I woke up this morning to these words from a song Ryan Stevenson sings going through the mind...
No matter what you've done
You can't erase His love
Nothing can change it
You're not separated
No matter where you run
He's always holding on
You're still a daughter, you're still a son
No matter what
I am so grateful my Heavenly Father accepted me back when I rebelled. As I sang these words, I thought how true they really are. He never stopped loving me even when I turned away. There was a separation on my part but not on His. I was still His daughter in His eyes. I am not proud of those days. If I could, I would erase them away. But they are history and I've learned from them. They are part of 'my story' that enables me to minister to others in similar situations. One of the hardest parts of my history is that some people remember it. Some not only remember it but they remind me of it from time to time. That can be good and bad. The good part is it allows me to share what God has done in my life. The bad part is it gives the enemy an open door in both their life and mine. The enemy loves to use the past to cause issues. He loves to stir up things in relationships. He tries to bring guilt from past experiences into life today. One could make a list of all the 'bad' things they have done in life and if given the opportunity, the enemy would start working to cause guilt, anger, etc. If those emotions start, the door is opened for him to cause havoc. The past is just that. The past. When we repent, our sins are washed away. They are no longer. The memories are still with us but we no longer have to worry about them. Sometimes it is nice to reflect on them because we see how far the Lord has brought us. But they are not where we should stay. Today is a new day. Tomorrow is the future. We have a choice of allowing God to live and work in us or we can choose to give the enemy an open door. One choice leads to eternal life with the Lord. The other can lead to hell. My choice is eternity with my Heavenly Daddy.
As I reflect back on 'Black Fridays' of the past, I am ashamed of the way I acted. I prayed this morning for God to protect people but I also prayed a prayer of gratitude that He has made me realize 'stuff' is just that. I thanked Him for enabling me to get my priorities more in line with Him. I also thanked Him for working on me in the area of my life that hurts so much with not being able to give people gifts like I have always done. I thanked Him for giving me ideas of things I can make for people. I make them with His love in every bite, in every stitch, etc. When I think about how people gave gifts years ago that were made by themselves, it makes me appreciate this season of life a little more. A gift from the heart from me is a gift made with lots of love and prayers. Will the gifts be appreciated? I don't know. Sometimes I don't think my prayers are appreciated by some but I still send them.
Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. The birth of Jesus was not December 25 but that is the day we celebrate it. The wisemen brought gifts to Baby Jesus but it wasn't right when He was born. It took them time to travel to see Him. The time doesn't matter. The act of giving Him gifts is important in the story. Even though December 25 wasn't the day and even though the wisemen brought gifts but not on that day the tradition of celebrating His birth with gifts continues today. I love giving gifts. I remember putting a quarter a week into a Christmas Club at the bank every Saturday when we went to town. At the end of the year, I had $13 to take Christmas shopping. At that time I had four siblings with spouses, four or five nieces/nephews, and my parents to buy for. I loved stretching that money to get everyone a present. $13 spent. Ten or eleven gifts bought. Woo hoo! Today $13 won't even buy more than one or two 'small' gifts for people. But it is not about the money, it is about the love put into the gift. It is about the prayers put into the gift. Most of all it is about keeping the true meaning of Christmas in our lives. Lord, forgive us when we forget. In this song this morning, the lyrics of "no matter where you run" take on new meaning. We can 'run' into the ways of the world and collect 'stuff' or we can bask in His presence and allow Him to open our minds up on ways to show others His love through us. We have a choice to make. The choice is not always easy, especially if you are a person who has a history of giving 'stuff.' It is not easy to change the mindset that gifts do not always have to be from a store. It is not easy to not wonder if people will appreciate such gifts. It is easy to feel like people will 'look down on you' when you give them a homemade gift, especially if they are giving you something from the store. But it all comes back to what God lays on your heart. If He gives you the direction to go to the store to buy something, so be it. But if He gives you ideas of things to make, that is the road you need to travel. He will take care of the rest of the story by loving people through you. Not only will He give direction but He also will give joy in the gift giving. The 'secret' to this joy is found in keeping Jesus first; Others second; and then Yourself. Praise His Holy Name!
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the reminders today about what Your Word tells me about my past and of gift giving. Thank You for loving me through all the different stages of life. Thank You for never getting tired of me coming to You and saying, "I'm sorry." Thank You for the ideas You have given me for Christmas gifts and the ideas yet to come. Thank You for Your birth that we celebrate. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me. I pray for others to come to this point in their spiritual lives too. Love on people through me in a different, new way today. Thank You for the opportunities You will give me today to love with Your love. Thank You Jesus for being My Reason to Celebrate. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment