May Jesus be your Father, your God, your Counselor, and your Peace this Christmas. He is the greatest gift.
Priceless
Purpose
He Knows the Plans
Psalm 126:3 NLT “Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!”
One week before Christmas and I’m dealing with a nasty cold/virus, canceled plans, and feelings of disappointment. My husband and I won’t have our adult kids home this year, so these vacation plans were something festive and exciting we hoped would ease the missing of them this year.
I was up extra early this morning in an attempt to ease the coughing and sneezing. I cozied down in my favorite chair wrapped in a blanket, with hot coffee, and the Christmas lights glowing in the living room. I wanted to feel sad, disappointed, frustrated, and I did, but…the silence, the misty fog outside, and the warm, glowing lights covered me in such a comforting feeling of peace and safety. I felt tucked in and looked after. Divine presence…
As I settled in, my mind wandered to Christmases past, funny and happy memories, and then it circled back to the now. It’s true that my plans and expectations for this season aren’t following the script, but joy doesn’t always come in carefully planned, to-do list ways. In the lovely quiet, I felt His gentle reminder of all the ways good things did happen. In the unexpected blessings and joys that did find me, in the divine encounters and the divine whispers that left me in awe of how deeply seen, known, and loved I am by the greatest gift ever given – Jesus. Emmanuel, God with us – the One who never disappoints, never falls short, lavishes us with blessings, joy, peace, and handmade gifts uniquely crafted for me and for you. Apple of His eye.
So yes, I am confident I will find joy this Christmas season. I will actively search for it in the ordinary, the mundane, the silence of a quiet house, the glow of holiday lights, and the adventure of canceled plans, because He knows the plans He has for me. That is comforting.
I pray that you will find the joy, the adventures, and the beauty in this season of mystery and divine appointments as you look to Him because He is enough.
Photo credit: Sid Cosmo
Blessing
A blessing spoken over you today:
May the kindness, compassion, and deep love of Jesus cover you, keep you, shield you, and encourage you as He meets all of your needs, and speaks life and acceptance into your spirit.
Photo credit: Emma Giomi
Greatest Gift
“Only when you first unwrap the gifts of blessings to you can you be wrapped up as a gift of blessings to others. Only when you are overwhelmed with the goodness of God can you overflow with the goodness of God to others.” – Ann Voskamp “The Greatest Gift”
May we be overwhelmed this Christmas season with the goodness of God. The greatest gift ever given to us is His presence. May the overflow of His gift of Himself and His goodness leak out of our hearts, our eyes, our mouths, our voices, and our hands spilling onto everyone we encounter. Blessings upon blessings, gift upon gift – ripples of peace, love, and kindness spinning and circling wider and wider. His coming, Advent, happening everywhere.
Photo by Tofros.com
Let go
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
He sees. He knows. The fear that sneaks into your thoughts and intrudes into your daily routine. He is right there waiting for you to grab onto His outstretched hands that have your name engraved in the palms. He is God Almighty, Warrior, Defender, Prince of Peace, Lover of your soul, and Lord of Lords. He’s got you and is telling you not to be afraid. He will help you. Let Him. Release the tight grip you have on whatever that fear, worry, or wound is and let Him take it. Let Him heal you. He is faithful. He is good. He loves you. Peace be with you.
Thankful
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT
I pray you have a beautiful day today. I pray that you find joy and contentment in little things; that your eyes and ears are open to the hidden delights and glimpses of His presence that He’s scattered about your path today. You may have to pause, breathe, and take a moment to look around, but those glimmers and treasures are there waiting for you. He loves you. You are precious. Peace be with you.
Blessings
I’ve been thinking about blessings lately and the different forms it can take. This excerpt from Divine Appointments… talks about blessings and the different ways it might show up in our lives.
“Some blessings come after the hurt and wounds. The Divine often shows up in miraculous ways, turning devastation into glory, failure into victory, wounding into strength, and the impossible into something to be remembered in awe and reverence because there seemed to be no good ending, yet there was.
To live blessed, we need to be alert and seek it out. It won’t always show up immediately. Blessings may not be dressed up in blissful happiness and a cute outfit. Blessings may come dirty, scuffed up, straggling, and a bit off-kilter, but they will come. I have seen them come in both forms—equally holy, sacred, and consecrated. Blessed.
I want to live with an extravagant hope expecting blessing. I want to bloom where I am planted and thrive, no matter what it looks like. Holy, divine, sacred, and blissful happiness is all around, waiting with open arms for us to slow down and seek it. What is sought will be found.”
Wait
Psalm 62:1 NLT “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.”
I don’t know what’s weighing heavily on you tonight. But I do know what it’s like to wait on the Lord for answers, for victory, for healing. I know the weight of fear, uncertainty, and soul deep exhaustion.
And…
I know that He is the God of healing, hope, and victory. God of the impossible!
I want to remind you tonight that you are seen. He knows every detail of what happened, what is happening, what is coming, and He is right there in the midst of all of it, working things out for your good. So calm your mind and breathe. Rest your eyes on Him, talk to Him, and wait quietly for Him to redeem, heal, save, and overcome. He has healing in His wings and a plan to prosper you, not to harm you. Be still….
You are loved. Peace be with you.
Sheep
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 NIV
There are many competing voices clamoring for our attention. Trying to listen to them all is exhausting, confusing, and frustrating. It is easy to be caught up in trying to decipher truth, people-pleasing, and following the “correct” church or political leaders.
There are worldly voices that shout and demand but there are also Christian voices that confuse, lead astray, and exhaust the spirit, insisting you must “Do this!” “Do that!” “Pray this way!” “Follow this Bible reading formula!”
If we really listen to what Jesus is saying in this scripture, it isn’t condemning. His words aren’t angry, accusatory, or dividing. There isn’t a rote way of how things must be done and how we must act. He doesn’t endorse one Christian leader over another or one political party over another. He simply says to listen to HIS voice and follow HIM. Imitate Him.
In order to do this, we have to KNOW His voice. His. Not the loudest voice, the condemning voice, the voice that divides, the voice that appears to be strongest, or the voice that wounds others.
An easy way to know His voice is to ask Him to speak to you. Ask Him to drown out every other voice that seeks to confuse, disorient, and cause chaos. That isn’t His way. If a voice doesn’t align with God’s character and fruits of the Spirit, it likely isn’t His voice we are hearing.
This verse was comforting to me this morning. Jesus is giving us permission to simply be sheep that follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. The One who leads with kindness, compassion, and authority into green pastures, and along paths of righteousness where we rest and heal in His presence and invite others in to do the same. You are so loved. Peace be with you.
The Divine Series
I’m excited to showcase my books on The Divine Series page. Follow the link to my Author page
Extravagant Hope 