My kids have the next couple of weeks off and I’m blessed to have a job that allows me to be off right along with them. I’m going to take the time to soak up a lot of family time and rest and re-charge. I hope to meet you back here right after the first of the year. I pray that you and your people seek and find the true meaning of Christmas and have a very merry one. I hope that you have a fabulous new year too. See you next year!
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Next Sunday afternoon at our church, we will have our 2nd Annual Family Christmas Pageant. All of our members and anyone else who wants to come is invited to participate. We have a designated Mary and Joseph, two teenagers and we have some wise men, a few adults. Everything else is up for grabs.
We will have readers read through the Bible story of the birth of Christ and as people hear their parts, they join Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus at the manger. We will sing “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, accompanied by guitar music.”
There are very few costumes or props. Last year, our wise men and shepherds were in bathrobes. We had an adult show up in a cow costume. We had a couple of angels who were eating cookies. It was a menagerie of mismatched, imperfect people, coming together to pay tribute to the birth of Christ and I’ve no doubt that the residents of Heaven smiled on us.
It was simple. It wasn’t practiced or polished. We all came as we were, and approached the manger with what we had, no spectacular solos, or beautifully written soliloquies, just humble believers attempting to retell and relive part of the greatest story ever told.
Last year’s experience touched my heart in such an unexpected way. I’ve helped direct and write my share of Christmas pageants with great costumes and characters, but there’s something so genuine and raw that comes from approaching the manger just as we are.
Isn’t that what the meaning of Christmas is? Jesus left Heaven and all of glory and became one of us, a simple, frail human, so that we can approach God, just as we are. We don’t have to have the best clothes. We don’t have to have a great singing voice. We don’t have to have eloquent words.
Because of that baby in the manger, we are able and encouraged to come as we are, young and old, broken and ragtag, sick and well, happy or covered in sadness. We are called to come and witness and participate in the birth of love’s true light.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the Pinterest worthy perfection of this season. We tend to have a drive within us to seek out perfection, but we won’t get it this side of eternity. What our souls really seek is the perfect love that comes from Christ.
Taking some time this season, to remember that God’s own son wasn’t born in a castle and wrapped in fine linens, but was born in a stable and placed in a feed trough, should be enough to make us take pause and reflect that perfection is not what God seeks from us.
What He seeks from us, is our hearts and our true worship and He calls us, just as He did those shepherds so long ago, just as we are.
A simple Christmas Pageant reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Yesterday, I made a quick trip into Athens, to purchase a couple of Christmas gifts for two ladies who I have come to hold dear. I had been thinking about what I wanted to get them and then I had been given an unexpected gift card. I took it as a sign and I went on my little shopping trip.
As much as I dreaded the holiday traffic, it was unbelievably light and I was thankful for some time to pray. My morning had been hectic. I had to help my son get a cooking project together for his Spanish class. I didn’t have any time to read my daily devotion. I ran out the door and was a few minutes late for work.
My day turned out to be as busy as my morning was with zero downtime. As I drove along in the light traffic and the beautiful sunshine, I found myself praying. I also found myself asking God to show Himself.
When I arrived at the store, the items I bought cost almost exactly what my gift card was and there it was. God had given me an unexpected blessing and was allowing me to use it to bless others. I was basking in that revelation as I wound through the parking lot to head back home.
I patiently waited as one pedestrian after another, needed to cross in front of me. Every single one of them smiled at me and gave me a little wave for stopping for them. I felt a deep sense of peace.
As I continued through the parking lot, listening to Christmas music, I ended up in a fairly long line of cars, waiting to get back on the road. I was in no rush and I was enjoying the alone time.
Then I heard a blaring horn. Apparently, I hadn’t pulled up as far as I possibly could to the car in front of me and had partially blocked the entrance to a bank. I pulled up and the man who blew his horn, whipped in and gave me and incredibly angry look.
And then I remembered a conversation I had with our associate pastor one Sunday. I had a headache that day and I asked her to pray for me. She did. She put her hands on my aching head and said a beautiful healing prayer. She also told me she could feel my tension and her next words really stuck with me.
“Your peace cannot be taken from you because it’s given to you by the Holy Spirit. You only lose it when you willingly give it.”
