COVID 19 Encouragement - 04/10/2020

Dear CHESS families,

Blessings to you on this chilly Michigan morning. We pray that this note of encouragement finds you all doing well. 

We wanted to share something that the Lord has shown us during these past few weeks. For the past three years there is this one flower bed in our backyard that has been hard to tackle. The Lily of the Valley has not been tended to for some time. It has grown out of control. Last summer I (Krista) was determined to remove it. The ground was hard from the sun and lack of water. I got nowhere. Last week, I went out to the same flower bed. The soil was moist and the plants were still dormant.  My shovel went into the soil with far less effort. What I had worked on for days last year, I was able to progress much further in just a couple of hours. And the Lord showed me something from this act of gardening.

Timing. Right now, the soil is soft and moist. In this state I can pull weeds, I can till the dirt and I can prepare the ground for new seeds. Last year, the soil was dry and hard. The plants were overgrown and the weeds were established.

The Lord showed me how time is a blessing right now! We have time in this season to allow room for the Lord to nourish the soil in our hearts, pull weeds and plant new seeds. We (Kyle and I) have seen the Lord not only doing this in our hearts, but the hearts of our children. There is time for wonderful conversation. Time for working on lost skills. But most importantly, time for the Father.

We want to encourage you to leave space in your schedule.  Remember that we don’t have to fill all our time with the many resources that have become available through technology.  We don’t have to do it all. There is beauty in slowing down, assessing what really matters, and drawing closer to the Lord.

Blessing to you all  today as we remember the Cross and the hope that comes from the resurrection. It is Friday but Sunday's coming! Please let us know how we can be praying for you. 

Blessings,

Kyle and Krista Royston For the CHESS Leadership Team

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8 (NIV)