As a third grade teacher, I spend a lot of time teaching about cause/effect relationships. I have found that one of the hardest concepts for my students to grasp, is figuring out the "why" in the relationship-what caused something to happen...especially when it isn't mapped out clearly for them.
In reality, that's humanity in a nutshell...we want to know why things happen and we want it to make sense, but often it doesn't...especially when it isn't something that we wanted to happen to us.
Do you ever find yourself asking why? What did I do to deserve this? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why God? Why me?
It can cause frustration, depression, anger, hostility, fear...
It can consume our thoughts and drive us batty when there isn't an answer.
When my son died, I had a really hard time with this. I was angry. Disappointed in God and confused as to why my prayers weren't answered. Why was Miles dealt that life and not given a chance to be here on the earth, to experience everything that a good life had to offer. What was the cause of such heartache and pain for myself as a mother? What good did it do the rest of my family to have to go through all that? What was the cause?
I still don't have an answer to why that had to happen, and I don't have the answer to what caused something bad to happen to you.
But I have learned something huge through all the bad things that have happened to me in my life, a different outlook that I want to share...
I challenge all of you to stop thinking of whatever you are struggling with as the effect. Stop looking for a cause of what happened to you. Stop asking God why...
...and trust.
Because what we do know is that God holds you close and He won't ever let you go.
What if...go with me for a minute...what if that horrible thing that happened to you, or that is happening to you isn't the EFFECT, but instead it is the CAUSE. That there isn't a why to what is happening to you, but instead that God will use what is happening to you to be the "why" for an effect that He is starting IN you.
The truth is that He isn't up there making bad things happen to you, but He is there to see you through them, and He can turn anything in your life into something good for you-the one He loves.
This thought makes me breathe deep and relax...and I let go and trust that He won't let go. That, in fact, He is in control.
I was blessed by my son in my life. And in hindsight, I can see the change God made in me as He helped me get through the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. I am stronger as a person. I am more patient and compassionate as a human being. I am more savoring and in-the-moment as a mother. I am more appreciative as a wife and daughter. I am more loving. God didn't cause my hardship, but He did use my hardship to cause a change in me...to mold me into who He wants me to be...and He continues to do this with every struggle I face in life.
In this imperfect world, you cannot escape pain...but you CAN stop asking why, and trust that God will not only see you through, but use whatever you are going through to make you stronger. You will be the planned effect. So stop trying to make sense of something that is bigger than any of us can comprehend...let go...and trust the one who made you, the one who holds you close and holds your future, to make an effect in you.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
A Dance Partner
"Come close to God, and God will come close to you." -James 4:8
Have you ever felt like you were living in a hostile environment in your own home? Being the mother of four, it happens-especially between my two middle children.
He's seven and she's four, and both of them have their mother's stubborn will, need to be independent, and fiery spirit. They love each other and they fight like mad.
This was the way of things a few days ago. We'd been cooped up inside with the abnormally cold temps and a few snow days, and everyone was going crazy. Sure enough, pretty soon there was shouting...and I don't mean a little and then it was done; we're talking top of the lungs, fill the house, and echoing shouts of anger.
As is the norm in our house, it was followed by two sides to the story. But when I asked them to take a break from each other for awhile, neither wanted to. They knew they needed each other to have a playmate, to make the day good.
About ten minutes later, I walked into the living room to see my son with a plastic rose in his mouth, twirling effortlessly around the room in a ballroom dance with his delighted four year old sister. They were both proud, steady, strong, and peaceful as I watched without them knowing. He spun her around and under his arm and then pulled her back into his arms and began stepping in one direction again.
When they saw me, they stopped and smiled with glee, and then continued with the show-filling the whole house with music, love, happiness, and relief.
.....
Sometimes life makes you want to shout at the top of your lungs. It can be hostile. It can provoke deep anger. It can feel out of control and bring out the worst in you.
But there is a sure-footed, peaceful, strong partner that asks you to dance on a daily basis and all you have to do is accept the dance and take His arm.
God loves you. He is a strong leader. Whatever it is that pulls at your head and heart, making you anxious, angry, sad, scared, or frustrated...no matter how stubborn your will, or how many times your independent spirit has turned him down, if you draw close to the one who loves you, he will take you in his arms and lead you in a perfect dance.