How often do we allow the actions of other people to drive us crazy, make us angry, or bring us stress? A simple drive across town can make us see red if we allow it to. Then there are long days at work, hectic mornings, disagreements with our spouses or kids, financial issues, or health issues. All of those can be peace stealers, but they don’t have to be.
We have a choice. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts. Maybe we should guard our peace too, keeping in mind that we have an enemy who delights in taking it.
Remembering that it’s ours to give our to keep, well that changes everything. An angry man in traffic reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Working in the office at an elementary school, I interact with lots of parents and grandparents, and visitors in general. This time of year, I have observed one regular question.
The question my co-workers and I often get is, “Are you ready for Christmas?”
It’s a common, polite question, and for most people, it means on a physical level. Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Have you wrapped your gifts? Have you decided what you are serving for Christmas dinner? Have you shopped for that meal? Is your Christmas tree up and decorated? Is your house clean and ready for guests? The list of proper Christmas preparedness, goes on and on.
But, Christians are called to remember that we are spiritual beings as well as physical and we are also called to attend to the spiritual.
Perhaps the more important question is are we spiritually ready for Christmas? Are we prepared for light to enter into our darkness? Are we prepared for the, “Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace,” to meet us wherever we are on our journey, and to take us by the hand and lead us to something bigger and better than we can possibly imagine on our own?
Are our hearts ready for the peace and joy that come from knowing the truth about that baby in the manger? How can the answer ever be “no,” or “not yet,” or “almost?” How can the answer not always be a resounding “yes!”?
I totally get the physical stuff that goes along with celebrating Christmas. I have gifts to buy and wrap just like everyone else. But, this year, the regular question about being ready for Christmas has given me a new outlook. I have decided that I’m always ready for Christmas because this year, I have decided to focus on the heart part of Christmas, instead of the physical.
I have to admit, it’s been a very peaceful phenomenon for me. Perhaps you would like to try it. May we always be ready to celebrate the entrance of Christ into our midst.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
As I sat down at my keyboard, the day’s exhaustion set in. It hadn’t been a bad day or a particularly stressful one, but it had been busy and I was tired. Do you ever have days like that? Do you have days where nothing fabulous happened, but nothing tragic happened either and you’re grateful, but tired?
Do you ever have those days when you really want to go to bed at 7:00, but you know if you do, you will be up at like 4:00? Yesterday was one of those for me.
I sat at my keyboard and stared at the cursor and pondered what to write. What inspirational story could I share about a personal brush with God?
My dog walked in and put his head in my lap. There was something. Anyone who has ever loved a pet, can testify that they are a daily gift from God. The pleasure that comes from loving a pet can only come from our loving Creator.
I thought about the mamas and daddies at my school, who checked in all day long, wearing Santa hats and volunteering their time to help little ones have a wrapped gift to give to their parents for Christmas. Yep, that was another brush with God.
I thought about the grandmother who brought in a tray full of baked treats into the office, to thank all of us who interact daily with her grandchildren. A grandmother expressing thanks to those who care for her grandchildren was definitely a brush with God.
I thought about our school nurse and our counselor, buzzing around trying to get all of the Secret Santa gifts checked in and placed in the proper spot, so they can be delivered to children who may not otherwise get anything for Christmas, and I knew I had a brush with God.
I thought bout my hubby who happily delivered me and picked me up from work, because my car is in the shop. A happy marriage is a major brush with God.
I thought about my mama and her dozens of texts with me and my sister, attempting to plan the perfect Christmas. A loving family, is without a doubt, a brush with God.
I thought about our family dinner and our discussion about the day’s events and the two children that God has blessed me with and I felt another brush with God.
I realized as I continued to type, that I am never too weary to find God. All it takes is a little quiet time, an open heart and prayer. He has a way of popping up everywhere in the most ordinary places and when I find Him, I’m never too weary to share either. But, then again, He often has that effect on me. I just want to pass it on.
A long, tiring day reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Last week, our Advent focus was supposed to be on peace. I thought about it. I prayed about it. I even wrote about it and then God gave me the opportunity to live it.
My car has had some sort of break issue going on, and last week, we got it into the shop. It turned out to be a fairly big issue that was covered under the extended warranty. We took it in very early on Wednesday morning, expecting to get it back that afternoon. Well, a one day repair, turned into three.
