Reflections of December

Christmas songs have been sung

Decorations were hung

And the day has come and gone

No more knocks at the door

Glitter swept from the floor

But the memories will live on

Light a candle ~  and remember ~  once more ~

The shared moments of bliss

And each mistletoe kiss

Timeless Love born anew in our hearts

May the days we have left

All be seen as a gift

And right now – be the moment we start

December came and went in a blur.

 

Each year as fall begins to fade and the air turns colder, I promise myself that this year things will be different. 

This year, I ponder quietly in my mind, I will not allow the days before Christmas to get filled up to overflowing. I will not allow stress to cause rivers of tears to start flowing, but somehow it seems each year, that promise gets broken along with a little piece of my longing heart.

I long for a Christmas where there is time to be still, to be silent, to be truly focused on the true meaning of Christ-mas, but so many other things tend to get in the way and soon the ways of this world seem to lead the way. 

Somewhere in the middle of December I find the blinking lights, the holly-jolly Christmas music, the buying and baking, decorations and wrappings, all become trappings that tear out the joy that is supposed to be Christmas.

Still, whether I’m ready for it or not, Christmas day comes, though I feel somewhat numb, and actually look forward to it all being over.

When the drying-out tree gets flung to the curb, and the tinsel, and glitter, and bows find their way to the trash, I finally start to feel a little more relaxed, and that’s when I can reflect and find the warmth that was there all along in December.

The much slower pace feels like heaven-sent grace and finally I can see all of the “gifts” that were given and received.

 

The “gifts” are all the moments where hearts were truly connected, where eyes held each other with a smile, and love and laughter spilled into the room. They are the memories made, pictures framed in my mind that will stay long in my heart, time spent with family and friends in the here and now, because we never know what tomorrow will bring. 

We never know what life will look like next December. 

So I will treasure these gifts and never forget that life itself is a gift.

I did not choose to be born, I did not choose my personality or my family, but God chose all of these things for me. He also chose to give me the Greatest Gift ever given. 

The gift of a Savior, through Whom is found eternal life.

The gift of Himself, becoming flesh to dwell among us. The Light of the World sent to light the way home. The baby placed in a wooden feeding trough, willing to place Himself on a wooden cross one day, so that every one of my sins, and yours, could be forgiven.

This is the Greatest Gift.

The Gift that not one of us deserves, but was freely given because,

God. So. Loved. The. World!

This world may try to take Christ out of Christ-mas, but it will never take Christ out of me.

And as Scripture teaches, one day – EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.

Not just Lord of Christmastime, 

but LORD of ALL times.

 

He is the One who created time itself, Who holds all time in His hands, and Who is coming again when time as we know it will end.

On that day there will be no doubt, that the Christmas story, and every Living Word in the Bible was absolute Truth written by God who wanted us to come to Him,

 

To believe in Him,

 

And be saved.

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For God so loved the world 

that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish 

but have everlasting life.

- John 3:16

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Welcome January

Welcoming the New Year with lots of snow and this warm and wonderful thought;

The future is as bright 

as the faithfulness of God.  

~ Ann Voskamp

How bright the future is indeed for those who have put their faith and trust in the unfailing faithfulness of God. 

Like the light of a thousand suns our future shines stunningly in Him.

No matter what trials the days ahead will hold, we can find rest and peace in knowing there is One who is holding every single day in His mighty hands.

He is here with us now, but He is also already there. . .

At the end of our days. . .

standing ready  

to welcome us home.

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For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

    the LORD bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

    from those whose walk is blameless.

- Psalm 84:11

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

    forever.

- Psalm 23:6

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Silver Morning

The morning glowed silver.

Slipping through time on a glossy highway, fog and mist elegantly wrapped around hard edges of landscape. Dark bare branches, stood like statuesque still-life set against the palest grey sky. It was beautiful and peaceful and for a few moments my spirit was carried away to another realm.

I felt Him so near to me and slowly I melted into the melody of that morning. . .

covered by grace. . .

held so close to the beating of His eternal heart. 

It was just what my hardening heart needed. Though I know deep down in my world-weary soul that He never leaves me and will never forsake me, I can still feel like I’m a million miles away from Him at times, and that can shatter my confidence into a million minuscule pieces.

That’s where I had been earlier that week, trying to piece back together some semblance of confidence since unexpected changes had recently entered into my life. Stepping into new territory I found fear and doubt had begun wiggling their way into my days and often anxiety walked alongside me as an unwelcome heart-pounding companion.

It’s funny how one unexpected turn of events can suddenly turn our world dizzy into a spinning spiral and soon we have no idea which way is up and so we fall down. But I guess how far we fall down depends on how close we really are to the One who 

holds every twirling moment in His hands.

None of it was a surprise to God. He knows the plans He has for me (Jer. 29:11), and He knew that this too was all part of His plan for me. I knew it too. Deep inside I really did know that He was directing these steps and finally on that morning drive, the dizziness stopped and the solid road before me became clear.

He painted it silver on that wet December morning and He met me there in the middle of it, on the shining road that he had paved for me.

It was a moment of heaven on earth held in His loving embrace and I was reminded that one day I will walk with Him on streets paved in 

glorious gold!

Each day as I continue to walk with Him I know I am one step closer to walking on gold, and I know with all of my heart,

 it will absolutely be worth the wait.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

    and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

    I will not forsake them.

- Isaiah 42:16

Never Ending Grace

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  

– Ephesians 2:4-9 NASB

The Call of December

In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is far off in the deeps of it somewhere a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You walk up the steps to the front door. The empty windows at either side of it tell you nothing, or almost nothing. For a second you catch a whiff in the air of some fragrance that reminds you of a place you’ve never been and a time you have no words for. You are aware of the beating of your heart. The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.  

– Frederick Buechner

There is change in the air. 

Almost weighted with the unmistakable feeling that something wonderful is coming, something the heart and soul have been longing for, deep, yet unaware.

It’s December 1st and I've placed the first glittering jewel upon the gold-gilded calendar hand-made by my precious mom to count down the days. 24 days of waiting and wondering, praying and reflecting, all in anticipation of the day when we will celebrate the Christ child’s birth. 

I wrote the poem below, The Call of December, around this time last year after catching a glimpse of gold-colored leaves swirling around the back yard in a cold blast of wind. It stirred in my spirit the feeling of change, and the gladness of the Christmas season coming. 

The word Advent is derived from the Latin word Adventus, meaning coming. It is in these days of December, with grateful hearts, we take time to reflect on the Babe who came, and the One who still comes. . .

Immanuel – God with us. . .

The Greatest Gift ever given.

* * * 

Golden leaves dancing
On silvery breeze
Stirring up sacred visions
That the heart only sees

And the cool kiss of air
Whispers of things to come
Winter days lit with diamonds
At the breaking of dawn

It’s the call of December
Heard deep in the soul
With a cry from the manger
And the angels bent low

It’s the promise of heaven
Given one blessed night
The Gift from the Father
Making everything right

* * * 

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, 

was coming into the world. 

He came into the very world He created, but the world did not recognize Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

- John 1:9-14 NLT