Take His arm.
Let go of your need of control and let Him lead you down the life He intended for you. Dance through each day with peace and relief.
Let Him hold you close.
"Come close to God, and God will come close to you."
Have you ever felt like you were living in a hostile environment in your own home? Being the mother of four, it happens-especially between my two middle children.
He's seven and she's four, and both of them have their mother's stubborn will, need to be independent, and fiery spirit. They love each other and they fight like mad.
This was the way of things a few days ago. We'd been cooped up inside with the abnormally cold temps and a few snow days, and everyone was going crazy. Sure enough, pretty soon there was shouting...and I don't mean a little and then it was done; we're talking top of the lungs, fill the house, and echoing shouts of anger.
As is the norm in our house, it was followed by two sides to the story. But when I asked them to take a break from each other for awhile, neither wanted to. They knew they needed each other to have a playmate, to make the day good.
About ten minutes later, I walked into the living room to see my son with a plastic rose in his mouth, twirling effortlessly around the room in a ballroom dance with his delighted four year old sister. They were both proud, steady, strong, and peaceful as I watched without them knowing. He spun her around and under his arm and then pulled her back into his arms and began stepping in one direction again.
When they saw me, they stopped and smiled with glee, and then continued with the show-filling the whole house with music, love, happiness, and relief.
.....
Sometimes life makes you want to shout at the top of your lungs. It can be hostile. It can provoke deep anger. It can feel out of control and bring out the worst in you.
But there is a sure-footed, peaceful, strong partner that asks you to dance on a daily basis and all you have to do is accept the dance and take His arm.
God loves you. He is a strong leader. Whatever it is that pulls at your head and heart, making you anxious, angry, sad, scared, or frustrated...no matter how stubborn your will, or how many times your independent spirit has turned him down, if you draw close to the one who loves you, he will take you in his arms and lead you in a perfect dance.
Take His arm.
Let go of your need of control and let Him lead you down the life He intended for you. Dance through each day with peace and relief.
Let Him hold you close.
"Come close to God, and God will come close to you."
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Love Your Neighbor. Love Yourself.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." -Colossians 3:12
"But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
I think it is probably on a weekly basis that I turn to my husband and ask, "Does this look okay?"
I'm not usually looking to find out if he really thinks I look okay. What I really means is, "Will the world think I look okay today?"
A couple days ago wasn't any different. Being a teacher, it was a rare day where the students didn't have school, but it was still a work day for us. Love those days...not because I don't like having the students around, but because I get to spend time with my colleagues and hopefully get the things done that I usually have to do at home after my kids are in bed. We also have the luxury of wearing whatever we want on these days and usually go pretty comfy.
This time I looked at my shoes and put on high heels with my outfit. (Third grade teachers never get to wear heels or their feet would hate them forever.) I immediately turned to my husband and said, "I should take this off and put on a sweatshirt, shouldn't I?"
He looked at me dumbfounded. "Why?"
"We don't wear heels to professional development days, it'll look weird," I said.
"Why can't you just be you?"
Hmmmm.
He was right, of course. Why couldn't I just wear what I like? I marched out with my heels on.
This is a major issue for all of us. We are constantly setting a ridiculous expectation, trying to meet a standard, caring too much what others think of us, and comparing ourselves to those around us.
Why do we do this?
We compare ourselves to other people. Are we fatter, shorter, flatter, taller, more curvy, more toned, whiter, darker? Do we have better hair, clothes, features, make-up, shoes, jewelry, cars, homes, gardens?
"She's a better mother than me because her cupcakes look like they just came out of a professional bakery."
"He's a better man because he has a better car."
We even compare our kids to other kids.
It is ever-present in our heads, and we beat ourselves up about it because we never measure up.
But they're all lies.
The reality is, every single time we do this, we are judging at least two people: the person we are comparing ourselves to and ourselves. And we use that judgement to form our own identity, deciding our self-worth is better or worse than someone else.
