Monday Morning Memo: Living in Expectation!

Confession time once again.  I have been known to be somewhat of a party pooper at Christmas time.  I’m one of those people that gets so irked that stores have Christmas decorations out in September that it makes me not want to put anything out by the time December rolls around.  Call me lazy…but if I do decide to make our home look somewhat like a holiday is on the horizon…I’m usually thinking about all the work it is going to take to put everything away…while I’m putting it out.

But for some reason, this year has been different.  I actually wanted to put the tree up and decorate it AND I did it in November!  I know…call me wild and crazy J

Now I have to admit that putting the tree up was just about all I have done, but it was enough to get me excited that it won’t be long until we are celebrating Christ’s birth.  I actually feel a little giddy.  The reason for the season is HIM, and every time I think about His amazing entrance into the world, I can feel my pulse quicken a little bit.

I’m starting to think that maybe one of the reasons my attitude is different this year is because there is so much darkness in our world.  Everywhere we turn, we hear of another tragedy and thinking positively about anything can become a chore.  But I’ve come to realize that thinking about an event that was miraculous, spectacular and life changing is helping me focus on the truth.  It’s giving me hope that this babe, who was born in a stable, was part of a plan.  He was born for me and for you!  He was born so that He could die for our sins and He rose again so that we can have eternal life with Him.  What an awesome time to celebrate and to share with others that this baby came to give us hope, even when darkness is all around us.

Are you going through each day this month in expectation of celebrating His birth, or is fear consuming your every thought?  I would love to encourage you to keep your eyes focused on the reason for this season and allow the precious babe that was born to give you hope.

While I was thinking of writing this devotional, I came upon the following words from the Mariners Church that just spoke to my soul and expressed exactly how I was feeling.  I hope they will also speak to you.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

MMM – Could It Get Any Better?

If you are hoping that today’s thoughts are deeply theological…you will be disappointed.  I just feel like sharing with you something that’s been rambling in my head the past couple of days.

I’m confident that I’ve mentioned once or twice that we have an amazing, adorable, super smart and dearly loved grandson, Elias.  He is 18 months old and filled to the brim with orneriness.  His eyes just sparkle and his huge grin sure makes my heart melt.

It seems like every time we see Eli, he is doing or saying something new.  But what he began doing this past week, not only made my heart melt but also brought a few tears to my eyes.  For quite awhile now, he has come to me and patted my leg and then signed “please” (his parents are teaching him sign language, English and Mandarin).  I quickly learned that this meant that he wanted to sit on my lap, which of course thrilled me.  But this past week, he has ramped up the enthusiasm when we are with him and he now raises his arms straight up in the air as he runs as fast as he can towards my husband or me.  Once he gets to one of us, he throws his arms around us and gives us a hug and then plants a kiss on our cheek.  Could life get any better than that?

Another first that we witnessed recently occurred when it was time for Eli to leave to go home.  He hugged me tight and melted into tears because he wanted to stay longer.  Let’s just say that his eyes weren’t the only ones that were leaking that night J

Elias’ show of affection for us is such a bright spot in our day and this got me thinking.  Is this the kind of affection that I show my Heavenly Father every day?  Do I race to get to my place every morning where I spend time in His Word and in prayer?  By my actions, am I showing Him how much I love Him…or do I act like our time together is a drudgery that I just want to get done with so I can go on with my day?   Do I ever enjoy my time with Him so much that I feel deep sadness when I have to stop reading His Word because of my day’s obligations?

I wish I could honestly answer “YES” to each of these questions, but I can’t.  As I grow in Him, I’m having more and more days where I can say “YES”, but I know that He wants me to feel this way every day.  I know it must bring Him such joy when He sees me anxious and excited to spend time with Him…and deep sadness when He doesn’t.

In just a few short weeks we will celebrate Christmas and many of us are spending hours trying to find the perfect gifts for those we love.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, but we need to make sure that we are also seeking the perfect gift for the One whose birthday we are celebrating.  I just have a feeling that what He wants from us can’t be bought in a store or ordered online.  I’m guessing the ideal gift for Him would include showing Him how much we love Him, by spending time in His presence…wrapping our arms around Him and holding on tight. 

