Christmas is one my favorite times of the year. The trees, lights, decorations and of course all of the wonderful aromas such as baked goodies and certain spices you only smell during this time of the year. There is nothing better than being with family and friends to enjoy fellowship, fun and lots and lots of food and in the case of my family, the feasts and fellowship continuous all the way through the New Year until the last relative boards their plane and returns home. I often wonder if we are the only family who cooks all day long and then as we gather together to enjoy the meal, spend the whole time discussing what we will prepare for the next meal…must be a Cajun thing.
Christmas has been extra special this year because God blessed me with the opportunity to spend a week in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina celebrating an early Christmas with my two dear friends Randy and Ronda. How awesome it was to spend a week with two dear friends surrounded by the presence of God. I had the opportunity to visit their church, meet their wonderful family and friends; we attended an awesome Christmas show, visited the famous Biltmore House, viewed the Christmas lights of Asheville and Gatlinburg, toured the national parks in the mountains, viewed the world’s greatest gingerbread house display sipped hot chocolate by a roaring fire, and baked Christmas cookies, all of this while praising His Name. WOW! It was all so “Christmasy”. When I got back from North Carolina, I came home to a beautiful Christmas wonderland. To help celebrate the first year in my new home, my sister Nancy and her husband Linus surprised me by decorating my home complete with a Christmas tree, stockings, a nativity scene and outdoor lights. This Christmas has been very special and the memories I have of it means the world to me and will stay in my heart forever.
As we gather with our family and friends during this wonderful time of the year and celebrate the birth of our Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am in awe of how great God’s love is for each and every one of us. Yes, our almighty and all powerful God loves us so much that He wrapped Himself in flesh as a baby and came down to Earth to live among His people and teach of salvation and to redeem us. Can you imagine all that He gave up for us? Our great and almighty King of Kings, worthy of all of the finest the universe has to offer, came down to Earth in the lowliest of conditions - born in a stable and slept on hay in an animal trough.
Jesus came as a King for ALL people, regardless of their social or religious status. Yes, our Almighty King lived among His people including sinners and the outcast. He shared His life with them, He cried with them and He touched them with compassion and healing. He extended His love to everyone so that all is people could have the opportunity to understand that God’s mercy, grace and compassion are intended for ALL of mankind.
May we never forget what our Lord has done for us and how much He loves us. May we follow in His footsteps and be willing to allow His love to extend through us to all of our fellow brothers and sisters.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Loving the Unloveable
Loving people who are outgoing, happy and filled with joy and kindness are easy to love. Oh, how I wish everyone was like that. The truth is however, that there are many people in our close daily lives who are difficult to love, who no matter what, can never be pleased or encouraged enough. After spending extended periods of times around their negative attitudes, I am often left feeling drained and defeated. I often ask myself why do I bother? Why do I set myself up for what seems to be an endless cycle of rejection, hurt and sadness? What makes a person so difficult to love? Is it something I did or did not do? Are their hearts just empty and starved for love? Have they ever experienced unconditional love? And if so, have they forgotten how joyful and liberating it can be? How do I cope? My first instinct is to ignore, avoid are argue with them but wouldn’t that just make me difficult to love as well?
As a Christian, I have to remember that only showing love to those who easily love you in return is not pleasing to our Lord. If I only show love to “loveable” people, my walk with the Lord will be hindered. Luke 6: 32-33 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
I don’t believe it’s possible for us to love others the way we should without God’s help. Love comes from God. It is not just an emotion, but a deliberate decision to do what is best for someone. I must remember to pray for the people who are difficult to love in my life so that their hearts will soften and to not judge them as I have no idea of the circumstances in their lives that have brought them to this point.
After spending a wonderful week of fun, fellowship and prayer with two dear and precious friends, I am left feeling very loved and my heart is full. As I reflect back on last week with a smile, I now come to the realization that God has blessed me with many wonderful friends and family in my life who constantly pour their love into me. Their unconditional love along with God’s powerful love causes my heart to overflow and I now realize that there is certainly enough love in my heart for me to freely start giving some away, unconditionally, with no expectations of return.
God constantly pursues a love relationship with each one of us. He knows us and he wants us to know him. He gives us unconditional love, HE loves us regardless of what we have done, HE loves us not because we are obedient, but simply because HE is love. There is not one thing that ever keeps God from pursuing us. I realize this and know that I can never stop pursuing the broken relationships in my life. I think of how merciful God has been to me this past year although I did nothing to deserve it and know that He wants me to show that same mercy to others. I pray that God will help me to see people through HIS eyes. I pray for him to give me the strength to not let them drain or break me and the strength to love them as HE loves them.
As a Christian, I have to remember that only showing love to those who easily love you in return is not pleasing to our Lord. If I only show love to “loveable” people, my walk with the Lord will be hindered. Luke 6: 32-33 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
I don’t believe it’s possible for us to love others the way we should without God’s help. Love comes from God. It is not just an emotion, but a deliberate decision to do what is best for someone. I must remember to pray for the people who are difficult to love in my life so that their hearts will soften and to not judge them as I have no idea of the circumstances in their lives that have brought them to this point.
After spending a wonderful week of fun, fellowship and prayer with two dear and precious friends, I am left feeling very loved and my heart is full. As I reflect back on last week with a smile, I now come to the realization that God has blessed me with many wonderful friends and family in my life who constantly pour their love into me. Their unconditional love along with God’s powerful love causes my heart to overflow and I now realize that there is certainly enough love in my heart for me to freely start giving some away, unconditionally, with no expectations of return.
God constantly pursues a love relationship with each one of us. He knows us and he wants us to know him. He gives us unconditional love, HE loves us regardless of what we have done, HE loves us not because we are obedient, but simply because HE is love. There is not one thing that ever keeps God from pursuing us. I realize this and know that I can never stop pursuing the broken relationships in my life. I think of how merciful God has been to me this past year although I did nothing to deserve it and know that He wants me to show that same mercy to others. I pray that God will help me to see people through HIS eyes. I pray for him to give me the strength to not let them drain or break me and the strength to love them as HE loves them.
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