This year was full of challenges and trials and sadness for us. I often found myself repeating a saying my Maw Maw always said, "This too shall pass." With each bump we had to decide whether to be angry and bitter or to allow God to use it to make us more like Jesus. Of course the right and mature answer is to have a gentle and quiet spirit and respond in a Christ-like manner. I've got to admit that there was a fair amount of foot-stomping on my part this year. I shed many angry tears and felt bitterness try to take root in my heart. Did you know that bitterness doesn't taste bitter at first? It tastes good and justified and satisfying. But if you let it take root it grows and spreads and chokes out any fruit that shows you are a Christian. I wish I could tell you that I immediately responded to each trial by sweetly thanking Jesus for it and asking Him to use it for His glory. Or that I didn't recognize bitterness, but that as soon as I did, I immediately repented. But that's not true. God heard a lot of "I don't want to do this." and, "It's not fair." and, "I'm so sad!" I knew I was becoming bitter and I just didn't care. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to be bitter even while I prayed. The great thing about God is that He's big enough to take it. He listens and He comforts, but most importantly He corrects. There were a lot of responses from God like, "Really?" and, "Are you finished?" and, "Alright, young lady, that'll be just about enough." He reminded me that I was not my own; that I was bought with a price. He revealed sin and pride in me that needed to go. He reminded me that I was to follow His plan and that He had no intention of following mine. I needed to, once again, make Jesus The Lord of my life and let Him run things. I'm so thankful for God's love and His willingness to work on my stubborn and rebellious heart rather than just leave me that way. So each trial has come to pass and so has 2013. I'm not sad to see it go. I don't know if 2014 will be any easier, but I know that God is with me whatever may come. Always wanting my own way will leave me angry and disappointed, but submitting to God's authority will make me sweet and give me wisdom. Lesson learned. Again...
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Christmas Dream Cookies
Sunday, December 1, 2013
30 Days of Thankfulness
Thankfulness day 30: I participate in this every year. I know that some people are "over it," but I love it. If you follow my posts at all, you know that I have a grateful heart. Finding only thirty things to be thankful for was difficult; finding time to post them was difficult (as evidenced by yet another late post). I am thankful for so many things: my husband, my children, my home, my family, my church, enough food to eat, warmth, friends, college, hubby's job, laughter, hugs, kisses, new babies. Counting your blessings is easy; stopping at 30 is hard. The final and most important thing I'm thankful for this month is Jesus. He is the source of my joy and my hope. I've heard people say " If there' say God, how come there's so much evil in the world?" Or "how could a 'good' God allow such a thing to happen?"
God is not the cause of evil. Satan is. Satan tempted Eve, and she disobeyed God. Then Adam. God said what to do and what not to do, and they went right on and did it anyway, and people have been doing it ever since. God doesn't force us to obey Him or love Him. He wants us to do it willingly. He told us in His Word how to behave, how to love each other, how to handle our money, our relationships, our business, our friendships, how to handle conflict, what things we should never do. Because He's a pompous dictator who wants to control us? Not at all. He wants us to have the most abundant life possible. He loves us and wants us to have a peaceful and joyful life. Do bad things happen in the world? Of course. People hurt each other. Because God made them? No. Because God didn't stop them? Sort of. God has never stopped me from being mean, and He has never stopped you either. He asks me to obey him because I love Him. When I don't, there are natural consequences for my actions. There is disease. Bad people get cancer. Good people get cancer. People who love Jesus get cancer. Young people and old people. People lose their jobs. Natural disasters happen. There are places in the world where people are starving. I don't have all the answers for all of those things.
What I know is this. Sin hurts. It hurts ourselves. It hurts each other. It hurts God. It hurts Him because he loves us. He loves us so much that He allowed His own son to leave the glory of Heaven to be born to a poor, little virgin girl in a stable. He grew the same as every boy grows, and yet He never sinned. He was perfect, yet He submitted to the death of a criminal. They whipped Him until His skin was ripped from his body. They spat on Him. They ripped the beard from His face. Then they nailed Him to a cross. He was perfect! He had never done anything wrong! He had broken no law! Why would He have to die this way?! Because he died in my place. I was the criminal. I broke God's law. He died for me. I cannot think of a greater love than this. The wonderful news is that although Jesus died on a cross and was buried, He did not remain there. He rose again after three days proving that He was indeed both man and God! My heart leaps with joy at this thought!
It's December, the month we celebrate the gift of His birth. Like all gifts, it is free. Like all gifts, it does you no good unless you accept it. You see, even though Jesus died for all people, He isn't just automatically yours. You have to accept Him. There was a time when I realized that I am a sinner, and that Jesus loved me so much that He died to pay the price for my sin. All I had to do to accept that gift was pray and ask Him. So I prayed something like this, "Dear Jesus. I know I've sinned, and I'm sorry. I know that you died for that sin. Please come into my heart, be my savior, and be The Lord of my life. In Your name, Amen." And just like that I became a Christian. I didn't know how to be one, but that's OK. I began to learn what God said in the Bible about how to live my life, and as I learned, I began to change. I don't get it right all the time, but that doesn't stop me from trying to do better. I'm not what I should be yet, but I'm sure not the same as I was. You see, the moment you ask Jesus to be your Savior and really mean it, your eternity changes. Because of Jesus, you get to spend eternity with Him in Heaven rather than an eternity in Hell. But if you want your life to change, you have to obey what He says in the Bible, and if you don't, I have to wonder if you really made Jesus Lord of your life. Make sense? I still mess up. Bad things still happen. People still get sick, but for those who have accepted Jesus, this world is the only Hell we will ever know. For those who haven't, Hell is a whole lot worse.
If you have never prayed and accepted Jesus as you own savior, please do. I want you to have the best life you can have. I want you to have joy. I want you to know the hope that I know. And I sure don't want the people I love to spend even a second in Hell. If you do, please let me know! Nothing brings me more joy than knowing that my friends know Jesus too! I don't know where I'd be without Jesus. I am thankful for many things, I am most thankful for Him. "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" ~ 2 Corinthians 9:15