The truth is that when we judge someone based on their appearance, on their job, on their children, on their home, on their car, or on the mistakes they've made, we don't have anything near the whole picture...and that's not a fair assessment of anything. We then use that poor judgement to form an opinion about them and about ourselves compared to them. Then the identity we hold for them isn't fair and the reality we hold for ourselves isn't truth.
But God says that our identity is in Him and that judgement is His.
If we stop comparing ourselves to others in everything we do and say, and especially in the way we look, and start finding our identity in a God who planned us each uniquely and perfectly, we free both ourselves and the people around us from hatred, prejudice, and judgement. We learn to see each person through the eyes of Christ-including ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, learn to clothe ourselves with "...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
And an identity as a Child of God, with qualities worthy of Him, is an identity to be proud of.
Love your neighbor. Love yourself.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Resolutions
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson
I remember the first time I felt disappointment in life that caused me to shrink within myself; the moment I learned to fear failure. It may seem like a silly, trivial thing to most of you, but it was my senior year of high school at the end of our basketball season and we had just lost the game to go to the state tournament.
Going into the game I believed, without question, that we would win. I was confident in our game plan, confident in my team to play well, and perhaps a little over confident in my own ability. I was fearless.
A 16-0 start to the game, us being the goose-egg, I had quickly been put in my place. Our team would not come away with a win that night, but the real loss was the spirit within me. The confident, sparkling spirit that knew how to soar without fear. I began to shrink.
Once a person lets that fear in, it becomes powerful and can change a person from the inside out. The following year at Luther, I quit the basketball team. I had lost the passion and sparkle, and hadn't picked up a ball more than a handful of times in the off-season. Even as I tried to play again the following year at Waldorf, I lacked the necessary confidence and poise to be the success I had intended.
In all reality, God had never intended for me to play in the WNBA.
Over the years since then, fear has crept in my spirit because of a lot of those disappointments. As I think about resolutions for 2014, I can't help but look at my inability to sparkle and shine since I learned to fear failure.
Every time something bad has happened, I can look back now and see the aftermath. The coiling back within myself-afraid of my confidence. Life experience has taught me to fear losing a loved one and my children, to fear the breaking of my heart again and again, to fear experiencing deep hurt and disappointment in relationships....to fear that I will fail.
But deep within me, there is a calling to shine. A voice that screams, "Rise up!"
It was FDR that said, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself," but it is my Savior who calls me to become his child...the one he intended me to be. The spirit that soars without fear.
So I look at 2014 with resolve. I am resolved to do the following, because God calls me to shine. Will you?
1. Love with abandon-
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13
There is no one-NO ONE-without fault or undeserving of love. To hide one's heart in fear or because of pride, is to hide the greatest part of you, your greatest asset. It hides your biggest source of light. Holding back love out of fear of being hurt damages all those in your path, including yourself. Don't let the standards or opinions of others tell you who to love. Instead ALWAYS choose love and love with abandon. Show grace.
2. Trust in the Lord-
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and mind and he will direct your path."
-Proverbs 3:5
There is a saying, "We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow." There is freedom in knowing that the one who created you, who created the universe, who loves you, is in control and always will be. Trust that he is working for your good. Know that he will be there no matter what you face.
3. Be Thankful-
"Always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances."
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
In all days, in all trials, there are things to be thankful for, blessings to be counted. Cling to them and be thankful and you will find strength. Remind yourself of them in your weakest moments and remember hope. Good and bad, life is a gift, and the journey is enough to be joyful for.
4. Pray-
"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." -Psalm 34:4
If there is anything I have learned at all, it is that I can always find peace in any circumstance by seeking a relationship with Jesus. There is no greater source of strength nor to greater way to ease fear. It is in the relationship that there is hope.
5. Succeed at becoming "Me"-
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope." -Jeremiah 29:11
This year for me is about defeating fears. There will be no hesitation to chase dreams. No doubt in my capabilities or possibilities. No fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of myself, fear of others, or fear of situations, for God has already planned a future, planned for you, and planned for me.
It is a year to put away the past. A year to be free. A year to find a calling. A year to find light. A year to shine.
Rising up!
I remember the first time I felt disappointment in life that caused me to shrink within myself; the moment I learned to fear failure. It may seem like a silly, trivial thing to most of you, but it was my senior year of high school at the end of our basketball season and we had just lost the game to go to the state tournament.