The entire week, I stayed calm and not really even frustrated. I chose to see it as a minor inconvenience. My hubby dropped me off at work and picked me up. My daughter drove herself and her brother to school, no biggie. I reasoned that there are many families who only have one car and I counted my blessings.
On Friday, we finally got my car back. My hubby was driving and was so impressed about how the brakes finally felt right, not spongy. (I hadn’t known there was a problem to begin with.) Our family ate dinner out Friday night and ran several errands.
On Saturday, my hubby and I went to Home Depot, and then did some Christmas shopping, and then went to Sam’s for a big grocery run. There was traffic everywhere. The roads were packed. On our way back home, with no notice, the brakes began acting weird; there was a burning smell; a warning light came on, on the dashboard as we turned out of the traffic and onto a much quieter street. Just as we coasted safely into a right turn lane, the brakes locked up completely.
My hubby and I looked at each other wide-eyed. The brake pedal was completely stiff. We had no brakes. I grabbed the manual to search for the meaning of the dashboard warning lights.
I found the message that accompanied the bright yellow triangle- shaped light and gulped. It read: “Warning- you CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don’t follow instructions.”
We collected our thoughts for a moment and called a tow truck to tow our car back to the mechanic. We then called our teenager, who came and loaded up a car full of groceries into her little bitty Civic.
Never once did I lose my peace. We were safe. Our groceries and Christmas gifts were safe.
As I thought about it later that day, I was also filled with a sense of gratitude and awe. Those brakes locked up at the perfect time and there’s no way that was a coincidence. Had it been 10 minutes earlier, we would have been in crazy traffic. We could have been seriously hurt or worse. Had it been the night before, we were also in bad traffic, but it was 27 degrees and my daughter was in the car with us so she couldn’t have rescued us or our groceries, from the side of the road.
It occurres to me that the peace that comes from knowing Jesus is tied very closely with trusting God and watching for Him, because He shows Himself all of the time. I’ve no doubt that He held us tightly in His hand on Saturday and delivered us safely back to our home. The peace that comes from that knowledge is priceless.
Whatever it is that we struggle with, God has under control. He’s always working and usually, if we look closely, we can see Him.
Some car trouble this weekend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
During our sermon last Sunday, our pastor pointed out that Christmas is a time when our joys seem much brighter than usual. He also pointed out that our sorrows are much deeper. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that statement.
Many people feel much happier at Christmas than any other season. Sometimes it’s the lights or the hustle and bustle. Sometimes it’s knowing that family will be coming together once again. People just smile more during the Christmas season.
The other side of course, is that people who are mourning a loss, feel it much more deeply during the Christmas season than any other time. We become deeply aware of what we don’t have. We become deeply aware of what’s missing
I thought about my pastor’s statement long after the sermon was over. Maybe the reason that we feel everything so deeply during the Christmas season is that it taps into our spiritual side. We know that we are spiritual and physical beings, but we tend to give much less thought or attention to our spiritual selves than we do our physical selves.
We think about the spiritual when we are sitting in church and possibly when we pray, but other than that, for most of us, it gets very little thought.
But, Christmas is huge in the spiritual realm. It’s the single moment in time when Heaven touched earth and God became one of us. Angels sang. Prophecies were fulfilled. Darkness began to unravel. How could spiritual beings not feel the spiritual?
And as bright as the story is, darkness will not go down without a fight. We have the luxury of knowing how the story ends; Jesus is the light and the light wins. But, the darkness will try to claim what it can.
So, perhaps during this time of year, when the barrier between the physical and the spiritual feels so much thinner, we need to give more attention to our spiritual side. We need to remember that what our weary souls long for the most is the peace and joy that can only come from Jesus.
Nothing else we seek will satisfy that need. Nothing else we try to create will truly end the oppressive darkness.
If we find ourselves particularly joyous this year, then we should give prayers of thanks. If we find ourselves in despair this year, we need to truly open our hearts and souls to the truth of the baby in the manger. Joy does not come from perfect Pinterest pictures, or Facebook posts, or even from the perfect family.
