It’s Fall – Let Go!

Today as I look out my window on this breezy fall day, I am feeling very connected to the beauty of creation.  I live in a beautiful location.  My house is surrounded by trees and at this time of year, the leaves are all different shades of red, orange, green and yellow.  When the sunlight hits them, which does happen occasionally in Western PA, they just glow with brilliance.  The leaves on the trees are stunning.  And, then, something magical happens when the wind blows.  The leaves come soaring to the ground.  Some of them spin in little circles with the stem down and seem to just dive to the earth.  Others actually tumble end over end until they slowly float to the earth.  Some start falling one direction and then the wind picks them up and carries them a different direction and then sometimes just before they hit the ground, it lifts them once again for a little glide across the yard.  All these leaves are on different journeys, and they travel at different speeds and in different ways.  They really remind me of life and its journey.  Though all the leaves can represent that journey, I realized today that I identified with a particular one. A medium sized yellow maple leaf halfway up a tree that is smaller than its Oak neighbor.  This little leaf on this smaller tree refuses to let go.  As I’ve watched hundreds, possibly thousands of leaves make their journey from limb to lawn, this stubborn Maple leaf clings on by a thread.  The wind is whipping it in every direction, and I marvel at its strength to hold on.  It reminds me of a child’s wiggly loose tooth that refuses to give up and fall out.  This leaf is hanging on.  For what?  Eventually, we all know it will let go and join the rest of the leaves in the yard, but until it does, it is taking a royal beating in an attempt to hang on.

I am like that Maple leaf many times.  I hang on to things way longer than I should.  I honestly know that if I would just let go, I would softly, beautifully float to new and better things, but I refuse and I hang on to what I know.  I stay in the place I have been for a long time.  I refuse to let go and declare a new season.  Just as I shake my head and wonder about that leaf and its motives, I shake my head and wonder about myself. As I have spent some time this afternoon thinking, dreaming and watching the fall leaves tumble, I think I am excited for the day I do let go. The day I do drift peacefully into the next exciting season. I mean, what are my options? I certainly don’t want to be that lone brown leaf that we’ve all seen during winter hanging on to the tree being pelted by snow and sleet. No.  That is not how I am going to go into the next season, and I hope you don’t either. Let Go!

18 But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do! 19 For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home and create rivers for them in the desert! – Isaiah 43:18 & 19 The Living Bible

Pray for Mason

Mason Martin is a high school senior in our community who was seriously injured in a football accident a little over a week ago. His condition is still critical and the community is showing an outpouring of support. There have been prayer vigils, fundraisers, displays of purple and gold and his football number “2” stickers on helmets of multiple teams. There are signs all over town saying “Prayers for the Martin family,” “Pray for Mason” and “#Mason Strong.”

Our community is hurting because of this young man’s circumstances and we are at a loss for how to help this family, so we pray. It’s not only the only thing we can do, but it’s the most important thing we can do. So we do. But, today as I was driving, I found myself amazed as I read the signs posted on businesses and in lawns. Note the word, “read.” I was pleased by the amount of support shown to the Martin family with the signs, but I wasn’t praying for Mason, I was reading about him. Are you doing this too? Are you just marveling at the support or are you praying? Of course, you are doing both, but I encourage you to beef up your prayers as you recognize the community support. How? By challenging yourself to pray for Mason each time you see purple and gold, signs with his name on it, the #2 or any other post or article about him. Challenge yourself to create a simple prayer on his behalf. “Dear God, strengthen Mason.” “Dear Lord, bless his family as they journey through this challenge.” “Lord, thank you for the doctors and nurses who are caring for him.” “Dear God, let the family see something today that makes them smile.” Pray your simple prayer each time you pass a sign or pray a different one each time you drive by.