Going into the game I believed, without question, that we would win. I was confident in our game plan, confident in my team to play well, and perhaps a little over confident in my own ability. I was fearless.
A 16-0 start to the game, us being the goose-egg, I had quickly been put in my place. Our team would not come away with a win that night, but the real loss was the spirit within me. The confident, sparkling spirit that knew how to soar without fear. I began to shrink.
Once a person lets that fear in, it becomes powerful and can change a person from the inside out. The following year at Luther, I quit the basketball team. I had lost the passion and sparkle, and hadn't picked up a ball more than a handful of times in the off-season. Even as I tried to play again the following year at Waldorf, I lacked the necessary confidence and poise to be the success I had intended.
In all reality, God had never intended for me to play in the WNBA.
Over the years since then, fear has crept in my spirit because of a lot of those disappointments. As I think about resolutions for 2014, I can't help but look at my inability to sparkle and shine since I learned to fear failure.
Every time something bad has happened, I can look back now and see the aftermath. The coiling back within myself-afraid of my confidence. Life experience has taught me to fear losing a loved one and my children, to fear the breaking of my heart again and again, to fear experiencing deep hurt and disappointment in relationships....to fear that I will fail.
But deep within me, there is a calling to shine. A voice that screams, "Rise up!"
It was FDR that said, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself," but it is my Savior who calls me to become his child...the one he intended me to be. The spirit that soars without fear.
So I look at 2014 with resolve. I am resolved to do the following, because God calls me to shine. Will you?
1. Love with abandon-
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13
There is no one-NO ONE-without fault or undeserving of love. To hide one's heart in fear or because of pride, is to hide the greatest part of you, your greatest asset. It hides your biggest source of light. Holding back love out of fear of being hurt damages all those in your path, including yourself. Don't let the standards or opinions of others tell you who to love. Instead ALWAYS choose love and love with abandon. Show grace.
2. Trust in the Lord-
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and mind and he will direct your path."
-Proverbs 3:5
There is a saying, "We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow." There is freedom in knowing that the one who created you, who created the universe, who loves you, is in control and always will be. Trust that he is working for your good. Know that he will be there no matter what you face.
3. Be Thankful-
"Always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances."
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
In all days, in all trials, there are things to be thankful for, blessings to be counted. Cling to them and be thankful and you will find strength. Remind yourself of them in your weakest moments and remember hope. Good and bad, life is a gift, and the journey is enough to be joyful for.
4. Pray-
"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." -Psalm 34:4
If there is anything I have learned at all, it is that I can always find peace in any circumstance by seeking a relationship with Jesus. There is no greater source of strength nor to greater way to ease fear. It is in the relationship that there is hope.
5. Succeed at becoming "Me"-
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope." -Jeremiah 29:11
This year for me is about defeating fears. There will be no hesitation to chase dreams. No doubt in my capabilities or possibilities. No fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of myself, fear of others, or fear of situations, for God has already planned a future, planned for you, and planned for me.
It is a year to put away the past. A year to be free. A year to find a calling. A year to find light. A year to shine.
Rising up!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The Furnace Isn't On
My soul is like an empty house and my heart, a furnace.
"...if we love one another, God abides in us. And his love is perfect in us." -1 John 4:12
After a much needed get-away at my parents' over Christmas, we returned to our big, old, drafty home on the other side of the state to find a very, very cold house. It isn't fun when you come in from below zero temperatures and it is only in the 40's inside. So many things are running through your head. Is the furnace broken? What will this cost? What will it take to fix it? Will it cause damage to the house?
Coming up from the basement, my husband confirmed what we already knew, the furnace wasn't working. The only hope was that we could just light the pilot-that something had caused it to go out, and all we needed to do was start a flame.
A trip to the store for a lighter, ten minutes of trying, waiting, and trying again, and success...the flame took and the furnace was back in business.
Over the course of my life, my heart has become so much like that furnace and maybe yours has too.
Experiences, over time can cause the pilot to go out and our hearts turn cold. So many things can put out the fire...broken relationships, death, injustice, fear, financial hardship, sickness, loss...this world is full of cold disappointment. Then it begins to spread around us to those people in our paths and the things we do.
