It’s that time of year again when my mind searches for the perfect Christmas gifts. Truth be told, all the money in the world won’t buy the gifts I want to give. I’d like to give my friends and family one more day with the ones they are missing: their husband, their dad, their mom, a special friend, a precious child. I’d like to give my friend perfect health-to completely chase out the cancer invading her body. A friend’s mom keeps forgetting-I’d like to give her a whole day of laughter, love, and joy. One friend’s husband has a health crisis. I’d like to give her a worry-free day. To the ones who are hurting in unseen ways, I’d like to give you peace.
I can’t give the gifts I want to give, but God can. He wants to give you comfort. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles…” (2 Corinthians 1:4, NIV) He wants to give you peace. “I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart…” (John 14:27 NLT) He wants to give you strength. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 ESV) Incredibly, he also wants to give you life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV) On the first Christmas so long ago, God gave the best gift ever: Jesus. With this perfect gift, you not only get another day…you get the gift of forever.
Things to do today:
- Accept the freely-offered gifts from God.
- Read a similar blog called ‘The Sun Will Shine Again.’ Also, listen to songs ‘One More Day’ and ‘Take Courage.’
In the movie ‘Finding Nemo,’ there’s a funny scene where a group of fish are going to school. A few of the younger fish see a boat in the distance and wonder what it could be. One thinks he knows and says it’s called a butt. In the scene, they dare each other to swim out and touch it. (Don’t judge me, I didn’t write the movie). Since then, when I swim at a beach with my niece, we try to swim all the way out to the ‘butt’, (AKA the buoy). It’s not a simple feat. The distance to the buoy makes it difficult and the waves moving to shore are pushing against us. We press on and keep the buoy in sight, yelling encouragement to each other as we go. As we come close to it, it’s bobbing all over in the water, so it’s hard to touch. Finally successful, one of us yells, “I touched the butt!”
I bought a bicycle like they use in Spin Classes at the gym. You know, the classes where all the participants look like they’ve been chiseled out of granite? Yep, I have that bike. It’s actually pretty hilarious as my body feels like it was formed from a large box of Play Doh. As I ride, I watch a Spin Class video and I think the instructor can read my mind. Just when I am thinking I might stop she says, “Don’t quit now! You can do this!” So I keep going. When I think I am not going to make it to the end, she says, “Come on, you’re an athlete, show us how it’s done!” (For some reason Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’ is going through my mind…) I’m happy to say with the extra encouragement I usually make it through the workout, but I keep hoping it’s going to get a little easier.
I’m thankful for weekends. I have a great job that I enjoy and get incredible satisfaction from doing, but there’s something to be said for a little ‘downtime’. The weekend may bring time with family, time with friends, or time with the washer and dryer. It could be filled with errands or filled with chores at home. But there’s a particular part of the weekend I always look forward to: the time of rest. Weekdays have meetings, deadlines, and demands, but the weekend-that’s the time to breathe. On the weekend I’m hooked up to a battery charger; the downtime gives me the energy to start another week. I’m grateful for time off and a little rest.
I recently read an article that made reference to ‘God’s Hour’. It didn’t explain what that meant but it really intrigued me. What if we chose to live in God’s Hour all the time? Our lives can get pretty complicated and we can be overwhelmed by all the junk that is thrown at us. Problems in a relationship, a health crisis, financial woes, or job frustrations can ruin our day. These are just a few of the things that cause us stress and fill our thoughts.