I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours! What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation. -1 Peter‬ ‭1:1-9‬ (msg)

With laughter and singing… always singing… and so much to sing for.

“It is something to be wondered at,” he said, “that despite all the beauty of Faerie there is also so much in it that is amiss. There are great splendors, but corresponding horrors; there are heights but also depths, beautiful women but also evil enchantresses. It seems to me that all a person can do is to make things better wherever possible in a hundred little ways, and to show courage and strength in whatever situation is encountered. In this way good will be accomplished and we will all fare better for it in the end.” -George MacDonald

Lord, guide us into Life. Give us the courage to do what is Good and to never settle for less than You. Amen.