I don't know if you've ever found yourself with a cold heart, but I have. And then so many things go through my head...Is it broken? What will it cost me? Can I fix it? Will it forever damage me?
Even though I'm a preacher's daughter (and of an amazing preacher I might add), I used to think that I was good in my soul and knew what I believed so it didn't matter if I went to church on a regular basis or not. I figured I could teach my children everything they needed and that all would work out in the end.
What I learned from the pilot going out on my heart, was the only answer to my questions was Jesus.
My first grade son came home from school a couple months ago and mentioned that he had talked to a friend about having Jesus in his heart. How awesome, I thought! He then said that his friend asked Jesus into his heart and then told him he felt all warm inside....music to a mama's ears.
But isn't that the truth? He is the source of warmth for the heart and, therefore, the soul. I needed to get to a church and light the pilot. I needed to surround myself with the warmth of people whose pilots were already lit, whose hearts were full of warmth and who then were themselves sources of warmth for those around them. I needed to thaw the cold heart within me so I could be sure to light the fire for the hearts around me who needed me.
It didn't take long at all to find people with these hearts, people who changed mine. Those loving hearts along with the message of Jesus, lit my pilot and warmed my soul.
We have a choice to remain cold and independent, frozen from life's disappointments or to light the fire within our hearts with the love and compassion of a savior...and pass the flame, not the cold, to those around us.
"...if we love one another, God abides in us. And his love is perfect in us." -1 John 4:12
After a much needed get-away at my parents' over Christmas, we returned to our big, old, drafty home on the other side of the state to find a very, very cold house. It isn't fun when you come in from below zero temperatures and it is only in the 40's inside. So many things are running through your head. Is the furnace broken? What will this cost? What will it take to fix it? Will it cause damage to the house?
Coming up from the basement, my husband confirmed what we already knew, the furnace wasn't working. The only hope was that we could just light the pilot-that something had caused it to go out, and all we needed to do was start a flame.
A trip to the store for a lighter, ten minutes of trying, waiting, and trying again, and success...the flame took and the furnace was back in business.
Over the course of my life, my heart has become so much like that furnace and maybe yours has too.
Experiences, over time can cause the pilot to go out and our hearts turn cold. So many things can put out the fire...broken relationships, death, injustice, fear, financial hardship, sickness, loss...this world is full of cold disappointment. Then it begins to spread around us to those people in our paths and the things we do.
I don't know if you've ever found yourself with a cold heart, but I have. And then so many things go through my head...Is it broken? What will it cost me? Can I fix it? Will it forever damage me?
Even though I'm a preacher's daughter (and of an amazing preacher I might add), I used to think that I was good in my soul and knew what I believed so it didn't matter if I went to church on a regular basis or not. I figured I could teach my children everything they needed and that all would work out in the end.
What I learned from the pilot going out on my heart, was the only answer to my questions was Jesus.
My first grade son came home from school a couple months ago and mentioned that he had talked to a friend about having Jesus in his heart. How awesome, I thought! He then said that his friend asked Jesus into his heart and then told him he felt all warm inside....music to a mama's ears.
But isn't that the truth? He is the source of warmth for the heart and, therefore, the soul. I needed to get to a church and light the pilot. I needed to surround myself with the warmth of people whose pilots were already lit, whose hearts were full of warmth and who then were themselves sources of warmth for those around them. I needed to thaw the cold heart within me so I could be sure to light the fire for the hearts around me who needed me.
It didn't take long at all to find people with these hearts, people who changed mine. Those loving hearts along with the message of Jesus, lit my pilot and warmed my soul.
We have a choice to remain cold and independent, frozen from life's disappointments or to light the fire within our hearts with the love and compassion of a savior...and pass the flame, not the cold, to those around us.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Are you ready for Christmas?
"She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." -Luke 2:7
"Are you ready for Christmas, yet?" I hear the question everywhere I go.
Yesterday was decorating day at our house. The tree is up, has water, and it isn't falling. The lights twinkle and the ornaments are all hung and out of the reach of little hands. The angel is on top. Scout the Elf has been on the move in the house for a week and the kids' Christmas lists have been made. The Christmas dinner menu has been chosen, and shopping trips have been planned. Cards have been ordered.
