From "The Bad Beginning"
--number one book in Lemony Snicket's series--to number thirteen,
"... The Complete Wreck," the author writes of gloom and doom for the Baudelaire orphans--
Klaus, Violet, and Sunny.
Lemony uses dark humor and cautions that his books are the saddest series
about even sadder orphans. Even though the reader knows it is sad, very sad,
we understand it is fiction and somehow find it entertaining.
A Lemony Snickett fan |
The orphans?
What kept them going?
They had found a letter left to them by their parents--
a letter filled with words of encouragement and hope.
Familiar words?
Lemony warns that when these books rain from the sky--unless the reader has an "abnormally sturdy umbrella," --the reader should scream and run away--
at once!
Whether our fear is absolutely realistic
or out of proportion in our minds,
our greatest refuge is Jesus Christ.
Luci Swindoll
Most of us have our own series of unfortunate events. Sometimes, they come in a downpour.
Recently, a loved one has endured cancer surgery, bowel obstruction concerns, pnuemonia, a Wegener's flare, and more recently, renal failure. We wanted to scream and run away. But, in the real world, screaming does not help, and there is no place to run away to.
However, we do have an abnormally sturdy umbrella--because
the God of the universe is not going to give us more than any one of us can handle.
If you've encountered unfortunate circumstances that are beyond your power to control, accept those circumstances...and trust God. When you do, you can be comforted in the knowledge that your Creator is both loving and wise, and that he understands His plans perfectly, even when you do not.
Day 161, 365 Days--Daily Devotions For Women
The Baudelaire children never gave up.
We know that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
May we remember that God has a plan for each of us and be encouraged.
Discontent dries up the soul.
Elisabeth Elliot