A few friends and I have gotten into the habit of meeting occasionally for breakfast at a local diner.  We talk about the usual old-man things such as sports, family, politics, and the weather.  Recently, over one of these meals, I shared with my friends some concerns I was having over raising four teenagers in the world of social media and peer pressure.  Each one of them offered sound advice and encouragement.  These gentlemen are of the sort who will pray for me as well.  We should all focus on and foster these types of relationships. As Christians, who among us has not asked a similar question to the one posed by Gideon above in the book of Judges.  Gideon even has the audacity to ask this question to an angel of the Lord who has informed him that God has chosen him to deliver Israel from the mighty Midianites.  In times of discouragement, we must be careful not to overlook some well-meaning “angel” sent to remind us that the Lord is in control and He is with us.  If we are not careful, difficult circumstances can give way to self-pity and this can have a paralyzing effect on us.  It removes God’s grace from the center of our lives.  We must remember that we are called to serve God, not the other way around. As Christians, our hope is in Jesus Christ.  He will bless us if we obey and seek Him through our relationships, prayer, and the reading of God’s Holy Word.  Jesus assures us that if we seek righteousness over happiness, we will obtain both (Read Matthew 6:32-34) Dr. B