I live in Texas in the northern hemisphere. Here, springtime is just beginning. For fifteen years of my life, I lived in Argentina in the southern hemisphere where at this time of the year they are moving into autumn. It takes time to become used to the differences. For example, when people in the United States want to talk about something that is extremely unlikely, they say, "It'll be a cold day in July before that happens." To which many of our southern hemisphere friends reply, "Most July days are cold."

It's my experience that all of life is this way. While some people are living in the sunshine, others are living in moments of darkness. I have a vivid memory of the night that my son was born. At the hospital, I was in the lobby using a pay phone to tell my in-laws the news that a delivery was imminent. (This was in the dark ages, in the 1990s, when people didn't carry cell phones.) As I shared with them this message of joy, a family burst onto the scene, obviously distraught. One of the young men picked up a large piece of furniture and started to hurl it across the room before someone stopped him. It was a scene of grief that stood in stark contrast with the joyful moments that I was living. That's how life is. Some rejoice while others weep. Some receive while others lose.

Just as the earth moves and the seasons change, so sorrow and joy ebb and flow throughout all of humanity. If we live long enough, we will have moments of great happiness and we will have moments of great hurt. Our circumstances will change from year to year and even from day to day. Some of us will experience more suffering than others, yet we all will pass through those hard times.

I want to invite you to watch some of the videos on our website, HopeForLife.org. These videos tell of people who faced moments of pain and loss, hard times and difficult days, yet who came through it all with hope. They did so not because of their own specialness, but because of the God who saw them through those times with an unending hope. Along with the videos, you can read articles that speak of hope and how to find it.

If you're in a moment of pain, I hope you'll take the time to hear some words of hope. If you are living through a good time, I hope you'll take the time to prepare yourself for the not-so-good times. As always, I'd love to hear from you. Write to me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog.

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