Do You Know Who You Are? Part 2

"For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and

wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

The last time I wrote I began to share with you the four things God had placed on my heart about discovering who we are in Him. Do we truly know who we are? Are we partially sure of who we are? Is there a doubt in our minds that we are who we are? These questions, I'm sure, consume us at times. We struggle to make sense of the chaos around us because we're not quite sure where we fit in and on top of all that, who wants to be in the midst of chaos. Finding our place in life and knowing who we are is knowing who God is and what He has created us to do and be.

In the last post, I shared with you about Identity. Our Identity is the qualities that make us different from one another. The biggest thing that can keep us from discovering our identity and knowing who we are is our insecurities. Every time I think about God creating us individually, I envision a picture of Him sitting at a potters wheel, spinning the wheel and carefully sculpting the clay. What hard work that must be. Not one piece of pottery can be duplicated to look exactly like another.  I remember when Chris and I first got married, I was teaching Art and going to school in the evenings and on Saturdays. I was taking drawing classes and decided I wanted to try something new, so I signed up for ceramic class. It was a credit needed as well so I just figured I'd get it out of the way. Well, needless to say, I fell in love with clay! I came home every night excited to tell Chris what I had been working on. I even brought home my work at times. We had even at one point considered purchasing a Kiln to keep in the garage so I could continue my creations after the classes where over. I had one problem though...I was not very skilled on the pottery wheel. I could never keep the clay wet enough. At times it was too wet...ugh. And then there were those moments that I had no control whatsoever on the speed of the wheel. My foot every time suddenly become as heavy as a sledge hammer and the clay would eventually go sliding, and often times, flying off the wheel. I felt frustrated every time I had to sit at that cursed thing. 

There was another student in my class who could sit at the wheel and make the most beautiful pieces. He was so graceful in shaping that unique piece of pottery that would soon become a one of a kind masterpiece. Why couldn't I do that? Why was it so natural to him and for me it was such a mess? Piece after piece would come out of the kiln shaped and glazed to perfection. And here I stood watching and hoping I could one day create such masterpieces. But here's the irony in all of this. I wanted so badly to create the masterpiece but I didn't even enjoy sitting at the wheel. How could I make something so beautiful from sitting in a position I so much disliked? I didn't even enjoy the wheel. My passion was sitting at a large table surface with a 6lb block of recycled clay and hand-building my masterpiece. I began to build pieces using a coil method that allowed you to create a base shape, roll pieces of clay into coil shapes and then carefully shape them around the base building from the bottom up. These pieces too were unique, just as those thrown on the wheel, but created in a different way. I had found my position in pottery building. I was amazed at the things that were coming from these hands of mine and so excited to see that God could use me in a different way. Later that semester, one of my pieces was chosen to go on display at the student exhibition.

You see, I thought that just because I couldn't sculpt the way someone else did, I must not have had the same ability as they did. It wasn't about the ability, it was about the technique. I had the ability, but God just created me to operate in a different way. 

Some people may be able to gracefully shape and mold the life of others in a quick spin of the wheel and then there are those who must be built from the bottom up because they have been broken and torn apart. God showed me love and compassion for the people and because of that I know my purpose and position in helping to rebuild others who have been broken. The amazing thing about clay is that it can be recycled. Remember I mentioned that I had been using recycled clay for my projects at school? The clay had come from broken pieces that didn't quite turn out the way they were expected but I was able to take that broken clay and reuse it to build something beautiful. And guess what? We are not perfect! After the clay would go through the firing process, I would remove it from the kiln and there would often times be a crack or two but the piece was still beautiful, imperfections and all. No one is perfect, but we can all be rebuilt.

I had originally intended on covering only one point in todays blog but God works in his own way :)

Point 2 and 3 of knowing who you are, are Purpose and Position.

