Celebrate Every Day

I awoke on this day, the very last day of the year, to the sound of excited chatter abounding from the trees surrounding my yard. Cheery little birds greeting the day with joy and exuberance filled the air. They often sing in chorus as a new day rises; they seem to care not whether it is the last or the first day on the calendar. Their celebration rings in every day; they seem to rejoice at their current blessings, and at the prospects each day holds.

As the year comes to a close today, whatever blessings you recount, whatever prospects you hope for in the new year, don’t lose sight of them and let them fall by the wayside after just a few short days or weeks. Hold onto both—continue to count and recount your blessings, and continue to cling to prospects and hope found in each new day. Continue to rejoice and celebrate each rising of the dawn. Praise the One who blesses you, and seek the One who holds your hope. And like the birds, greet each day with a song in your heart.

Psalm 145:7, “They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”

Hope Fulfilled

As the flying gift wrapping scraps begin to settle, and the seasonal hustle and bustle calms to a breathable pace, I allow myself a few moments to sit, reflect, and savor the recent festivities.  Last night as I was heading off to bed, first stopping to unplug the Christmas tree lights, the lure of quiet and solitude whispered my name and beckoned me to sit for a spell. As I plopped myself down on the couch I recalled the abundant celebrations that had only just passed in this most joyous of seasons. A season punctuated with parties, gifts, decorations and lights, with gatherings and reunions of family and friends; it is punctuated with the sounds of laughter and chatter, and the taste of indulgent goodies galore. As I sit here in quiet contemplation my gaze wanders over the beautifully decorated tree before me; my eyes pause on each ornament as memories come to mind. A newly received ornament catches my full attention, as it rests on the branches at the center of the tree. Within its beautiful rectangular shaped glass with gilded silver edges, is a picture highlighting the journey of the Three Wise Men. These men of the Bible had heard the promises of God and believed them to be true. They clung to the hope that God would provide a Savior; that God would send a King unlike any other—a King of truth, justice, love, mercy, holiness, peace, and perfection. The wise men knew to be on the lookout for the sign of a special God-designated star, which would lead them to a place of hope fulfilled. Believing the promises of God, the men traveled from a far-off country, following the star until it came to rest above the house where their long-awaited Savior resided. They brought gifts of great worth—gold, frankincense, and myrrh— in worship of this highly-anticipated Newborn King. Even now all signs and arrows point the way to Jesus, if only our will hearts follow. Jesus is the One in whom all our hope is fulfilled. And when we find Him, we too offer Him our best gift. We will surrender all we have—our hearts, our lives, our worship, and praise. With our hope fulfilled, our joy too overflows.

Matthew 2:1-12, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Christmas List - a page from my Lilies and lemonade Devotional

A New List

Go here, go there. Do this, do that. Buy for him, buy for her. Make those lists and check them all twice. With all the hustle and bustle that usually comes with the Christmas season we often lose sight of what matters. We are often overcome with anxiety and hurriedness, instead of experiencing the peace and joy that Jesus came to give at this miraculous and holy time of year. At that first Christmas, so long ago in a stable full of curious animals, Mary and Joseph had their minds filled with a singular focus—the birth of their sweet baby Jesus.  The shepherds who watched over the flocks by night heard the angels declare with joyous song, the arrival of The Son of God, The Savior of the world. Filled with awe and wonder they hurriedly ran to join the celebration in Bethlehem. Everything centered around the birth of Jesus on this most special night in all of history.

 It is time to make a new list, and put Jesus first. Remember the simplicity of His beautiful and humble birth. Appreciate the grace and mercy that God has shown through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.  In His honor, let’s love, give, and show kindness to others. Give smiles, hugs, and encouraging words freely in celebration of Him. Slow down and appreciate time with loved ones. Make memories. Bless others. A wondrously simple, yet brilliant new list.

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” Luke 2:8-12

Indescribable Gift

The love, mercy, grace, power, and justice of God are all wrapped up in One Beautiful Gift—The Gift of Jesus. Jesus our Savior, Jesus our Lord. God’s Gift brings us salvation and freedom. His Gift grants us peace, joy, and hope. God’s Gift of His very own Son is a lavish demonstration of His enormous love for us. A love that goes beyond the greatest extent and farthest length, all to draw us near to Him and make us each His child. God’s gift brings us a sure hope we can cling to for now and all of eternity.

