I took the above photo, of the Gulf of Mexico, from a beach in Key West, Florida. (Go here to see more pics of my Florida trip, a vacation to celebrate 30 years of marriage.)

When I look at the ocean, I think of the Hebrew letter “mem,” whose symbol is a zig zag line, symbolizing an ocean’s wave. It represents mystery and depth, chaos, and the unknown. Who knows what lies under the surface of the ocean water?

Life has so many mysteries, so many layers and depths of meaning. So many things happen in our lives that we don’t hold an answer for. Why do some people seemingly sail through life, never even looking rumpled, while others have numerous challenges, even tragedies and heartbreaks? This week in the Come, Follow Jesus reading, one of the principles is, “Blessings come after afflictions and trials of faith.” See this page to see the principle with some associated scriptures, along with the story of Zion’s Camp.

I recently read a story that reminded me of that principle. In it, a woman faced the death of her grandmother, then her father, and then another death in the family. All in one spring and summer period of time! During this time, her husband was also mugged. Talk about a horrible time of tragedy and trials! How did this woman deal with all this devastation? Fortunately, she found increased faith in Jesus Christ to pull her through. Go here to read the whole story.

If you want more faith-in -Jesus-Christ-and-His-gospel promoting stories, get my ebook. It’s over here. Use it for family devotionals, or just to tell stories around the dinner table or for your family worship hour on Sundays. The first part is an introduction of the why and how of family devotionals, then starting on p. 55, you can find links to songs, scriptures, and stories to go with monthly topics and seasonal themes.