it hurts, the truth is that we cannot go back and rewrite our past. The way we deal with the past will greatly determine our present and our future. How about we ask God for advice and find out what He thinks on the subject? Let's be creative and imagine a conversation with Him that goes something like this: -Father, I think a lot about my past. There are things I can't let go. What do you think? Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV -Lord, I want to change, but I feel that my past has marked me, and I don't know how. Would you give me a second chance? For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLV   -Lord, I mess it up, I wish I could go back and do some things differently . We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28 NLF -Father, I have made serious mistakes. My actions have harmed others and myself as well. But I wipe away your sins because of who I am. And so, I will forget the wrongs you have done. Isaiah 43:25 CST -Lord, I have wounds that I have not been able to heal for a long time. Things that happened in my past and still hurt me. …   I will apply a healing dressing to it and cure, and I will heal them, and will reveal unto them an abundance of peace and truth. Jeremiah 33:6 DARBY -I don't want to leave the past behind. It has been the best part of my life.  Don’t long for “the good old days,” for you don’t know whether they were any better than these! Ecclesiastes 7:10 LB It’s clear that God does not want us to cling to our past. The Lord's power is so great and His love so strong that there is literally nothing in our past that He cannot restore. Let us cast our burdens upon him. Let's leave the past where it is. Let us empty our hearts of regrets and fill ourselves with the hope that God offers us. Let us follow the advice of the Apostle Paul and reach forward to what lays ahead. Life here on earth is temporary. We are pilgrims, advancing on our journey towards the goal, until we meet our Heavenly Father. …   but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 MEV   Lord, what a great relief to know that I am not a prisoner of my past, nor of my mistakes. You have set me free. You have given me a second chance and today I take it. Thank you very much, Father. What would I do without you? Today I am moving forward. Today I forgive those who have hurt me. Today I receive your hope and let everything else go, knowing that you, like the good father that you are, are waiting for me at the finish line.   © Astrid Gale     Please leave us your comments below

Last year, the company where my husband works took the initiative of awarding its employees in different categories: the best manager, the most innovative engineer, etc. My husband received a very particular award, the “unsung hero award.”  It was a way to thank him for the constant support he provides for his colleagues and the time he invests in helping them to achieve their goals. He helps others with sincerity and without showing off. Needless to say, when he got that award, I felt extremely proud of him.  I was also pleased to see that his department valued his personal qualities and not just his performance.      That award made me think of another person who I also consider an unsung hero: one of my husband's aunts. Last weekend his aunts traveled from different parts of the country to spend time together. They do it every year. While they were having coffee, there was a spontaneous time where each one began to remember the legacy of their parents and how much they taught them about life and faith. They also talked about their desire to leave a lasting mark on their children's lives.   The story that moved me the most was that of Aunt Sandra. She humbly asked for the word and took out some yellowed and wrinkled pages from her notebook. She then explained to the group about her prayer routine. Every day, as the morning dawns, set aside a long time to talk with God. During that time she talks to him, sings to him and then reads aloud what she has written down on those old pages. It is a personalized prayer for each of her children and grandchildren; with specific promises and blessings for each one. She took some Bible verses and personalized them with the names of her children and grandchildren.  Without fail, every morning, this beautiful woman rises like a warrior and declares specific blessings upon her family.  Her grandchildren may not realize that their well-being is linked to their grandmother's daily prayers, but it is.  For me, she is also an “unsung hero.”    Prayer has so much power that perhaps it will be until we reach heaven that we will discover the incalculable and transformative influence it had on our lives.  However, God invites us to pray here and now. In fact, he tells us that we should: “ Pray continually .” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV .   He also tells us many other things about prayer:   Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 NIV   Call to me and I will answer you… Jeremiah 33:3 NIV    If you have faith when you pray, you will be given whatever you ask for. Matthew 21:22 CEV   And if we know God listens when we pray,  we are sure our prayers have already been answered. 1 John 5:15 CEV   This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14 NIV   What if we decided to take God at his word and believe without a doubt that every time we pray He hears us, and our prayers are never in vain?   Let us be “unsung heroes” and, without making any show, let’s close the door of our room and take some time to bless our family, our country and anyone who comes to mind. I am convinced that the prayers of thousands of “unsung heroes” will impact our world so in need of hope.    But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:6 NLT   Lord, thank you for hearing my prayers. Praying is nothing more than talking to you. I want to get closer to you more and more every day. Thank you for that safe place in your presence where I can talk to you about my problems and pray for those I love. Thank you for the unshakable promises you give me when you tell me that you not only hear my prayer, but that you answer me. I love you Lord.     © Astrid Gale   Please leave us a comment at the bottom of this blog.

