December 16 2014

December 16 2014 Greetings My Friend I look out the window and see a couple of birds eating the suet we have hanging. In my lap are three of the smallest dogs and Junior is napping. In the quiet I realize that Christmas will be in 9 days so I think about Christmas some more. My Advent lesson comes to mind again, “Am I enough” I hear God whisper in my heart. I respond with “Yes, Lord You are.” My response has taken me years to get to this point before Christmas Day. I have gotten to this point more often than not after the holidays were over with and day in and day out life started up again. This year I am good that no family will be here or we won’t be with family. It is what it is. We watched “A Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart Sunday evening which always helps me keep life in a perspective with God at the center of it. Seeing Jimmy go through the scenes as if he never lived helps me to see that my own life hasn’t gone the way I dreamed it would but my life has made a difference. Today I am able to be grateful for learning to travel down another less traveled road. I am grateful for the hard lessons life has taught me because they’ve made me the person I am today. Most people saw me as weak and ineffective in my other life. Today many see me as a woman that is a survivor and it feels good. I find times where I am able to reach back and help someone who is going through the struggles I have gone through and I offer them the hope that I have, Jesus. I tell them the road has been long and hard at times but with Jesus I have found peace at doing the work that needs to be done. My past helps me reach others who are in the midst of what I was in. My present allows me to love Junior in a deep Godly way. The Bible teaches me of God’s love and as I read about His love I find myself “seeing” the gifts of love God gives. Included in this wonderful love I see a tiny baby born to a teenage mother, poor parents growing up and learning to be a carpenter. I see a grown Jesus teaching us about Father God’s love for each of us even the lowest among us. I can’t stop at that though I see the horror of Jesus’ death on the cross, before He got to the cross with all the abuse that was hurled on Him. In that I see how ugly sin is to God, how much God loves us that whoever believes in His Son shall have everlasting life.” The resurrection is the hope I have so the horror is awful but Jesus loved us enough to pay for our sins. I’d like to encourage each one of you this Christmas season to look at the gift of Jesus from His birth to His death and most importantly His resurrection. I pray if you haven’t accepted His gift that you do and not worry if you don’t feel worthy because we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus reached out to the lowest and gave them hope so everyone and I mean everyone is wanted in God’s kingdom. You must accept the gift though and allow God to work His wonders in your own life. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet