I have been reading the account of the Birth of Christ all this week and meditating on this most precious gift that was given to me. It was a gift of love that, although I try to understand, I still cannot. I want it to get deep into my spirit, and I want my response to this love to be a willing heart. A heart that says Yes to God’s perfect plan, even though I cannot see clearly.
Mary had a willing heart. She was willing to be used by God, no matter what the cost. She said Yes!
When the Angel of the Lord approached Mary to let her know that soon she would be with child, and that this Child she would carry would be the Son of God, Mary was troubled in her spirit.
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I cannot remember the day my oldest daughter Megan stopped wanting me to carry her. What I do remember is being a bit stunned when I went to wake her up one morning…
I rubbed her back gently and readied myself to lift her from her bed, but she hopped up and stumbled sleepily into the living room by herself. A small declaration of independence, yet one that left this momma’s heart reeling.
So when my nine-year-old lifted her arms for me to carry her one morning last week, I quickly scooped her up with joy. Her long, lanky legs bumped gently against my own as we made our way down the hall.
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Written by Guest Contributor Holley Gerth.
She bows her head and thanks God for the birds outside the window. I think of little bluebirds formed from play-dough years ago.
She offers gratitude for the unusually warm weather, the wind in the trees. I think of a hundred barefoot days, green grass, picnics and play.
She whispers appreciation for beds to hold all of us, the blessing of being under one roof. I think of bedtime stories, covers tucked around me, kisses on my forehead.
She gives thanks for the little things.
She always has.
And as she does, I give thanks for her.
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Do you love a clean house, but hate to clean? That is what I always believed… I loved it when my house was spotless, but I hated the process of getting it there.
I tried using the joke . . . I clean house every other day, and today is the other day! I procrastinated, used excuses, anything to avoid actually putting on my rubber gloves and getting to work.
Early this summer, my dh and I started working on cleaning projects together and setting aside specific days to get the job done. Guess what I discovered? I don’t hate cleaning; I hate getting dirty!
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Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV
“Oh my! You shouldn’t have!” No really, you shouldn’t have. That silver plated moose walnut cracker from your Uncle Morris or perhaps it was the reindeer sweater with jingle bells on the antlers from your mother-in-law. All of us have been the recipient of a gift that was, shall we say, less than desirable. You’re nodding your head right now thinking of one particular gift.
And what did you do with said undesirable gift? Have you ever re-gifted? According to Wikipedia, re-gifting is the act of taking a gift that has been received and giving it to someone else, sometimes in the guise of a new gift.
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Yesterday, I did the unthinkable. Well, at least for me, the mom who likes everything organized and tidy. While cleaning my laundry storage shelves, I grabbed the bag of mismatched puzzles, put together the puzzles with all the pieces, and then THREW AWAY THE LEFT-OVER PUZZLE PIECES. I had been holding onto these pieces for years…hoping that the missing piece would show up…afraid that if I threw away the puzzle then I would find the piece. So there they sat – lone pieces, taking up space.
Throwing away those pieces was freeing. As soon as I began, I wondered why it took me so long to let them go.
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And so it begins. This season of busyness.
There are many days when I feel overwhelmed. As a wife, mom, full-time worker, minister and friend, there are many things competing for my time and attention. And especially during the holidays, my life tends to get more hectic and overwhelming. In a season when I am called to give thanks, to reflect on the beauty of the Lord and be reminded of the most precious gift that has been given to me, I am distracted. As if I weren’t busy enough. Now there is decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking, parties and the list goes on.
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