After Jesus’ birthday party on the 15th, I’ve been determined to get my heart focused on Christ before Christmas is over. My husband gets up for work really early – I mean crazy early! I’m a light sleeper and although I try to pretend that I can fall back asleep, I too am up at a crazy hour. However, our down comforter seems to become some sort of vice that captivates me in bed until all the children come in to join me! This final week before Christmas I decided that I didn’t want to wake up Christmas morning with regrets, so I committed to get up when my husband does and sit in the kitchen and read Jesus’ birth narrative from Luke. Yesterday, something jumped off the page as though I was reading it for the first time. When the angel told Mary that she is going to have a baby, not only was she scared, but confused, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” The angel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the Most High would overshadow her (yea, that explains it!). And what happened next is what I hadn’t noticed before – the angel starts talking about her relative Elizabeth and her pregnancy. I think that as the angel was explaining the Holy Spirit thing, there must have been a deeply perplexed look on Mary’s face, so the angel thought, “I’d better switch gears and go with something more familiar. ‘Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’” Mary’s immediate response: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” I love how the story of God’s power and faithfulness in another’s life was deeply encouraging and moving to Mary so that she willingly accepted the role presented to her as the Mother of God! Last night I had coffee with a dear friend who shared with me several stories of how God is richly blessing her right now. I must say, I have been in a season of deep refinement, but hearing her stories of blessing was deeply encouraging and moving to me so that I came home and willingly said, “Lord, do what you must to make me who you want me to be. I know your blessing is just around the corner.” We are not alone in this walk of faith. All of our stories are meant to encourage one another and spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
Wow, what a great post. I love to hear about when God is doing great things for others. I also love to be a part of those great things whether it is God using me to believe with them about something or for something or whether God wants to use me to be the blessing. I also love the way God talks to us. So we can understand. He doesn't speak king james version to me he speaks to me on my level He makes what He says to me so real that there is no way that I could miss what He is trying to say. He rocks my world daily! Merry Christmas
After Jesus’ birthday party on the 15th, I’ve been determined to get my heart focused on Christ before Christmas is over. My husband gets up for work really early – I mean crazy early! I’m a light sleeper and although I try to pretend that I can fall back asleep, I too am up at a crazy hour. However, our down comforter seems to become some sort of vice that captivates me in bed until all the children come in to join me! This final week before Christmas I decided that I didn’t want to wake up Christmas morning with regrets, so I committed to get up when my husband does and sit in the kitchen and read Jesus’ birth narrative from Luke. Yesterday, something jumped off the page as though I was reading it for the first time. When the angel told Mary that she is going to have a baby, not only was she scared, but confused, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” The angel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the Most High would overshadow her (yea, that explains it!). And what happened next is what I hadn’t noticed before – the angel starts talking about her relative Elizabeth and her pregnancy. I think that as the angel was explaining the Holy Spirit thing, there must have been a deeply perplexed look on Mary’s face, so the angel thought, “I’d better switch gears and go with something more familiar. ‘Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’” Mary’s immediate response: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” I love how the story of God’s power and faithfulness in another’s life was deeply encouraging and moving to Mary so that she willingly accepted the role presented to her as the Mother of God! Last night I had coffee with a dear friend who shared with me several stories of how God is richly blessing her right now. I must say, I have been in a season of deep refinement, but hearing her stories of blessing was deeply encouraging and moving to me so that I came home and willingly said, “Lord, do what you must to make me who you want me to be. I know your blessing is just around the corner.” We are not alone in this walk of faith. All of our stories are meant to encourage one another and spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
simply, simply beautiful.
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Wow, what a great post. I love to hear about when God is doing great things for others. I also love to be a part of those great things whether it is God using me to believe with them about something or for something or whether God wants to use me to be the blessing. I also love the way God talks to us. So we can understand. He doesn't speak king james version to me he speaks to me on my level He makes what He says to me so real that there is no way that I could miss what He is trying to say. He rocks my world daily! Merry Christmas
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