Do we know our purpose in life? Purpose is the reason for which something (or someone in this case) exists. What are you purposed to do? What are you designed to do? Our purpose in life is always bigger than us but we have no need to fear it. David didn't fear the giant when he set out to accomplish what God created him to do. He didn't flinch or step back. He stepped forward in confidence that God would be there with him no matter what he faced. We each have a purpose. What is it that makes you feel like your fulfilling life? When living for God what brings us Joy? What do you love to do? These are all great questions to ask ourselves but they are not the only indicators of why we live on purpose. We ARE on Purpose...everyday of our life. 

I read so many stories of people who have done so much in their life and then before they pass they feel as though they have accomplished nothing. Why is that? Did they know their purpose or where they only cruising through life unaware of their God-given purpose? How can they be so well known, wealthy, and admired and yet feel as though they lived alone in the darkest of places with no understanding of life; no meaning? We can be successful at somethings and still be out of our purpose. I read another story recently of a young man who had passed away in a car accident. He was only 16 and a great football player for his high school team. The story shared that in his journal he had written that God had blessed him with the gift of kicking so that he could have the opportunity to share his belief in Christ with others. While alive, he did just that and some of his friends did come to know The Lord, but it wasn't until after his death that a great number of people had given their life to the Lord both during and after his funeral all because of his witness while alive on this earth. This kid was truly living His purpose and he knew it. And even now after death, the memory of his life brings salvation to the lost.

The third point was Position. Our position is the proper or appropriate place in which we belong. What is the position that we are supposed to be in? What role to we play? A position is intended to help fill a space needing to be filled because the rest of the space can not properly function when there is a gap or missing component. If we are out of position, then we affect everything else around us. I remember about a year ago the girls and I were at an event with Chris for his job. While he worked, we walked around to visit the many other businesses out there to see what goodies we could gather from each table. We came to a chiropractor table and of course they were offering free spinal evaluations (I hope I said that right...lol). I allowed the doc to check my spine and upon evaluation he mentioned that one of my discs was slightly out of place. I guess I looked a bit concerned cause he immediately began to reassure me that it was normal but just needed to be realigned. Boy did God begin to speak word to me about the realignment of our life and priorities, etc, etc, etc! But let me get back to what I found out from the doc before I get lost on another subject :) He continued to tell me that certain discs will affect certain areas of the body and that this particular disc was the one that affected the circulation in my arm and some other areas as well. What amazed me was that everything he was saying was true. I had just shared with my husband a couple of nights before that I couldn't sleep on my left side because every time I did my left arm would go numb within seconds. It was so strange. I completely understood the connection after speaking with the doctor. I was going to have to realign that disc or else it would continue to affect the other areas of my body that it was connected to. We must find our position in whatever it is that God has called us to do and we must stay there until he says move. If we don't and we step out of position (or alignment) then we affect those around us and cause more disruption to the body, team, or group that God has connected us to. 

So first we must define our Identity, then discover our purpose. Then we will be able to find our position and operate in it to the fullest of our ability to help those around us discover their own Identity, Purpose and Position. 

We will operate in our greatest potential when we know who we are, and truly know who we are in God.

I love this scripture and I shared it at the end of the previous post but I have to share it again. I pray it blesses you.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

Do You Know Who You Are?

"For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand

so that we would walk in them."

Ephesians 2:10

It has been some time since my last post. The first of the year has a strange rush to it. It seems that everything is in fast forward when the new year rolls around and before you know it an entire month has passed! Where did January go? I have missed writing and was looking forward to this day, day after day :). So here it is, the middle of February and I remember the last time I wrote God had given us a challenge. That challenge was to find a jar/container of any size and begin to focus daily on our blessings rather than our hurts, wrong doings, frustrations, and pain. Well, I hope you found a huge container! With a family of 4, our jar is filled to the top but not quite to the point of overflowing yet. To my amazement though was the fact that this jar was to be our blessing jar for the entire year...Oops! What now? Lol! I was tempted to change the rules a bit and empty the jar out monthly just to make sure it would fit. Then I shared my idea with my hubby and here is the response I received from him...

