Christmas = Christ's Love

I Love Christmas... the smells, the traditions, the food, the time we have to spend with family and friends, and, yes, even the cheesy Hallmark movies. I love it all!!!

During the Christmas season we find ourselves being inundated with everything the world tells us Christmas should be...We should be spending as much money as possible, to buy the biggest and best gifts for one another. We should be stressed out running from store to store. Competition is in the air, who got the most expensive, or most cherished gift. Is this your idea of Christmas?

What I am going to suggest is a different kind of Christmas. One that is filled with LOVE, and PEACE. Mine is a Christmas centered around CHRIST.

Giving and getting gifts is not a bad thing. What I am saying is that above all the world tells us Christmas is...is what it really is. It's a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior! Think about how he came into the world. How he lived the perfect life. How he treated and loved others. Shouldn't we try to be more like HIM? He gave of Himself in the greatest why possible, He gave his life for us! For you, for me, for your neighbor, your brother, your enemy! Why is it so hard for us to give just a little? This Christmas I encourage you to give of your time, spend extra time with family and friends. Take time to help a stranger or person in need, and give someone a chance to see Jesus in you!

BUT don't STOP there...continue throughout the year...imagine all the people you can effect. Spread JESUS. LOVE people. Help them see JESUS and the true meaning of Christmas. I promise it's contagious ;)

Enjoy this video...the inspiration for this blog!

Thanksgiving

The Act of Giving Thanks

I know I'm a day late in this blog, Thanksgiving was yesterday, but to me thanksgiving is something that we need to practice on a daily basis. It's not just a day when we stuff our face with turkey and pumpkin pie. The act of giving thanks is a verb, an action. We need to tell people and more importantly God what we are thankful for. My husband and I started a new routine a year or so ago. Everyday we tell each other three things we are thankful for that day. But, I don't think we should stop there, we need to express to God our thanksgivings.

" Let us come before God with Thanksgiving..." Psalm 95:2

" Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise..." Psalm 100:4

" Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding , will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

" I thank my God every time I remember you..." Philippians 1:3

Thank you God for:
Loving me even when I choose not to love myself. Thank you for creating me just the way I am. Forgive me when I do not love myself, your creation, the way I should. Thank you for blessing me with a husband who loves me more than I sometimes deserve. Who above all desires to be in right standing with you! Thank you for a family that has encouraged me and raised me in a God fearing home. Thank you for working in my life and molding more and more everyday to become more like you!

What are you thankful for? I encourage you to go out and tell someone today why you are thankful for them...

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe..."
Hebrews 12: 28

Two Boxes

The Two Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes Which God gave me to hold; He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black, And all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes Both my joys and sorrows I store; But though the gold became heavier each day, The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black; I wanted to find out why-- And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God and mused aloud, "I wonder where my sorrows could be." He smiled a gentle smile at me. "My child, they're all here with Me."

I asked, "God, why give me the boxes, Why the gold, and the black with the hole?" "My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings, The black is for you to let go."

--Author unknown.

There are so many worries, and sorrows that burden us and weigh us down. How great is it to know that we have a God who delights in taking those sorrows from us.

As his child I am LOVED beyond any earthly LOVE. He LOVES me so much that he wants to take my burdens from me, so my black box will never become heavy! My soul can be at rest in Him...what a beautiful thought. God only wants us to count our blessings not our sorrows.

So many times I fail at this....daily I struggle with looking at the wonderful blessings in my life. It's so much easier for me to focus on the worries of the day.

Lord, help me to place my worries, and sorrows in my black box. Thank you for carrying my burdens and leaving only blessings for me to count. Help me to focus on the wonderful gifts that you have given me today, tomorrow, and forever!

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
~ 1 Peter 5:7

LOVE...

So...it's been quite sometime since I have blogged. The past few days I have been busy with a persistent fever and cold. It hasn't been fun, but God has blessed me with an amazing husband and family that has cared for me unconditionally. I LOVE my family SO much!!!

To my BELOVED HUSBAND,
Thank you for your LOVE. Everyday I rediscover why I am the most fortunate woman in the world. I fall more in LOVE with you every minute. This past week has been the most fulfilling, despite being sick, I have loved every second of it. We don't have to be deep in conversation, just being with you makes me ridiculously happy :)
Thank you for working so hard to make my dreams a reality. Thank you for all you sacrifice to make me comfortable and happy. Thank you for making me smile everyday, even when I'm upset. Thank you for taking care of me when I am sick. Thank you for helping me grow closer to our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! I am unspeakably proud of you.

Thank you. for your LOVE. I LOVE you. more than words.

I Surrender...

One of my favorite hymns is....

I Surrender All

---

All to Jesus, I surrender,
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love & serve Him
In His presence, daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all

All to Jesus, I surrender
Humbly at his feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus, take me now

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me

surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896

I surrender All to You Lord...ALL that I am, all that I have....
my failures
my worries
my burdens
my faults
my imperfections
my material possessions
my insecurities

There is nothing new to You. You know ALL that I am, take it please and make me new...I surrender to you my Lord, my King!

Thank you for loving me...even when I don't deserve it.
Thank you for carrying my burdens for me so that I don't have to bare them.

I LOVE you,
your daughter

My Prayer

Dear Lord,
I pray that I would be refreshed in You. Some days I feel so distant and undeserving of what you have sacrificed for me. Help me Lord to meditate and bask in the Love that you have for me. Forgive me Lord when I fail to give you the praise You deserve. Forgive me when I choose not to make the right decisions, forgive me when I don't love someone the way you call me to. Forgive me for not loving myself the way you want me to. Forgive me of all the sins that entangle me. I pray that you would work in my life, mold me into a woman whose life pleases you. Help me to be more like you...I need your strength and guidance, I need Your everything. I can't make it without you!

Lord revive me!

I want to make you smile!

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies"

~Psalms 18:2-3

extraordinary

This past weekend I was thrown out into the world of middle school and high school students. Besides feeling a little bit on the old side (I can't believe the oldest of these students was 10 years younger than me!) I felt God tugging on my heart and revealing something deeper to me.

For the past few weeks, months, and years, I've struggled with feelings of unworthiness. I felt unworthy of being loved by others and Christ, of being called talented, creative, or beautiful, I felt unworthy of someones attention, or admiration. I compared myself to every person I saw. I wanted to look more like them, or I wanted to have a talent they possessed. I admired their creativity, or their independence. I was never satisfied with myself, I wasn't happy being who I was. I was stuck in an endless cycle of desire and desperation. Desire to be something I wasn't and a desperation that drove me to an eating disorder.

Then, this weekend happened. I found myself surrounded with so many different personalities, different talents, different styles, different mannerisms. God brought to my attention how unique and special he created each one of them....but wait...I was one of them. He created me unique and special, unlike anyone else.

This is not the end of this journey, only the beginning. I would be lying if I said I never feel this way..in fact I feel this way more than not, but it is a step in the right direction. My desire now is not to be more like others, but to be who God created me to be. He created me perfectly and He loves me more than anyone can! That means he loves everything about me...wow! I am LOVED!! I am extraordinary!

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb."
Pslam 139:13

Are you secure in who God created you to be?

Do you honor God by loving his creation, you?