Like many students in the area, my daughter wore a purple ribbon in her hair for a volleyball game though her school colors are blue and white. The team prayed for Mason prior to their game. The next day, the ribbon was on the table, so I put it in my pocket and every time I put my hand in my pocket I was reminded to offer up a prayer. Let’s make sure our kids and students know to do the same when they wear their Mason Strong T-Shirts, bracelets and purple and gold or when they see the #2 on a sign. I am so grateful for all the reminders in the area that I see daily. They are prompting me to pray. We need to remember, that the signs and reminders can’t pray, but we can and so we should!

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

– Jeremiah 29:11

My Mom

I can say that not only was I blessed by having a good mother, but I was doubly blessed by having her 93 years.  I had the honor and privilege to be the daughter of someone that I never heard anyone say an unkind word of. When her name came up, it was always in reference to a kind deed she did, a kind word she said or simply to comment on her beautiful smile and kind heart.

When I would describe my mom to people who didn’t know her, I would say she was a saint.  Then I would emphasize, “no, I mean she was a real saint.” She didn’t talk badly about people, she didn’t complain and she truly could find the good in every situation and if she couldn’t, she certainly wouldn’t let anyone know.

I explain her belief in the God given scriptural proof of positive and hopeful thinking to others by sharing the story of her receiving a call when Dan was in college.  We were hearing her side of a phone conversation, “Oh, that’s so good. What a blessing. That’s wonderful to hear.”  She hung up the phone and said to my Dad, “Bob, we need to go to Penn State because Dan was hit by a ricochet in rifle class and the bullet grazed his nose.”  My Dad asked what was so good about that and she replied, “The bullet hit his nose, it could’ve been his eye.” She lived her life just that way.  If something bad happened, she’d be grateful something  worse didn’t. These past couple of weeks, she has continued to remind us all how lucky we are, how many good things we have and how blessed we’ve been.

My Dad died suddenly when I was 16 and I remember immediately thanking God that he took my Dad and not my Mom.  I knew in that moment that I was on good terms with my Dad and I had no regrets.  I also knew as a teenage girl, that if God had taken my Mom that evening, I would’ve had regrets in my last words and my last actions towards her.  At that age, I didn’t recognize how much I would need my mom in the days ahead in a different way than I needed my Dad. That night, I was able to see my Mom in a different light and what I used to see as weakness in her, I saw as strength.  My Mom handled losing her husband at age 50 in a manner that displayed heartache and strength with a grace that was unbelievable.  We all knew where her strength came from and where she expected us to go for our strength without preaching the importance in having faith but in just living it out.

When Pastor Bev visited last week, I began to tell her that I felt that Mom might want to talk to her because I knew that Mom was worried about us during this time.  I no sooner got the word “worried” out of my mouth that she interrupted me and said, “I’m not worried.”  She didn’t worry.  She prayed. She recited her version of Philippians 4:6 to us many times. “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

In the last few years, she would express that she was ready to go home and be with the Lord.  She would see a photo of a group of her friends, family or coworkers and comment on how most of them were gone now and she wondered why she was still here. She hated being a burden and needing help and as she became less able to serve others, she often said she felt “weary.”  We would tell her the Lord would take her when she finished her work and he obviously still had work for her to do. She said that the only thing she was physically able to do to help others was to pray. I figured that she was still here because we all still required her prayers.  My Mom spent her last days praying about everything and everyone. Even when she wasn’t really “with us” she was mumbling names and asking God to bless them.

One of the biggest lessons she ever taught me occurred one time when I was really struggling with a situation with my kids.  I felt overwhelmed by parenting and I was sitting on the couch crying uncontrollably and I said, “I Can’t Do This!”  She sat beside me and said quietly, “oh but you are.”  She expected me to do the best with what had been given me and she knew it would take strength and faith for me to do that well.

After my Dad’s funeral, my Mom said matter of factly, “On Monday morning, I will go back to work and you will go back to school and we will do our best.”   And now, as we leave here lost and not sure where we will go, we will have to find some of that strength and faith to go on without her. I’m sure each of you know what she would say specifically to you in this situation if you were sitting across her kitchen table with her, so just do that.  She left this world with nothing left unsaid or untaught.  She did her part, so now I believe she’d expect us to do ours. She got her work done.