With Manheim Steamroller blasting from the CD player, today is cookie baking day. This is no small task with four kids under the age of 9, (it's a magic trick how quickly dough disappears without me noticing) but the cookies are out of the oven and not burnt to a crisp. I am exhausted, but all seems to be falling into place.
The reality is the phrase "hustle and bustle" isn't just a saying, it is the way of the land in most households. We scramble to prepare for the holiday. Whether you are the most organized person in the history of mankind or the least organized person (like me), chances are you have an idea of what Christmas will look like for you and your household. You will be prepared when the 25th comes around.
Or will you?
We spend so much time and energy getting ready for Christmas, but how much time do we spend getting ready for Christ?
Every morning for the last four days, my daughter, Sofie, has awoke and shouted, "It's Christmas Eve!" only to be disappointed with the daily, "Not yet," from Mommy or Daddy. She is excited. But do you know what she's excited for the most? Jesus' birthday.
Don't get me wrong, I love the joy of the season. I treasure the days with family, the thrill and excitement of present giving, the classic movies and, dare I say, mistletoe moments...I am right there with the rest of the world. But this year, as I prepare for the holiday I love, I am making sure that first I prepare my heart.
Like Sofie, I am ready for the celebration of a birth...a birth that saves me every single day of my life from myself.
What do you want for Christmas this year? What if I said that you could have the gift of comfort when you feel sad, the gift of strength when you are weak? Of love when you are lonely, or support when you are scared? A light in the dark and peace for your stress. Life when you are dead.
You would say, "I'll take it!" And I would say, "Accept it, it is already yours for the taking."
Have you prepared your heart for that?
Make room in your life, this Christmas, for the gift the birth of Jesus gave you. Talk to the Giver, receive the gift for the first time or again and again, be thankful, be faithful, be grateful...and prepare your heart for the birthday celebration of the baby that gives you life when you are dead. Make room in your inn, and not the stable. Prepare your heart.
"Are you ready for Christmas, yet?" I hear the question everywhere I go.
Yesterday was decorating day at our house. The tree is up, has water, and it isn't falling. The lights twinkle and the ornaments are all hung and out of the reach of little hands. The angel is on top. Scout the Elf has been on the move in the house for a week and the kids' Christmas lists have been made. The Christmas dinner menu has been chosen, and shopping trips have been planned. Cards have been ordered.
With Manheim Steamroller blasting from the CD player, today is cookie baking day. This is no small task with four kids under the age of 9, (it's a magic trick how quickly dough disappears without me noticing) but the cookies are out of the oven and not burnt to a crisp. I am exhausted, but all seems to be falling into place.
The reality is the phrase "hustle and bustle" isn't just a saying, it is the way of the land in most households. We scramble to prepare for the holiday. Whether you are the most organized person in the history of mankind or the least organized person (like me), chances are you have an idea of what Christmas will look like for you and your household. You will be prepared when the 25th comes around.
Or will you?
We spend so much time and energy getting ready for Christmas, but how much time do we spend getting ready for Christ?
Every morning for the last four days, my daughter, Sofie, has awoke and shouted, "It's Christmas Eve!" only to be disappointed with the daily, "Not yet," from Mommy or Daddy. She is excited. But do you know what she's excited for the most? Jesus' birthday.
Don't get me wrong, I love the joy of the season. I treasure the days with family, the thrill and excitement of present giving, the classic movies and, dare I say, mistletoe moments...I am right there with the rest of the world. But this year, as I prepare for the holiday I love, I am making sure that first I prepare my heart.
Like Sofie, I am ready for the celebration of a birth...a birth that saves me every single day of my life from myself.
What do you want for Christmas this year? What if I said that you could have the gift of comfort when you feel sad, the gift of strength when you are weak? Of love when you are lonely, or support when you are scared? A light in the dark and peace for your stress. Life when you are dead.
You would say, "I'll take it!" And I would say, "Accept it, it is already yours for the taking."
Have you prepared your heart for that?