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15

Of all the gifts exchanged this season be sure to unwrap God's Gift and receive His abundant love for you!

True Joy

True joy is not found in our external circumstances or situations, which change like the shifting sand—blown and formed at the whim of the wind. True joy is discovered in our perspective. True joy is found in contentment and satisfaction despite our current circumstance and situation. True joy is a treasure to hold and behold. True joy is a mindset we choose to put on—we grab hold of it, let it fill us with delight, and then overflow and pour out of us, infecting the world around us with true joy. 

Thankful

Pause, reflect, appreciate, give thanks. A day set aside for just such occasion. The whirling and rush that usually distracts our attention and steals our notice of everyday blessings, is put on hold with the specific purpose of counting these often-overlooked gifts. A whole day for rejoicing, celebrating, and giving thanks—thanks to our Father in Heaven, the giver of all good gifts. Every blessing we have comes directly from His loving hand, straight from His merciful heart. Giving thanks warms the heart and encourages the mind, as we redirect our thoughts onto the presence of His goodness in our lives. Let’s gather a heart full of thanks on this special day, and take it with us into the days to come.

Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

New Devotional

 I am happy to say my new devotional is available on Amazon.com. It is filled with powerful Scripture, heart-warming stories, and inspirational devotions. I hope it brings a bit of joy to your day!

In the Quiet

In the rush of the day we often lose our sense of God’s presence. It is in the quiet and stillness that our hearts and minds become more fully aware of Him. By stepping outside of the busyness—even for just a few moments—to spend quality, undistracted time with God we reap untold blessings of peace, clarity, calm, and refreshment. In the quiet and stillness, we find Him.

Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,”

Confidence

My confidence is found not in others’ opinion of me; not in my assessment of myself; not in my looks, possessions, position, wealth, or power; my confidence is found not even in my blessings. All of these can change in an instant like the direction of the wind. The one, sure, steadfast, constant truth I find my confidence in is my identity as A Daughter of the King and my position of royalty in God’s kingdom. My confidence is found in my permanent place of belonging in my Father’s household. My confidence is found in God alone. 

“For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”              

Proverbs 3:26, ESV

Untangled

On my own:

I am insecure.

I am awkward.

I am broken.

On my own I am a jumbled mess of feelings, most of which are built on lies meant to keep me from living the abundant life God has for me.

With Jesus:

I am secure.

I am confident.

I am mended.

I am whole.

With Jesus, I am untangled and set free. With Jesus I learn the Truth of who I am.

With Jesus I find abundance:

I find love.

I find joy.

I find acceptance.

I find peace.

I find security.
With Jesus I am untangled.

In Control

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am so grateful for Your loving care. You alone are sovereign over all. Everything that goes on in this world is under Your authority. No matter how far this world seems to spin out of control, You remain in complete control. Help me to place and keep my hope, peace, confidence, and joy in You. You are good, merciful, powerful, righteous, and just. Your ways prevail. Help me to keep focused on who You are.

Amen.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD is the kingdom: you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all."

Just Be

Find rest in God’s presence. Cease your endless striving and restlessness. Find rest in His care. All God asks of you is to be—be still, be content, be filled, be restored, be refreshed in His presence and care.

Psalm 62:5, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”

Say So

Psalm 107

107:1-2, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so—those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from the east and west, from the north and south.”

What are the redeemed so thankful for? What are the redeemed to speak of?

That God has purchased us back from the hand of our enemy; that He has brought us near to Him, into His care from both near and far. That He took us from our aimless wandering and gave our weary hearts a place to find rest, in His presence. That God delivers us from our distresses, offering us peace and hope in the midst. That He leads us in the path and way of His perfect plan for our lives. That He satisfies and fills our searching souls with His abundant love.

These are the blessings that the redeemed are so thankful for, and of which we are to joyfully declare. 

Valuable Lessons

We are powerless to change our past, but we can change how we look at it. Lord, help me to realize that my past has made me stronger person, and show me that these experiences have taught me valuable life lessons. 

  --A quote from Clayton Leavitt (Grandpa)

Strong

Be strong.

Be Brave.