From Stepping Heavenward by   Mrs. E. Prentiss   Copyright 1869

My steadfast aim now is to follow in my mother’s footsteps; to imitate her cheerfulness, her benevolence, her bright, inspiring ways and never to rest till in place of my selfish nature I become as full of Christ’s love as she became.  I am glad she is at last relieved from the knowledge of all my cares; and though I often and often yearn to throw myself into her arms and pour out my cares and trials into her sympathizing ears.  I would not have her back for all the world.  She has got away from all the turmoil and suffering of life; let her stay!

Hopefully Hopeful

Credit goes to Rick Warren who presented a sermon on the topic of “Hope is my Anchor” and gave me a starting point and content for this little devotional. In our previous discussions, we have focused on Love, Grace and now we will tackle Hope, the least discussed of the three, I believe.

It is critically important that we understand hope since scripture says:

 …those who forget God have no hope. They are like rushes without any mire to grow in; or grass without water to keep it alive. Suddenly it begins to wither, even before it is cut. — Job 8:11-13 TLB

But what is hope? I found two definitions. In the dictionary, hope means a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. And, in a Bible dictionary, I found a very similar meaning of to trust in, wait for, or desire something; or to expect something beneficial in the future. Is that the way we use the word “hope?” Are we using the word “hope” in the right way or is it optimism (hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something) we are meaning? What is the difference? Here’s an example: It’s springtime regardless of what the weather looks like outside. So, I can say “I hope it is sunny every day this spring.” We are hopeful of that, but it isn’t a certain hope, it isn’t based in reality, it is optimistic. And, optimism is better than pessimism where we would say, “It’s spring and it will probably be gloomy and cold all season” which is definitely not hopeful. However, we truly do have the hope of spring. It is spring. Optimism only works for things you can control. When something bad happens, optimism says, “It’s not as bad as you think,” but hope would say, “It’s bad, it’s really bad, BUT I still believe it will get better.” Optimism is Psychological and Hope is Theological.

There are three kinds of hope. The first is wishful hope, which is what I described above and what most of us use the word “hope’ for. “I hope the light turns green.” This is worthless hope. It is a false hope. There is nothing that will change the light by your hoping.

The second kind of hope is expectant hope. This hope has some basis in reality. For example, if you plant seeds, you can hope they grow. (Wishful hope would be hoping your garden grew without planting any seeds.) So, you can have expectant hope, you planted seeds and you hope they grow, but will they grow for certain? They may or may not.

Lastly, there is CERTAIN HOPE and this is the Biblical use of the word hope. Hebrews 6:19a says:

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God… (TLB)

Real hope is based on God’s word and NOT my wishes. There is no doubt in certain hope. You can count on God’s promises because they are sure things and you will want to build your life on this type of hope. The above verse tells us the three things that certain hope is. It is strong, trustworthy and it’s an anchor.

Using the anchor illustration, let’s explore what an anchor is used for. It is used to keep a ship from drifting and it adds stability in a storm. Doesn’t God’s word do that for us? Without an anchor, it is easy to drift downstream and without being connected to God and His word, it is easy for us to drift too. We also need this certain hope for stability. The bigger the ship, the bigger the anchor needed. So in our lives, what does that look like? If you want to live a little life and stay uninvolved and not do a mighty work for God, then you can get away with a teeny tiny anchor, however, if your life involves others and you want to live a big, full, abundant life, you are going to need a big anchor. A big anchor for your soul.

We get this certain hope, aka “anchor” from God’s word. Certain hope is based on God’s promises in the Bible. As Rick Warren stated,

“Certain hope is not based on what is sensed, but what is said. Not based on my emotions but what is spoken and it is not based on my Imagination, but on God’s obligation to do what he says he will do.” 