Make room in your life, this Christmas, for the gift the birth of Jesus gave you. Talk to the Giver, receive the gift for the first time or again and again, be thankful, be faithful, be grateful...and prepare your heart for the birthday celebration of the baby that gives you life when you are dead. Make room in your inn, and not the stable. Prepare your heart.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Whistle a Happy Tune
"Let
the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach
and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts."
-Colossians 3:16
This doesn't happen to everyone, but once in awhile life circumstances hit us full-on, and when Thanksgiving comes around it is hard to find something to be thankful for. It is true that we can chime in with what we KNOW we should be thankful for...maybe the kids, maybe your family, maybe a helpful friend, or your health....we've been trained well to do this.
But really, deep down inside, we find ourselves struggling to be thankful.
This is where I find myself this year.
Ever feel that way?
With social media today, it is so easy to look at everyone else's lives as the picture-perfect, picket fence dream we see them posting on a daily basis. They've proudly put their happy moments on display-buying new houses, getting promotions, beautiful children in perfect poses...I do it too.
I also look at everyone's happiness around me and feel jealous, like a little kid, of what they have. I think that if I had what they had, instead of the circumstance I am in, I would be happy.
In an all-time favorite movie of mine, "The Count of Monte Cristo", one of the characters is remembering with a wealthy nobleman a time when he was little and he was given a pony while his poor friend was given a whistle. She remembers with him how he was angry because the poor boy was happier with his whistle than he was with his pony. I often think to myself, "That's what I want!" I want to be happy with a whistle!
But I look around at bills we can't pay, mouths we're having trouble feeding, broken friendships, losses I've experienced over the years, and all the anger and fear inside me, and instead of being happy, I'm struggling to be thankful for anything-even the ponies I've clearly been blessed with.
But there is a place to find peace and contentment.
We've all been given the greatest gift, and if accepted, there is happiness beyond our expectations. Through all the turmoil and disappointment in life, whatever you are going through, whatever you are anxious or angry about, whatever you fear, there is a promise to be thankful for...a promise of everlasting life, unconditional love, and an undeniable happiness to be found.
A gift worth shouts of thanksgiving.
A whistle named Jesus.
This gift of hope comes with warmth, and fills your emptiness with all that you could ever need, blessings in abundance, and a thankful heart. A gift that gives contentment no matter what.
-Colossians 3:16
This doesn't happen to everyone, but once in awhile life circumstances hit us full-on, and when Thanksgiving comes around it is hard to find something to be thankful for. It is true that we can chime in with what we KNOW we should be thankful for...maybe the kids, maybe your family, maybe a helpful friend, or your health....we've been trained well to do this.
But really, deep down inside, we find ourselves struggling to be thankful.
This is where I find myself this year.
Ever feel that way?
With social media today, it is so easy to look at everyone else's lives as the picture-perfect, picket fence dream we see them posting on a daily basis. They've proudly put their happy moments on display-buying new houses, getting promotions, beautiful children in perfect poses...I do it too.
I also look at everyone's happiness around me and feel jealous, like a little kid, of what they have. I think that if I had what they had, instead of the circumstance I am in, I would be happy.
In an all-time favorite movie of mine, "The Count of Monte Cristo", one of the characters is remembering with a wealthy nobleman a time when he was little and he was given a pony while his poor friend was given a whistle. She remembers with him how he was angry because the poor boy was happier with his whistle than he was with his pony. I often think to myself, "That's what I want!" I want to be happy with a whistle!
But I look around at bills we can't pay, mouths we're having trouble feeding, broken friendships, losses I've experienced over the years, and all the anger and fear inside me, and instead of being happy, I'm struggling to be thankful for anything-even the ponies I've clearly been blessed with.
But there is a place to find peace and contentment.
We've all been given the greatest gift, and if accepted, there is happiness beyond our expectations. Through all the turmoil and disappointment in life, whatever you are going through, whatever you are anxious or angry about, whatever you fear, there is a promise to be thankful for...a promise of everlasting life, unconditional love, and an undeniable happiness to be found.
A gift worth shouts of thanksgiving.
A whistle named Jesus.
This gift of hope comes with warmth, and fills your emptiness with all that you could ever need, blessings in abundance, and a thankful heart. A gift that gives contentment no matter what.
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