Recently, while organizing the drawers of a desk, I suddenly found a beautiful collection of silver coins that had been given to me several years ago.  My heart almost stopped when I saw that it was there, in that drawer, mixed with papers and other unimportant things. "It could have easily been lost," I thought.   I then began to separate the valuable from the ordinary carefully.  I remembered at that moment a verse that uses almost those same words: "…  if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My mouthpiece.” Jeremiah 15:19 LSB God spoke those words to the prophet Jeremiah, encouraging him to put aside the worthless and ordinary and focus on what is truly valuable in order to be his instrument. To sanctify himself, so that he could be an influence on his generation. We would also do well to separate what is precious from what is not in our lives. Having our minds overloaded and living swamped in activities, with no margin in our agendas, is not wise.  This is something that has taken me a long time to learn.  As I clear my schedule, my soul becomes quieter, and my perspective adjusts.  I realize then that less is more. Perhaps one way to identify what is worth retaining within us and what is not, is to put it through the “sieve” of what God says.  A couple of examples: Perhaps once we know what is truly valuable, it will not be so hard for us to let go of what is not worth our time. That way we can love better those around us and can be better instruments for God. Every minute that passes is a grain that falls into the great hourglass of life. The way we invest our time shapes our destiny. Let us get rid of worry, so that trust in God may grow. Let's let go of fear, so that peace may increase. Let us forgive, so that hate can go away, and love can flourish. Let's remove the doubt, so that faith can increase. Let us quiet our minds, so that we can hear the voice of God. Lord, open our eyes so we can discern between the precious and the worthless.  Help us to find and follow our purpose. Reveal to us how priceless time is and teach us to live wisely. Deliver us from the excessive busyness that is asphyxiating our faith. Don't allow us to be confused by the mirage of material things.  Teach us the incalculable value of living simply. © Astrid Gale Please, leave us your comment at the end of the page.

A few days ago, I saw the Northern Lights for the first time in my life. It was fascinating. My husband and I saw the skies light up like never before. Rays of light danced from one side to the other. We could see the lights in the sky and the various shapes they took as they moved, however, we were not able to distinguish the colors with the naked eye. It was not until we saw them through the lens of a camera that we were able to truly appreciate their intensity and variety. The lens was able to capture the northern lights with absolute precision.  At first, we saw them in part, and then, we saw them clearly. That reminded me of a passage of scripture that mentions something similar: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.." 1 Corinthians 13:12 NKJV We know that God loves us and that he has sacrificed the most precious thing he had to rescue us. However, sometimes worry and anxiety stalk us, and we begin to see things blurry, thus losing the clarity we previously had. God knows this. In fact, he warns us that in the present we will see things as if through a veil, but when we get to His presence, we will see everything clearly and we will even know the way he knew us. It will be like being on the other side of the clouds watching the northern lights in all their splendor. I have a relative that says that the northern lights are "the curtains of the heavens." It's a nice way to look at it. They truly seem to reveal the great things that are behind them. Something like a divine proclamation, announcing the precious things that await us. As a matter of fact, the scriptures record the most spectacular proclamation of all. One made by God himself. It was displayed neither on papyrus nor on stone, but in the heavens: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.” Psalm 19 NLT Our God displayed this divine proclamation where human beings of all times could see it, in the heavens.  The rich and the poor can see it; It is seen by the believer and the unbeliever. Therefore, as the apostle Paul said, we are without excuse: "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities —his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused." Romans 1:20-25 NLT The last part of that verse refers to those who, despite the evidence that God has displayed for us to know Him, persist in denying His existence by weaving vain arguments.  I wish this to be far from your heart and mine. On the contrary, I hope that when we see the majestic firmament we remember that God has left it there for us, as an announcement of the wonderful things that await us.  Things that God himself has prepared for us. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard,     and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many ways you seek me and speak to me. Here I am Lord. I surrender my heart to you.  I receive your love. Help me to remain faithful to this hope all the days of my life, until I wake up by your side. © Astrid Gale Leave us your comment below, at the bottom of the page.

