But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. — Luke 24:16

The disciples had heard Jesus' voice so many times and had often looked upon His face, yet they didn't recognize Him. Isn’t this similar to your experience? You haven’t seen Jesus clearly lately. You’ve been to His table, but you didn’t feel

His presence there. Today, you might be going through a dark time, and even though He’s saying to you, "It is I, don’t be afraid," you still can’t see Him. Dear child of God, is this where you are? Only faith can help us see Jesus. Make it your prayer, "Lord, open my eyes so that I can see my Savior with me."

Trees aren’t always green; the sap rests during winter. Our souls have their winters too; our spiritual life isn’t always in full bloom. We should always be growing, but we can’t expect to be flourishing every single day. Even when we bear fruit, it’s

not always ripe, nor does it always have the same beautiful appearance. Until we reach perfection, we won’t stay at our highest point—otherwise, earth would be turned into Heaven, and the changing seasons of time would merge into the unchanging nature of eternity.