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  Luke 6:38

What an amazing word! We are so used to seeing the middle of this verse about "good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over," but the beginning is what stuck with me this time. It says "Give, and it will be given to you." I cannot tell you how much this jar of blessings has not only been a blessing to us as a family, but it has blessed others as well. When people enter our home and see our jar of blessings on the counter, they can't help but to ask what it is. I usually let my girls explain to them what it's there for. Throughout the month of January the girls would have their friends over after school from time to time and the question would come up again and again. The true blessing in this is that a child never left our home without putting their blessing in the jar. At the end of the night when I would go to write my blessing, I would stop and pull a couple of blessings out to read and it would be those that the girls friends had put in. They were thanking God for their teachers, saying they were grateful for their friends, some even said their blessing for the day was that they had a chance to play. Oh how simple they were but yet, so profound. Why do we struggle so much in searching the depths of our heart for a daily blessing? Why is it so hard to thank God just for the breath we take each morning? Our blessings each day may be so small and simple but even in its simplicity we are still reminded that yes, we are indeed blessed. If you took the challenge please send me a message and let me know how God has blessed you and your family already even in this first month and a half. God has only begun and I am so looking forward to watching those blessings in our jar spill over. Then I will have the great opportunity to see the scripture come to life when I have to press it down, shake it together, and watch it run over...over and over again!

I started this post with one of my favorite verses. 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."   Ephesians 2:10

I love this verse for many reasons but most recently it has become the word I remind myself of constantly. We are His design, created in the image of Christ for be like Christ and do great things on this earth, because whether we believe it or not, God already had the blueprints of our life drawn up and the plan written down. Our purpose was etched in the fibers of our being never to be altered or removed, but we must choose to walk in that purpose. 

Do you know who you are? I do...I didn't always know. At times I thought I knew, but not until recently did I realize who I really was. People may try to tell you who you are, they may even try to change your God-given plan but Gods plan always eliminates the inaccuracies of man. There are 4 things that I would like to share over the next couple of posts that I continually evaluate in my life to know who I am in God:

1) Identity - This is the qualities that make a particular person different from another. What makes you different from everyone else? There are so many scriptures in the bible about our identity in God and I encourage you to study them on your own, but there is one thing that will rob us of our identity and that is our insecurities. When we allow our insecurities to cause us to shrink back, we begin to forget who we are in Christ. 

What is your identity? What makes you different? Know who you are and walk in the character of Christ. Knowing who you are will launch you into your purpose He has already written for you.
I would encourage you to make a list of all the things that define who you are and makes you different from anyone else.

Do you know who you are? I am a child of God, living on purpose with a purpose, and so excited about being as different as possible from the rest of the world. We ARE Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do great things, which He prepared for us to do before we were even born.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

There Is Always Hope PART 2

Job 14:7-9 

"At least there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,

and its new shoots will not fail.

Its roots may grow old in the ground,

and its stump die in the soil,

yet at the scent of water it will bud

and put forth shoots like a plant.

 Today is the first day of the new year and often times this day can represent a day of new beginnings or that breath of fresh air. For a moment we feel no stress, anxiety or worry because we are at the beginning of a new opportunity to leave the past behind and walk towards our dreams and aspirations for what the new year holds for us. Not a care in the world, we have our minds made up and no one can change that...then tomorrow comes...dum dum dummm dum! Oh why couldn't we just stay in today forever. Our hopes of a new beginning are crushed and then the bad begins to outweigh the good all over again. Why? 

Because we allow it to! 