Perfection does not exist on this side of Heaven, no matter what anyone tries to sell us. Joy comes from Jesus and when we truly accept that on a spiritual level, darkness doesn’t stand a chance.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
The fabulous technology that allows me to post daily encouragement and reflections is also reliant on my internet connection which for some reason, refused to work on my laptop last night. Since I’m way over the age of 20, I simply can’t type an entire post on my phone. So, I hope to be up and running again tomorrow and I hope that you take some quiet time today and soak up some of the joy of Advent.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy:)
We are in the second week of Advent and our focus as the “Church,” is supposed to be on peace. The concept seems almost laughable at the moment, with protests and division all around us. I’ve read more than one account of families actually cancelling their Thanksgiving dinners because the rift and division caused by the election was just unbearable.
Now that Christmas is so close, I’ve read that there will be families that follow suit with their Christmas plans too. How did we get here? How did we get to a place where the outcome of a single presidential election becomes more of a focus than all we are thankful for or in this case, the celebration of the birth of Christ?
While the entire idea of families cancelling Christmas, parents not seeing their children, grandparents not seeing their grandchildren, families intentionally choosing to embrace bitterness and division just baffles me, I don’t know why I’m surprised.
Jesus said “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10
That sounds kind of like what’s going on with families being torn apart. Destruction is not Jesus’ mantra, but it is Satan’s.
Isaiah 9:6 is probably one of the most quoted verses during Advent. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Counselor, Prince of Peace.”
And there it is. During Advent, Christians are reminded that we are supposed to be preparing our hearts for the arrival of the Prince of Peace. There will still be strife and division. We live in a broken world and on this side of Heaven, there will always be tears and mourning at one time or another.
But, the Prince of Peace offers us a different kind of peace, the peace that settles deep in our hearts and souls and simply cannot be shaken by anything of this world, not sickness, not loss, not even death, and certainly not from the outcome of an election.
Christmas is a time when we are called to lean in very close to that baby in the manger and reflect in awe on His birth and what it means to all of us. We are to reflect on the skies full of angels praising His name. We are called to remember that because of that baby a time will come when, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
This year we need Christmas more than ever. We need the young virgin and her story, and the shepherds and theirs, and the three wise men, and all of the angels involved.
But, perhaps most of all, we need to remember that even though man made no room for God, He came anyway. He will always find a way. Perhaps you needed reminding today.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
As my hubby and I were walking into Walmart last weekend, there was a bell ringer there for the Salvation Army. I have a ton of respect for those guys, standing out in the cold or the rain or sometimes both. They stand there ringing a bell, for hours on end, for a cause much greater than themselves.
But, this guy, well, he was a picture of pure joy. He was wearing a red Santa hat and he had Christmas music playing. He sang along and danced and wished everyone who walked past him, coming or going, a hearty, “Merry Christmas!” He was all smiles too, seriously joyous.
When I walked past him initially, I promised myself I would dig in my purse and find something to drop in his kettle on the way out, but as I thought about it, I stopped right inside the door and felt lead to give right then. I looked until I found something to give. (Isn’t it interesting when we truly search for something to give to others, that we always find something?)
I walked back outside and had a difficult time placing my dollar in his kettle because it was crammed so full. I was not at all surprised. His enthusiasm was contagious and God was clearly blessing him for it.
I thought about that man for the rest of the day and a Bible verse kept springing to my mind. The associate pastor at our church shared it at a recent meeting I attended. She was talking about the different jobs at a church and doing things we are passionate about. She said there was one verse that she tried to apply to her life daily.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
She said that simply means to do everything that you do like you are doing it for Jesus personally, with excellence. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re answering phones, creating spreadsheets, changing diapers, driving a bus or anything in between. We are called to do our daily tasks to our best ability, like we are serving Jesus, openly joyous and enthusiastic, with thanksgiving.
I wonder what the world would look like if all Christians embraced the idea that we are sometimes the only Jesus that those around us get, our co-workers, our neighbors, the cashier at the store, are all part of the mission field where we have been sent. How well are we doing on that mission? Do those who we cross paths with feel a little closer to Jesus after spending time with us? Does our joy and enthusiasm encourage them to maybe give faith a chance?
A Salvation Army bell ringer at Walmart, reminded me of the beauty of doing all that we do with excellence. He also reminded me of that blessings that come from doing so. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