A few years ago, I visited a sheep farm. I saw how they were herded with the help of a sheep dog and also how they were sheared. On the tour, the shepherd took one of the sheep and “held” it. He took the sheep from behind and sat her in a position that made her remain still. He explained that by being still he could examine her or give her whatever treatment was necessary. I find it very interesting that there is a specific position that leaves her immobilized. I can't help but think that sometimes something similar happens to us when we focus too much on certain thoughts and feelings. We "freeze." One of these feelings is fear. Just by recalling something that scares us we begin to feel tense, and if we were faced with it, we would possibly freeze. The other feeling is hatred. If we think of someone who has really hurt us, we may feel rejection towards that person and a desire to never see him or her again in our life. In both cases, the first thing that we feel is a sense of warning, accompanied by anxiety. Our good shepherd, Jesus, does not want us to go through life paralyzed, moving forward on one side, but half stuck on the other. He provides a way out: For fear, He offers us his company and invites us to trust in Him, giving us the directive of not allowing fear to paralyze us. Read this promise carefully and make it yours. Put your name in the blank: Don’t be afraid ________, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Regarding hate, He invites us to forgive. So that when the name of the person who hurt us is mentioned, our stomach does not twist, and our face does not harden. We could write a whole book about thousands of ways to get rid of hate, but nothing is going to work until we forgive. It is not something to meditate on, but to obey. Put your name in the blank: ________, if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-16 Our feelings can be deceptive, which is why we need to fill our minds with what God thinks about us and what His word says. In our times of trouble, Jesus, like the good shepherd that He is, puts us in a position where we -just like the sheep we talked about at the beginning- stay still. Then, he lovingly heals our wounds and helps us to face our fears. Isn't this wonderful? I have struggled with fear since I was young. Although I have looked for many shortcuts, the true breakthroughs have come when I HAVE DECIDED TO BELIEVE GOD AND ACT UPON IT; trusting that His word is irrefutable and His love for me is eternal. When I move forward with that certainty, my doubts and fears dissipate, and the ugly wolf that is lurking around -hoping to take advantage of me- has no choice but to flee. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.” Words of Jesus in John 10:27-28 © Astrid Gale Leave us your comment at the bottom of the page!

Jeremiah 29:1 + 1 = Jeremiah 29:11 Your circumstances + a God who loves you = a promising future This is what Jeremiah 29:1 says: "Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon." The context? The king, the queen mother, and all Jewish officials were deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. This exile lasted 70 years. Can you imagine being forced to leave everything you know and be away from your homeland for 70 years? After the appointed time, the Jews returned to Jerusalem and it was a time of restoration, fulfilling many Old Testament prophecies. “Babel” means “confusion,” and this is where the city of Babylon gets its name. In other words, the Jews were forcibly taken from their beloved land to a city of confusion and much idolatry. When they returned to their land there was a great revival. Paradoxically, their faith was stronger. God never abandon them. Even during the exile, He spoke to them through the prophet Jeremiah, keeping them aware of His plans. Sustaining them supernaturally. During our life, we may never experience an exile, like the one described in the book of Jeremiah. However, sometimes we feel lost in a land of disappointment and hopelessness. Things do not always happen as we plan them or dream them. This can be disorienting. It can bring confusion. Additionally, the enemy uses the constant bombardment of information on the media to fuel our fear and disorient us. Trying to make us believe that all is lost. Just like a ballet dancer who is taught to look for a fixed point on the wall as a reference for when she makes her turns, we must fix our eyes on the only one who can give us peace in the midst of chaos. Look what happens when you add a number 1 to Jeremiah 29:1: you will get an unshakable promise of hope in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Just as when we add the number one to Jeremiah 29:1 and find an invitation from God to have hope; the same way, when we invite God into our lives, He gives us hope during chaos. No matter what we are going through or what is happening in the world. He who is the Alpha and the Omega, who is the Lord Almighty reminds us that he has plans for us and plans for his beloved land: Israel. These plans are not like ours, which can be affected by any circumstance. His are immovable and eternal. He looks at us with immeasurable love and speaks peace to our soul. He reminds us that His plans prevail and that they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give us a future and a hope. In God's mathematics, when we include Him in our life, the blessing is multiplied and the confusion disappears. © Astrid Gale Leave us your comment at the bottom of the page!

