I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming Christmas season. Everything – and I mean EVERYthing – will be different this year. I’m keeping my focus on the reason for the season and not how all will be different. I’m going to start with this picture of my living room last year – there were 10 of us living at the house. 5 cousins day and night. Together. This time last year we were 3 weeks into 3 months and there was a rhythm starting to show itself.
I’m not going to go into the differences between last year and this right now – but I am going to totally change gears. Kind of. Lately my focus has been how to make life count. In cleaning out my laptop this morning I came across a letter I wrote to a youth girl in June. I thought it was really interesting how I needed to hear this right now. It was as if God had me write this nearly 6 months ago for me today.
He is in control. Yesterday. Today. and Forever.
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God made you exactly the way He wanted you to be, He didn’t make any mistakes; and every aspect of your life (big or small) is meant to be for His glory. Regardless of how that situation might feel or look.
Isn’t it crazy how beautiful God makes things, even in places where few will see or appreciate all of the intricate parts of His creation? In my mind that just proves He is a creative God who loves color, texture, variety, and everything having a perfect balance. Which {I imagine} is why he makes each of us individual with the color of our skin, hair, and eyes; the texture (or shape) of our ears, mouth, nose, eyes, bodies, and every other part of us.
When I say “every other part of us” I am referring to our character, experiences in life, and how we choose to respond to those experiences. I have learned it is about how we respond (and choose to not react) to situations in life that we can honor and glorify Him.
Have you ever thought about the fact God made you to be who you are: a girl who has become a young woman, searching for your place in this world. Did you know you are not replaceable? Not to your parents, family, friends, parents’ friends, or friends’ parents. If you were to die (or just leave somewhere long term), we would be left with a hole in our hearts and lives, never to be re-filled as perfectly as you fit into each of our lives. You don’t have to make yourself useful. You were made special by the one and only God & Creator of the universe – to be a reflection of Him. That is your sole purpose in life – to glorify God. Our hearts were made to search out, wanting to know deeply, and love God. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do that will ever change this. He sent His Son to die for each of us individually. All we have to do is accept His gift of salvation and pursue Him. There is no life experience that will ever change this truth, this promise – we have the choice to let it shape us, depending on our response, and how quickly we turn to Him for our direction.
Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God. …” Our purpose in life is not about what we do, or who we are. It is about knowing He is God. It is about trusting Him, resting in Him, believing He is God of the universe, and in every circumstance He is in control. I want to encourage you in this time of being “unplugged” from everything normal, to turn your focus to Him; focus on who you are in Christ; rely on Him for everything; and allow your heart to be soothed and filled by the One who created you. He is the only One who can completely comfort you, filling every part of your being.
Here is a challenge for you. By challenge, I do not mean a win or lose, make it or not, but an ongoing challenge for the rest of life (if you care to :-D). … Romans 12:1,2 (MSG) “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
I am in no way pointing these things out to say you aren’t already doing any one of them; but as an encouragement to do one or more if you aren’t already, or to continue if you are. I haven’t seen this version of these verses before and just recently read it – I thought it was important and wanted to share it with you. We all need the reminder of how simple it really is to do what God wants us to – and what a perfect time to start, when everything you are used to is different and you have to rely on God yourself to get through each day.
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So. It’s Christmas season. Not even December yet.