There are approximately (because who can truly count them?) 8,810 promises and 7,487 of them are made by God to us! One thing we are certain of is that God can’t lie, so these promises are what we should stand on. When we put our hope in His promises we can be certain of them. 

One big ah-ha moment I got when I was studying this topic was that we can be certain of God’s promises, but the thing that I sometimes don’t take into account is that God has all of eternity to make his promises come true. He is not limited to our life here on earth. So when we hope for something, and we check it against His word, He has until eternity to fulfill his promise, but we can be filled with hope because we know that he will!

The more we know his promises, the closer we will be to him, and the closer we are to Him, the more hopeful we will be. I read that hope gives the motivation and courage needed to succeed. It’s been said that a person can live forty days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope. I think that is a major incentive for us to look for the certain hope that we know is available to us!

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound! We all know the beloved hymn Amazing Grace and God’s grace is just that…amazing, but, are we as good at grace as He is?

When you look up grace in a dictionary, you will find at least 7 explanations of it as a noun. It can mean simple elegance or refinement of movement, for example, a ballerina is graceful. Grace, the second definition is: Courteous goodwill (friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude.) And, then we get to the Christian definition which is: A spontaneous gift from God to people – generous, free, and unexpected and undeserved. As the hymn explains God’s grace is amazing. He can give us undeserved gifts easily and he does. He has amazing grace because He is amazing!

But the word grace is not just to be looked at as a noun. The word is also a verb. God graces us daily with his goodwill. He does it easily because he is God, but just like he expects us to love as he has loved us, I think he expects us to show grace to others as he has shown grace to us. (This is harder for us because we aren’t quite as amazing as he is!)

So, how can we practice God’s grace in our lives?

Before we dive in we need to recognize where grace comes from. Grace is the unmerited, unearned love and favor of God. So we have grace from God and if we have that, we should be able to share it, right?

2 Corinthians 9:8 states: 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

You are equipped to practice God’s grace with others.

2 Timothy 1:9 even tells us that grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

We’ve had it since the beginning of time, so we need to share it! So how can we go about that? The following are some ideas:

• Just like we learned with our love lesson, we have to love ourselves before we can share love with others, and grace is the same way. You need to start practicing grace by giving yourself grace. How many times have you told someone else to give themselves grace but you find it hard to do for yourself? Treat yourself with Kindness – If you practice grace with yourself it will be easier to extend it to others.
• Learn to Let Go – many things are out of our control so to practice grace we need to let go. However, if there is something in your control that you need to do to let it go, you must. If you are holding on to anger or bitterness, you need to forgive. And if something is nagging at you, you may need to apologize. Forgiveness and apologies allow everyone to move on.
• Practice Gratitude – I thought this was a no-brainer since I was raised with this discipline, but I was surprised a few years ago when I attended a workshop and the speaker suggested attendees begin writing down 3 things they were thankful for daily and one person questioned what to do if you didn’t have 3. We ALWAYS have things to be thankful for. Be mindful of them. It is easy to act with grace when you recognize all you have been given and are thankful for.
• Have Compassion & Speak Kindly – You never know what someone is going through. Compassion means “sympathetic pity & concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others” CONCERN for the misfortune of others. That person who is having a bad day needs compassion even if their bad day is causing them to behave in a way that is hard to be compassionate to. Proverbs 15:1-2 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” Speak kindly & compassionately. The phrase “Bless her heart” comes to mind. It sincerely means fondness or sympathy for someone but it has turned into an underhanded insult sometimes in the south. I’ve never really used it, but I like it and even if I started to say it as an insult, the sincere meaning could be found. Seriously, if I used it because I felt like someone did something I thought was stupid and didn’t know any better, I might say “Bless her heart” but maybe I should be expressing compassion – sincere pity or concern that the person didn’t have the same ability to understanding as I did. Wink wink. (OK, the next lesson should be on humility!!) Regardless – Bless her heart!! Which moves us to the next way to practice grace..,…
• Accept People for who they are. You cannot change others, you can only change how you interact with them. Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. You will be practicing grace when you accept others as they are and deal with them using compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience & love. 
• Lastly, Have a sense of humor – I had a conversation the other morning in which I was sharing all my aches and pains and troubles of the day and my friend was commiserating and sharing all of hers from back pain & a cold to a flooded basement, & broken wrist. I ended the conversation by saying she would turn it all into a funny story…eventually. When times are tough, show yourself grace and learn to laugh about it. There is an emoji for SMH (Shaking my head. ) The open palmed hand on the face. I use that one maybe a little too often to express my frustration with myself or others and maybe I need to simply follow that up with a smiling emoji and laugh. The next time I use that palm in the face emoji I may have to use it as an alert that I need to show myself or someone else some grace.