We are so excited that in March we will welcome another grandson into our family when Elias becomes a big brother.  We just couldn’t be more thrilled and can hardly wait for his arrival.  But there is another arrival that we should be even more excited about and that is the return of our Lord.  Just as we are counting the days until our grandson arrives, we should be counting the days until Christ returns for His sons and daughters.  We don’t know when this will be, but we know it will happen and we dare not waste any time preparing for His return.  There are many who don’t have a clue that this day is on the horizon and so it is priority that we focus on spreading the word that He is coming again.

I wonder sometimes why I find it easy to brag about Elias, but often fail to tell others

about everything that Christ has done for me.  He has impressed on me that as I go through this Christmas season, I need to make sure others see that my passion and love for the newborn King far exceeds my love for things of this world.  But for the world to see Him in me, it is imperative that I run to His open arms every day, spending time in His presence.  Time not given with drudgery, but with a deep longing to show Him what He means to me.  I bet if that is my desire, I just might shed a tear or two when the time comes to leave my quiet place to begin my day, because life just couldn’t get any better than spending time with Him!

Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God

with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'

Matthew 22:37

Monday Morning Memo – Do or Don’t: Blessed Either Way!

Well, this week starts the madness.  It seems like once Thanksgiving week begins…life gets just a little crazy until the end of the year.  Of course if you go by what you see in area stores, Thanksgiving has been completely forgotten and Christmas decorations have been out since September.

I think that it is so important for us to be intentional in making sure we don’t just rush through Thanksgiving to get to Christmas.   I happen to believe that if we take time to really count our blessings now, we just might have a different perspective on Christmas.  When we realize what is really important in life and contemplate on how much we have been blessed, I’m guessing that it will be easier to focus on the birth of our Savior.

I’m not naïve enough though, to think that everyone finds it easy to recognize his or her blessings.  There may be some of you who have had so much pain in your past, so much heartache, that this week only reminds you of what you don’t have instead of what you do have.  Your spouse may have decided that he or she didn’t want to be married anymore.  You may have lost a loved one, which left a hole in your heart that words just can’t describe.  Your child may have chosen a path that is against everything you believe in and the pain you feel has left you drained.  Your job, which you thought would always be secure, was taken out from under you and it has left you wondering how the bills will get paid.  And in an instant, your health began to fail and it is all you can do to face another day.

You don’t need me to tell you that our plans are often thrown out the window and our journey takes a sharp detour that makes no sense.   Unfortunately, life happens and we can’t always control what is going on around us.

So what do we do when the pain from our past keeps us from moving forward and being able to count our blessings?  I saw a quote this past week from C.S. Lewis and I loved the analogy, “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”  There comes a time and a place where we just have to let go of those things that have entrapped us.  Until we loosen our grip, we will just be left hanging and there will be no way for us to dwell on what we DO have instead of what we DON’T have.

If you find yourself struggling today as you begin your week, I’d like to make a suggestion.  Find time today to write down at least 2 things you are thankful for and then tomorrow and Wednesday do the same thing.  By the time Thursday rolls around, you will begin your day of thanksgiving with at least six blessings to focus on as you go throughout your day.  When your past begins to overshadow you again, take out this list and read it out loud.  Read it over and over until it is ingrained in your mind. 

If even this assignment seems to be more than you can handle…take time to write down what you DON’T have.  Let me give you some examples of what I mean, by sharing some of the things that I don’t have:

I don’t have cancer

I don’t have a broken marriage

I don’t have to worry that I won’t have anything to eat at my next meal

I don’t have to live on the street in the cold in a cardboard box….

Understand what I mean?  Sometimes when we start listing what we DON’T have…we can begin to realize the blessings that we DO have.

I think you will find that with each blessing you write down or with each “don’t” that you record, your grip on the past will start to loosen.  With each entry, you will begin to find it easier to move to the next “rung” and you will start making forward progress.  Your past will no longer have such a tight hold on you.

I would be amiss today if I didn’t let you know that one of my largest blessings is YOU.  YOU have blessed me over and over again by your encouragement and support of my ministry and without YOU, my life wouldn’t be as full and rich as it is.  So today I want to make sure and thank YOU for taking the time to read my posts each week, for your words and notes of encouragement, for sharing my writing with your friends and for your acceptance of me even if you don’t agree with everything that I share.  I have been truly blessed and I’m thanking the Lord today for YOU!

 

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”

Philippians 1:3