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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're so glad to have

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Speaker 2: you listening. I'm Lynette Kittle, and today's topic is preparing

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Speaker 2: our Hearts for spring Break. We'll be right back after

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Speaker 2: a brief message from our sponsor. Preparing our Hearts for

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Speaker 2: spring Break, written and read by Lynette Kittle. No discipline

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Speaker 2: seems pleasant at the time, but painful later on. However,

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Speaker 2: it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those

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Speaker 2: who have been trained by it. Hebrews twelve eleven. It's

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Speaker 2: that time a year again where our minds start thinking

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Speaker 2: about spring break and where our families will plan to

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Speaker 2: spend it. Whether it's a staycation close to home or

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Speaker 2: at the beach, the mountains, an amusement park, or on

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Speaker 2: an island paradise. It's about loving and enjoying our families gratefully.

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Speaker 2: Our family has experienced wonderful spring breaks, getaways where everything

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Speaker 2: went well, but we've also waded through difficult and challenging

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Speaker 2: ones where everything seemed to fall apart. No one seemed

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Speaker 2: to get along. The influenza hit us. We ran out

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Speaker 2: of gas in the desert, Traffic was chaotic, and travel

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Speaker 2: didn't go the way we planned. During times like these,

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Speaker 2: when it's easy for emotions to run wild and feelings

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Speaker 2: to easily get hurt, we want to remember what Colossians

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Speaker 2: three to twelve through thirteen urges. Therefore, as God's chosen people,

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Speaker 2: holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness,

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Speaker 2: and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive one another.

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Speaker 2: If any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive

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Speaker 2: as the Lord forgave you. Although there are often issues

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Speaker 2: that arise during family getaways, they don't have to color

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Speaker 2: our experience and memories in a negative way. We could

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Speaker 2: ask God to help us put situations into perspective where

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Speaker 2: we let go of the less than pleasant and hang

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Speaker 2: on to the warm and loving moments. We don't have

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Speaker 2: to allow life's displeasures to take away from the joy

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Speaker 2: of being with one another and spending time together despite

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Speaker 2: the circumstances, through thick and thin, the fun and none

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Speaker 2: so fun moments. Rather than letting various difficulties and challenges

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Speaker 2: ruin our time together, we can view them as bumps

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Speaker 2: in our relationships, with opportunity to learn how to walk

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Speaker 2: through disputes and disruptions. With God's grace and forgiveness, we

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Speaker 2: can be determined to not let challenging moments define our

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Speaker 2: time together. As the apostle Paul urges us in Philippians

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Speaker 2: two three through four, do nothing out of selfish ambition

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Speaker 2: or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves,

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Speaker 2: not looking to your own interests, but each of you

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Speaker 2: to the interests of the others. During spring break, we

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Speaker 2: can look to God to help us to learn, grow,

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Speaker 2: and even discover joy in the middle of mishaps, troubles,

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Speaker 2: and difficulties. Paul reminds us in Romans eight eighteen, I

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Speaker 2: consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with

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Speaker 2: the glory that will be revealed in us when we

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Speaker 2: are willing to set our minds on it. We can

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Speaker 2: trust God to work the hardships, difficulties, and disagreements together

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Speaker 2: for our good by bringing us closer together with the

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Speaker 2: common goal of baking it through whatever is happening, drawing

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Speaker 2: us closer to one another and growing together rather than

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Speaker 2: further apart. First Peter one six reminds us that in

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Speaker 2: all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little

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Speaker 2: while you may have had to suffer grief in all

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Speaker 2: kinds of trials. Spending time together as a family is

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Speaker 2: often where everyone's weaknesses flare up, fueled by spending a

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Speaker 2: non stop week together instead of us all going our

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Speaker 2: own ways for school, work and church. During concentrated time together,

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Speaker 2: it does and take long for our frailties and faults

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Speaker 2: to rear their ugly heads. Rather than feel despair when

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Speaker 2: spring break, misunderstandings, and disappointments happen, Paul encourages us in

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Speaker 2: Second Corinthians twelve ten. That is why, for Christ's sake,

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Speaker 2: I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, and persecutions,

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Speaker 2: in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong,

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Speaker 2: instead of being in despair over them. We can believe

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Speaker 2: it gives God the opportunity to show himself strongly in

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Speaker 2: our lives, including our families lives, with Christ as the

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Speaker 2: center of our lives. Paul, who definitely knew what it

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Speaker 2: was like to experience difficulties, weaknesses, and challenges in his life,

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Speaker 2: reminds us in Second Corinthians four eight through nine. We

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Speaker 2: are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, but

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Speaker 2: not in despair persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down but

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Speaker 2: not destroyed. Intersecting faith in life before spending spring break

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Speaker 2: as a family, gather together to pray for God to

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Speaker 2: prepare your hearts to be loving and kind to each

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Speaker 2: other during your extended family time, as well discuss beforehand

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Speaker 2: how God can help you to be patient and long

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Speaker 2: suffering with each other during your time together. Further reading

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Speaker 2: fifteen spring break trips that are budget and family friendly.

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Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and

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Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please

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