These are all practical ways you can practice grace simply and daily, but none of them will ever be as amazing as the amazing grace our amazing God has given us. How sweet the sound!

Your Before May Be My After

I belong to a Facebook group called Power Purge Peeps.  It is a group of people who want to de-clutter their homes one small area at a time.  So far, I’ve cleared out my fridge and my pantry and I’m about to tackle my bakeware.  Since I’m the administrator of this group, I love to share my before and after pictures.  This is very motivating to me and I think others like to see that someone else is actually doing these tasks with them.  I really enjoy seeing other peoples’ accomplishments and progress too.  However, today, when I was sharing a picture of my pantry as a collage of a before and after photo, I remembered a time when a friend set me straight on something.

At the time, I was grumbling about my weight (which is something I do about as often as I complain about the clutter in my house.) I grumble about it, but I don’t always do something about it.  Anyhow, as I was complaining to her one day about needing to wear my “fat jeans” she said, “You do realize that your fat jeans are my skinny jeans, right?”  Ouch. That was probably very true, but it didn’t make me feel any better about my “fat jeans.” The thing it did make me realize is that we are all striving for different things.  Whether it’s a different size of jeans or a more orderly pantry, progress in our own situation is what will make us feel good. It does no good to compare our situation to the situation of others.  We all start somewhere and then improvement from that starting point is what matters.

So as I share these photos, I realize that my Before photo may look like someone’s After photo and my After photo may look like someone’s Before photo and that is okay.  I’ll just be pleased that I made progress and I hope you are too!

PS – If you struggle with comparison, check out What you Make It to find 10 Bible verses for when you play the comparison game.

100 Days

Today’s the day.  Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. becomes president of the United States of America. The count begins.  The world will watch and see what he does in his first 100 days of office. I’ve read some articles about what he hopes to accomplish and I’ve read articles about what others hope he focuses on, but the take away from all of my reading has been the day count. We want to see what this man gets done in the next 100 days. It has me wondering, what would it look like if we all got rated on the next 100 days? What can we hope to accomplish? Have we made our lists?

There is certainly a lot of unrest in our country and today we focus on the leaders and what we hope they will do to get our nation to unite and to heal from all the negative events of recent years. (A Global Pandemic, for one!) but there is absolutely no way I personally can help President Biden accomplish that.  However, maybe I can make a difference for those around me by focusing on MY next 100 days and what I hope to accomplish. I’ve been thinking about this and honestly haven’t come up with my idea yet, but I think it’s something anyone can do.  I was discussing it with my 91-year-old Mom and said that maybe I should commit to pray for the president daily or get outside and enjoy fresh air daily or some little thing for 100 days.  She suggested, “no complaining for 100 days.”  I, of course, wasn’t thinking of choosing something that challenging, but you get the idea.  Would you feel better if you exercised daily, donated $1/day to a worthy cause, kissed your spouse, or paid someone a compliment every day for the next 100 days? Could you make a difference if you tried to do a random act of kindness or read a bible verse every day for the next 100 days?