One morning while reading Psalm 144, my eyes were drawn to a specific phrase. I tried to keep reading, but it was impossible. My mind was still trying to understand what I had just read. What? The house of my refuge? I thought maybe I had read it wrong, so I went over it again. It was not a mistake, the Psalm said that. Time was short so I had to put the text aside and go to work. However, I could not stop thinking about what I had read. The fact that the Psalm 144 described God as the "house of my refuge" stunned me for several days. For some reason, the image of Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory came to my mind. As you might remember everything there was made of candies and chocolates. It was in fact a “chocolate house.” I also remembered the time I visited the Crystal Palace in Petropolis, Brazil, where the entire structure was made of metal and glass. It was basically a “crystal house”. I kept trying to imagine what things may abound inside a house that is supposed to be our refuge, our “safe house”. Perhaps peace, love, protection, mercy? A safe house is a place where we are supposed to feel one hundred percent protected. That is what God is saying that He is for us, He is the house of or refuge. In Spanish, this same Psalm uses the word mercy instead of refuge. It literally says that God is a “Castle of Mercy.” The word mercy comes from the Latin miser (misery, need, misfortune) and cor, cordis (heart). It refers to the ability to feel the misfortune of others and God's ability to forgive our faults. The opposite of mercy is cruelty, impiety, and indifference. God is saying that he can feel our pain, and that he is the perfect place to find refuge. He is not indifferent, but merciful. Out of curiosity, I searched Psalm 144 in different versions. I was impressed with the tender way in which the psalmist reveals us the character of the Lord: He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. Psalm 144 (NLT) He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. Psalm 144 (CSB) The house of my refuge and my deliverer, my helper, upon whom I trust. Psalm 144 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English). It seems as if the Lord is really trying to make us understand that He is a safe place, and that we can let our guard down and run to Him without fear. It is as if God told us: Son, I can feel your pain, I am made of mercy. I am the house of your refuge. I am not indifferent; I understand you. I am your safe house. Are you afraid? I am your highest hiding place. You don't know where to go? I am your place of protection. Your fortress. Do you feel oppressed? I am your deliverer. Do you feel there is a war against you? I am your shield and your protector. Do you feel lonely? I am your faithful friend. Do your enemies surround you? I am your loving ally. Do you feel weak? I am your strength. Did you fall prey to your own mistakes? I rescue you. Do you feel misunderstood? I am the house of your refuge. Come to me. © Astrid Gale Leave us your comment at the bottom of the page!

I recently discovered a prayer that really touched my heart. Simple, but extremely deep. While researching about its origin, I came across an article about a man of faith who was depressed because he had let his family down. As the months went by, he isolated himself more and more and got seriously depressed. His wife, who had recently read this prayer, decided to confront him. As a last resort, she asked him to continue giving his regular talks to the community and to go out and serve others. According to the story, that was the beginning of his physical and spiritual restoration. The prayer is called "Give Me Someone": Lord, When I am famished, give me someone who needs food; When I am thirsty, give me someone who needs water; When I am cold, give me someone to warm; When I am hurting, give me someone to console; When my cross becomes heavy, give me another’s cross to share; When I am poor, lead someone needy to me; When I have no time, give me someone to help for a moment; When I am humiliated, give me someone to praise; When I am discouraged, send me someone to encourage; When I need another’s understanding, give me someone who needs mine; When I need somebody to take care of me, send me someone to care for; When I think of myself, turn my thoughts toward another. Author unknown Helping others, while we are suffering, sounds contradictory. However, it seems to be a secret balm that heals our wounds. Maybe God planned it that way to help us to love one another. Look at this illustration: A man had a dream about heaven and hell. In the dream, he saw a large rectangular table with all kinds of delicious delicacies. He saw the same table both in heaven and in hell. Around the table the guests had giant forks in their hands. However, both scenes were very different. The difference was that in heaven people looked radiant and healthy; while, in hell, they looked malnourished and about to die. Suddenly, a voice explained him what was happening. In heaven, people used the giant forks to feed one another; whereas, in hell, people focused only on feeding themselves, which was impossible with the giant forks. This is just an illustration, but it clearly shows that the key is to lose focus on ourselves. May this prayer ignite in us the passion to serve and encourage whoever is by our side. If we feel that we can't find anyone, then let’s ask God to "give us someone". He surely will. "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:12 © Astrid Gale Please leave your comment at the bottom of this page

