I've never blogged before.
I'm guessing I'm not the only one who struggles sometimes with looking forward to when Christmas is over! This year has been difficult for me and I reached a breaking point last Saturday.
This time of year can recall grief of loved ones lost, produce extra financial demands, create the urge to bless others - to make it a "special" time for others, and add extra chores and responsibilities to an already overwhelming schedule. In the midst of all this, the culture around us continually blasts the message that this season should be one of joy and memorable moments with loved ones. No wonder we can be left feeling stressed, lonely, exhausted and empty!
Fortunately, God knows this. And God knows us, better than we know ourselves. Even better, He can handle our raging emotions and doubts.
In the midst of despair and confusion, I ran away from what was "expected" of me and cried out to God. In case this sounds really spiritual, it wasn't! I slipped out of church service to pace the neighborhood, crying, with an overwhelming sense of despair and hopelessness.
Did God abandon me or ignore me? No. He did not. Did He answer all my questions and wipe away all my problems? No. He did not.
Did God meet me that night? Yes. He did. Did God bring along someone with "skin on" to help me? Yes. He did. Did I need to reach out and ASK for help? Yes. I did.
Is God faithful and true? Yes. He is. God reminded me of His faithfulness and love in the Psalms. This promise is for each of us.
"On the day I called, You (Lord) answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. . . . For though the Lord is exalted, yet He regards the lowly (us), . . . Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me . . . and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting . . . !" Psalm 138: 3, 6-8
Does God love us? OH, YES, so very much!
"The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will EXULT over YOU with JOY. He will be QUIET (gentle) in His LOVE (for YOU). He will REJOICE over YOU with SHOUTS of JOY." Zephaniah 3:17
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Celebrate Thanksgiving All Through the Holidays!
Pumpkin Pie. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. (It also helps that I can smell the warm sweet and spiced aroma of one baking right now!) I think it's the best dessert in the whole world because not only is it delicious, but it also symbolizes family, the holidays and festivity.
As the holidays officially kicked off with Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, I started to think about why thankfulness is worth celebrating every day of our lives and not just one day a year. During a recent talk at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group, I shared ideas for thriving in the midst of stress and helping our children do the same. Everyone was tuned in, probably more than anything because we all had the holidays around the corner and we all know how stressful this season can get with events, relationships or even grief over loved ones we've lost. The sense in the room was "How do I get through this as a woman AND parent my children through it all?"
We talked about things we can do to combat stress physically, emotionally and mentally. But at the end I shared how hope is our most potent strategy during times of stress. Hope in God's promises. Hope in His ultimate victory. Hope that whatever is stressing us out will end at some point! Then, as I drove to my aunt's home for Thanksgiving the next week, we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway. The tension began to build in my neck. I noticed I was breathing shallowly and starting to get angry when the kids began fighting while we were crawling along at 10 miles per hour, still 50 miles from my aunt's home. I was officially stressed! Oh yay, I thought resentfully, an opportunity to practice what I preach!
Then I realized something that might be even more important than any of the things I mentioned in my talk when it comes to stress: being thankful. The whole point of Thanksgiving is to think about what we're thankful for. I know we could each quickly rattle off a dozen things for which we're grateful. But if we spend a little more time (time, for example, while we are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to holiday events...) and really put our minds to it, the list is literally endless. As we spend even a minute or two thinking about it, our mood shifts. I believe that is the living proof of God's promise:
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation [help] of God" (Psalm 50:23).
Our choice to thank God in every circumstance honors Him and allows Him to show us His work in our lives. Isn't that what we want, more than anything else during the holidays and whatever hectic or intense situations accompany them - to know God is there with us, helping and walking along with us through each moment? That's definitely my hope.
As we continue into this holiday season, let's commit to choose thanks. Every time we do, it will bless God as an offering aroma sweet as that of pumpkin pie baking in the oven. It will model God's will to our kids. It will bless our relationships. And it will make us all a little lighter during the holidays.
Who doesn't want that, with all this good pie around?!
As the holidays officially kicked off with Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, I started to think about why thankfulness is worth celebrating every day of our lives and not just one day a year. During a recent talk at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group, I shared ideas for thriving in the midst of stress and helping our children do the same. Everyone was tuned in, probably more than anything because we all had the holidays around the corner and we all know how stressful this season can get with events, relationships or even grief over loved ones we've lost. The sense in the room was "How do I get through this as a woman AND parent my children through it all?"
We talked about things we can do to combat stress physically, emotionally and mentally. But at the end I shared how hope is our most potent strategy during times of stress. Hope in God's promises. Hope in His ultimate victory. Hope that whatever is stressing us out will end at some point! Then, as I drove to my aunt's home for Thanksgiving the next week, we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway. The tension began to build in my neck. I noticed I was breathing shallowly and starting to get angry when the kids began fighting while we were crawling along at 10 miles per hour, still 50 miles from my aunt's home. I was officially stressed! Oh yay, I thought resentfully, an opportunity to practice what I preach!
Then I realized something that might be even more important than any of the things I mentioned in my talk when it comes to stress: being thankful. The whole point of Thanksgiving is to think about what we're thankful for. I know we could each quickly rattle off a dozen things for which we're grateful. But if we spend a little more time (time, for example, while we are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to holiday events...) and really put our minds to it, the list is literally endless. As we spend even a minute or two thinking about it, our mood shifts. I believe that is the living proof of God's promise:
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation [help] of God" (Psalm 50:23).
Our choice to thank God in every circumstance honors Him and allows Him to show us His work in our lives. Isn't that what we want, more than anything else during the holidays and whatever hectic or intense situations accompany them - to know God is there with us, helping and walking along with us through each moment? That's definitely my hope.
As we continue into this holiday season, let's commit to choose thanks. Every time we do, it will bless God as an offering aroma sweet as that of pumpkin pie baking in the oven. It will model God's will to our kids. It will bless our relationships. And it will make us all a little lighter during the holidays.
Who doesn't want that, with all this good pie around?!
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