I have absolutely no idea how doing any of these things in the next 100 days will affect the economy, the pandemic, or the Paris Climate Accord, but it might make us all feel a little better.  Feel free to let me know what you plan to do…especially if it is something as big as not complaining!

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.     —Proverbs 16:3

Confused About Christmas Plans?

Is Christmas 2020 different for you? Have you decided where you will go, who you will see or what you will do? Are you making plans for the day even if the plans are to stay home? Are you feeling joyful about this? I’m guessing that this year, you may not be as joyful about your plans as you would like.  Your thoughts may be rambling, you may be indecisive and you are confused about the best thing to do. This doesn’t feel very joyful, because you simply can’t have joy when you are confused.

Even though the thoughts of celebrating Christmas during a pandemic brings about a lot of confusion, it isn’t the first time there was confusion about Christmas and it turns out that we are in good company. Think about the Christmas story in scripture, everyone in the story is confused except for the angels. Joseph, Mary, Shepherds, all wondered what was going to happen and what was going on. Even the Wisemen were confused about exactly where they were going, but when they were confused, they chose to follow God’s light one step at a time. 

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” –Matt 2:1-3

These wise men traveled all the way to Jerusalem but still had to ask where Jesus could be found. They were still seeking him.

He  (King Herod) sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” –Matt 2:8

So they continued…

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  –Matt 2:9-10

Aaaaah.  They found him. When they were confused, they followed his light to wind up where they needed to be. They needed his light to help them and when we are confused we need to follow his light too. It may not be a star in the sky, but God still is willing to give us directions and a path to follow in his Word. He will help us decide how to get to Christmas and what plans we should make. Ask Him to guide you as you make plans, follow His light one step at a time and you, too, will find Him at Christmas. It’s Jesus’s birthday, our Savior’s birthday, and he wants us to celebrate it, don’t allow confusion about holiday plans or the lack of them, rob you of His true joy. Be like the Wisemen and follow God’s light one step at a time.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing (or generous) spirit. –Psalm 51:12

 

A Battle for Joy

It’s December 2020.  Turn on the TV first thing in the morning, and you don’t see Bing Crosby singing White Christmas you hear the news.  Even if you don’t have the news channel on, snippets of the news sneak in between the programming and you can’t escape the reality that this year is different.  We are trying to prepare for Christmas in the midst of a global pandemic. Our minds battle between dealing with safety mitigations and picking up stocking stuffers. It’s hard to maintain joy when you hear a newscaster counting Covid deaths and days ‘til Christmas in the same breath. It’s a battle to find peace and joy, but it’s a battle worth fighting.  I decided to fight it earlier this week and after allowing myself to turn off the news, I turned on the Christmas music and headed out to do some holiday shopping.

At the first shop, I donned my mask, entered through a crowded doorway, sanitized my cart handle, and was hit with crowded aisles, people bumping into me, and people not wearing masks! With every nose I saw I got angrier. The sign on the door said “masks required,” it’s that simple. I don’t want to get political here because this is truly not a masking matter but a heart matter. I was resentful that others weren’t wearing masks. Others’ actions were affecting my shopping experience and I didn’t know what I could do about it. It felt like these complete strangers who have their own beliefs were hurting me. I was taking their choices personally and I was resentful. I quickly grabbed my few items, avoided others as much as possible, and headed to the car. It was then that I realized that I was allowing others’ actions to affect my joy. I needed to stop, pray, and regroup. It was then that all that I have been taught and told in the past, came back to me and I thought I’d share….

Simply put, you can’t be resentful and joyful at the same time. Because of sin and our rebellion against God, we will be hurt…and we will hurt others. But being resentful and bitter about these hurts will keep us from experiencing joy. We have to learn how to let it go and Joseph in Matthew chapter 1 gives us a great example of how to do that. 

