Going From Yellow to Red

Life is always full of emotions. A typical day might be easily expressed like the picture today...why even the typical hour may take you from smiles to frowns too, from yellow to red. If you have followed Cup of Joe for any period of time then you are very familiar with my very best friend, a miniature dachshund named Midnight. "Midi" as I call him is the joy of my life. He makes me smile:)
A few weeks ago he got sick. At 2am yesterday morning he got up and acted very strange. My face looked like the green one...I was shocked and helpless as I don't speak very good "dog". At 7am we went to the animal hospital and he was barely moving at all. I left him with the doctor and went to preach to our church about love, hope and courage. It was one of the hardest services I've done. By noon I was back at the hospital and was told that Midi has pancreatitis. They had him on an IV and pain medicine to make him feel better. The red face was now dominant. In several hours I had gone through all of them, back and forth looking for answers. I decided to stay positive and prayed for him and that the medicine would treat the sickness and diminish the pain. As we left for lunch the hospital called and said that the radiologist got his results back and he was "concerned". He suspected cancer! A few days ago Midi and I were running around the neighborhood and wrestling on the floor and now the situation was dramatically different.
Let me ask you, how do you handle bad news? There is an ebb and flow to how we process what we see and hear. Choosing to keep your spirits up when the news is bad takes work, prayer and a great amount of hope(having only positive expectations) Perhaps you have received a bad diagnosis from the doctor or a pink slip from the job. Maybe your spouse has said they need some space. As your face goes from yellow to red, ask God to help you keep your eyes on Him. I want you to KNOW THIS: He IS STILL the healer, the deliverer and the author and finisher of our faith. He knows what is happening and He wants the very best for YOU! You can trust His purpose to prevail in every situation. Keep your eyes lifted up and let peace guard your heart. Raise your hopes and you raise the level of faith that God has to work with too. Pray for His purpose to be made known and be accomplished in you right now. And please, say a little prayer for "Midi" today too! God bless you!