Be Courageous.

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Getting to know Jesus

Getting to know Jesus isn’t hard work, but it does take a bit of effort. Just as with any relationship a few things are required: spending time, listening, sharing, being in the moment, being aware of their presence.

Jesus is waiting for you to take a break from everything that is pulling you this way and that, and step into His presence, experience His peace, get to know Him more. Grab your Bible and pen, grab your devotional. Open them up, read His words, pour out your heart. Or just sit quietly setting your mind on Him and His presence. He invites you to come and spend time with Him today.

Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Un-frazzled

It seems that many things come into our daily lives that try to distract us from the peace, joy, hope, and contentment that is meant to be ours. These “things” come in and make us lose focus of what truly matters—what is truly significant and lasting in the scheme of life. As petty as it is, the “thing” that began to frazzle me this week was my computer. I know technology is meant to make our lives easier, but for me it sometimes adds an extra level of frustration. I spent (wasted) an entire day trying to fix an old email address, then ended up having to switch to an entirely brand new email address, which continued to give me trouble as well. I do not like squandering a gorgeous summer day by being stuck indoors for no good reason; each day is a precious gift that I don’t want to pass by unused or fully appreciated. Enough of the day had already passed and I didn’t want to waste another minute. As evening approached I conceded that my attempt at straightening out my computer issues for the day was going to be a fruitless endeavor.  I chose to step away from my desk, remove myself from the situation, and head outdoors for a much needed fresh perspective. I laced up my walking shoes, opened the front door, and headed down the street. It’s amazing how quickly my perspective can change just by getting outside. As I put one foot in front of the other I felt the sun slowly melt my cares away, the light breeze whisk my cares far away, and the cheery song of the birds joyfully lift any thought of frustration from my mind. I thanked God for the beauty which surrounded me and showed me a bigger picture. I find time and time again that there is no better cure for the aggravations of life—no matter how petty or significant—than to spend time with God while taking in His grand creation. God is the Ultimate un-frazzler. He always puts “things” in their proper perspective.

 Psalm 21:6, “Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.”

Master Make-overs

Last week I had the privilege of sharing the message “You are Beautiful” with a room full of women at a Teen Challenge addiction recovery home. I have visited there many times before, and each time I visit I am overwhelmed by the beauty of these women. They are overcoming great obstacles with the discipline of the program, the encouragement of their leaders, and the love of Jesus to heal their hearts. From the time they enter the program till their day of graduation, Jesus is at work transforming these women from the inside-out. They were beautiful going into the program and they are becoming more and more beautiful as Jesus goes to work on their hearts.

As Jesus mends and softens our hearts, or countenance on the outside is softened too.

Here is an excerpt from my upcoming Bible study workbook, “A Daughter of the King”:  “Jesus is the One who softens the lines of our face, unfurrows our brow, removes our scowl; replacing them with a glimmer in our eyes, a rosiness to our cheeks, and an upward curve at the edges of our mouths. Jesus is the Master at complete make-overs….inside and out.”

Snapshots of Joy

Snapshots of Joy:  

·         Bees buzzing

·         Caterpillars crawling

·         Leaves rustling in the wind

·         Birds chirping in the trees

·         Cartwheels in the green grass

·         Toes in the warm sand

·         Chubby, happy baby faces

·         A friendly welcome

·         Running through sprinklers on a hot summer’s day

·         April showers

·         May flowers

·         Children skipping

·         twinkly stars shining down

·         Cool breezes

·         Clear blue skies

·         Puffy white clouds in various shapes

·         Golden sunshine on my face

·         Puppies playing

·         People laughing

·         Holding hands

·         Stolen moments with the ones you love  

Snapshots of joy are waiting to be found; just stop and look, they’re all around. 

  

Psalm 21:6, “Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.             

                                                                                                          

Cartwheels

The “Joy of Jesus” is this: despite difficult circumstances your heart still feels like doing cartwheels.

Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

Soar

As I was taking a walk the other afternoon, I looked up and saw a large bird soaring high in the sky, and the thought occurred to me that we too can soar to amazing heights when we lay down our fears and insecurities, and just believe God. Disbelief is what keeps us tethered to the ground. Jesus came to set us free. 

Isaiah 40:31, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.