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  –Matthew 1:18-19

This is interesting. What Joseph knows at this point is that Mary is pregnant and he isn’t the father. I’m assuming he was a bundle of emotions. He probably felt betrayed, cheated, broken-hearted, and just plain mad, but he “had in mind to divorce her quietly.” He had every right to be mad, and I’m sure he was hurt, but he did not get bitter and resentful. He didn’t plot revenge, when he was hurt, he chose to offer grace and let it go.  and he decides to divorce her quietly. 

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Wow. That Joseph is some guy! AFTER he considered divorcing her quietly, THEN an angel appears to him and explains the plan and the honor he will have as he raises Jesus as his son. Joseph chose to show grace and let it go before he knew the whole story.

Back to 2020. How many times am I hurt or just irked by others and I don’t make the Joseph choice? I don’t choose to show grace and let it go.  Instead, I choose to fester in my annoyances and bitterness and it just snowballs. I may call someone to share with them the number of people that I confronted that weren’t behaving how I would like them to behave, I may make a mental list of the things that have gone wrong with my day, I may wallow in resentment against people or in the whole Covid situation. Holding on to all these negative thoughts and emotions won’t change the situation at all. I need to figure out how to show grace and let it go and then maybe I will be blessed with some better understanding and peace as Joseph was. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t purchase the grace I need to show others at the register of the store I was just in. Where was I going to get this needed grace to show others so that I could have a better day? 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. –Psalm 121

I said a prayer (“Lord, help me to not notice the people that annoy me and help me to not annoy others.”) and I entered the next store where things went smoothly for me and I had an enjoyable shopping experience and I felt the joy of Christmas shopping.  I chose to show grace (with God’s help) and I was blessed. This is a true testament to God’s power and might because the second store I went into was Walmart! (Haha) When you are hurt or annoyed, choose to offer grace and let it go. Fight for your joy!

Don’t Wait…to Celebrate!

It’s 16 days until Christmas and this year is the same as other years when I wake in the morning with a list of things to do and I regret that they aren’t already done.  A global pandemic can’t erase what my mind and body do every year at this time.  I need to bake, wrap, gift, repeat.  However, this year, there will definitely be some differences.  For example, I won’t be in a room full of presents, people, and holiday cheer watching great-nieces and nephews open presents.  I won’t be passing out little favors to the 15 people at Bible Study. I won’t be swapping cookie recipes around the table at book club. So, though the thoughts are the same, the actions have to be different.  How can I do it differently this year?

This year I recognize that it is not all preparing and then a crescendo to a big event on Christmas day.  This year of all years is the time to celebrate Christmas as it happens. When we used to bake to share with a cookie exchange, the actual cookie exchange was the event…this year, the baking is.  Don’t forget to enjoy it! Don’t forget that baking is a part of the celebration. We used to shop and wrap and give to see the receiver’s joy.  This year while shopping (if you are still able to do it in person) stop a moment and recognize that this year…shopping is a gift! Shopping is part of the celebration. We don’t have to wait until Christmas Day to give a gift.  Give it now. Sing carols now. Shop now. Bake now. Visit (safely) now. Celebrate now.

My daughter and son-in-law came for a visit last weekend. (The mitigations we put in place are fodder for another blog post!) But, they decided to travel home for Christmas early in case things with the pandemic and/or their jobs got worse…not to mention whether their health or our health might prevent them from a visit later. So, they traveled home for Christmas on December 6th. And, Christmas it was. We celebrated by eating Chex Mix, making paper snowflakes, playing games, drinking Christmas tea, making chocolates and we even gave a couple of gifts. We were together and it was Christmas. I don’t know if that is the only Christmas we will celebrate with the newlyweds, but it was a good one. Don’t wait.  See everything that you are doing now as celebrating Christmas. We can celebrate Christmas and Jesus’s birth no matter what the date on the calendar is and we should.  Don’t wait to and hold in all the joy until Christmas morning….spread it around…and do it now!

Somehow, not only for Christmas , but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessing, the poor and lonely and sad, the more of your heart’s possessing, returns to you glad.  — John Greenleaf Whittier