Large companies like Toyota use impressive techniques to perfect production processes. They avoid waste as much as possible, both in terms of time and supplies. Each vehicle that is manufactured has a customer waiting for it, speeding up inventory management as much as possible. This type of methodology is known as "just-in-time". In recent months, I got a closer look at God's awesome timing. The first time was in Costa Rica. My husband and I were at the hospital waiting to be seen by a rheumatologist. We had made the appointment from the United States due to extremely severe pain in his back. Anne, a close friend who is a nurse, insisted that we were seeing the wrong specialist. In her opinion, we should see an orthopedic doctor, instead of a rheumatologist. Due to lack of time, we kept the appointment. About 30 minutes before the appointment, we went to the cafeteria. Suddenly, the leg of the chair my husband was sitting on broke; he fell immediately and hit himself right where he had the pain. A doctor who was nearby gave an alert code and sent for a wheelchair. He insisted that my husband had to go to the emergency room to be examined. To my surprise, the doctor who saw him in the ER was an orthopedist! After reviewing the x-rays, the doctor prescribed a medication that finally relieved his pain. And as if that were not enough, we did not have to pay anything! It is worth mentioning that for the last 10 days, he had been dealing with a crippling pain in his back that not even morphine could take away. God never ceases to amaze us with his very own “just-in-time” methods. He has astounding ways of straightening our steps and accomplishing his purposes. Another curious example happened a week ago, when I wanted to send a card to one of my mentors. I found one whose legend and design caught my attention; however, it was a birthday card, not a “get well soon” card, which was what I wanted. In the end I decided to send it to her, even though it wasn't her birthday. On my way to the post office, I had a setback and then next day we went on vacation, so the card was sent much later than I planned. A week ago, I received an email from my mentor telling me that the card arrived exactly on her birthday! Things like these let us see the hand of God and the perfection of his times. Although we feel that we have fallen short in certain things, God has the ability and the power to make everything work for our good, and He can do it in even more magnificent ways than we imagine. And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 KJV Once again, our Lord invites us to trust in Him, since He has our times in His hands and He is the only one who arrives “just-in-time”. “My times are in your hand” Psalm 31:15 KJV Prayer: Lord, I entrust my time into your hands. Guide my steps and straighten my paths. Thank you for the certainty that you love me and have every detail of my life under control. I give myself to you with confidence. © Astrid Gale

Today, I want to tell you about two wonderful women who, without knowing it, share a secret. The first woman comes from several generations of fervent believers in North America*. She has dedicated her life to serve God and others. Since she was a child, she wanted to be a missionary. She has spent her life teaching the Word of God and serving hundreds of people far from her country. The second woman has a very different life story**. She was born in a rural town in Central America. Her story has been interwoven with threads of bottomless pain and intense joy. With many mistakes to her credit, it was not until she was 50 years old that she began a deep and genuine relationship with God. Since then, she has shared her faith with everyone who crosses her path and has been an example to all who know her. Both of them are in their 80s; and their joyful faces gracefully reflect the passing of the years. Beyond their gray hair and their history, what stands out when seeing them is their strength. They have navigated through life facing the storms with enviable courage. One day, I decided to ask each of them what was the secret of their strength. To my amazement, they both unknowingly gave me the exact same answer. One replied: "I feel secure in God’s love." The other told me: “I am totally convinced that God loves me.” The secret of their strength is the total certainty of God’s love for them. The love of God is, without a doubt, a safe place. If we immerse ourselves more often in the depths of God’s love, our tense muscles will relax, and we would be able to smile again. If we take our eyes off our successes or failures and take a close look to all what God has done for us, we will feel more secure. If we silence the voices that predict a gloomy future, we could hear the voice of our Lord saying: “I have always loved you”. Jeremiah 31:3 GNT There is no better medicine for our tired hearts than to believe in His Word and rest in the assurance that: “… nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow —not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 NLT © Astrid Gale * You can read her full story in the book: And They Said, “They are Just Kids!,” **You can read her biography in the book: “Dora´s Remarkable Journey. A Relentless Overcomer,”