I remember when I first read this verse about the tree. I had seen it many times before but this time I READ it and I finally understood it. I shared with you last time about Job. His life was full of tests and trials and when it seemed like it just couldn't get any worse...it did. And yet he still had hope for a life of restoration. If you didn't get a chance to read "There Is Always Hope", I encourage you to go back and read it in the November archives. We are that tree that at times in our life has lay dormant and cut down. We appear to have no more life and it seems as though all hope is gone, but all the tree needed was a whiff of that wonderful water. In the same way our chopped down spirits need just a whiff of Gods everlasting water. He gives life to the lifeless and allows us to grow once more.

There is so much to share and I hope that I can encourage you with this word.

The roots of a tree may dry up but just as the scripture says, "yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." It doesn't really matter who or what chopped you down in the past but what does matter is that there is still life in your stump. A seed will not grow until it is given the necessary things needed for a successful growth. It waits to be put in the proper place, in some type of soil. Then it sits patiently waiting for water. At the first touch of that water the seed begins to open. And lastly, a seed needs warmth. It cannot grow until these three needs are met. We are much like this seed and even more so like the tree it becomes. But we tend to forget that before the tree grows above the earth, it must first grow below the earth. Even though we can not see the roots of this tree growing we have to have faith that something great is taking place and creating the foundation of what will serve as the anchor to hold that tree in place. The roots grow deep beneath the surface to do everything they can to keep that tree from becoming uprooted when the storms come. We are that tree and we feel the winds and rain in life but our root system is what determines whether we become uprooted or withstand the storms of life.

My heart weighed heavy with the picture of the stump that was left from the severe beating it had received. It had been chopped down and roots dried up but there was still hope. Have you been chopped down? Did someone, something or even just hard times weigh heavy on you? Or maybe our own actions at times caused us to let our branches hang low giving the enemy an opportunity to take a good reach and pull with all his might. We did not allow God to prune us and cut away that which did not belong in our life and so we allowed diseases to overtake our roots, which in turn killed the body of the tree.

My encouragement to you would be this. You may be cut down, feel defeated, or even left with no hope but remember this...Gods word did not say at the drop of water, it said "at the SCENT of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." God wants to restore your roots but you must want it too. Our roots are the life giver to our tree. They are what anchors us to the foundation that God has set for us. But we must allow the things of God to be what runs through our feeder roots to the body, not the things of the world. If we allow negativity in, then negativity is what we become. We must take in the positive so that even the living things that surround us will have the opportunity to experience restoration and a reviving of their spirits. 

Remember this as well...

Just because we can not see the restoration of the roots taking place doesn't mean that it is not happening. This is true faith...when you can look at a person and by faith see the change and restoration that God is doing in their life and wait patiently for the first sign of a sprout of new life. New life has begun but be patient and soon we will see the stem of hope rise up from beneath the surface. Not hope for us...because we already know what God can do, but hope for those around us that if He can do it for me, then He can do it for you.

I want to close with a challenge for all this new year. In the midst of all the New Years resolutions I would like to share with you what God placed on my heart to do with my family and I hope that you would join in with us too. I went out today in search for a glass container. I found a vase but you can use whatever you choose. Today we will begin by writing down all the things we are praying to see God do in our lives this year as a family. Everyday for the rest of this year we will each write down one great thing that God has done for us on that specific day and date it. Into the container it will go. When we focus on the blessings in our life, no matter how big or small they are, we begin to allow God to bring restoration to our roots. Our container will say "Restoration of our Roots" on the outside of it and each day will be a reminder of how God is continuing to restore us all. This will force us at the end of each day to focus on the positive no matter how tough the day may have been and when the year is up we will be reminded that God is always there for us even in the midst of struggles, change, and trials.

I chose a glass container for 2 main reasons:

• For starters, I have nothing against journals, but being one who enjoys journaling, I find that it is very easy to set that journal aside and forget about it from time to time as life gets busy. With  a glass container/jar, I will have to stop and write something every evening when I walk past and see it staring me in the face from my kitchen counter :)
• and 2nd, I will love seeing my blessings from God grow day after day and know He loves me more than I could ever imagine.

I would encourage you to join me in this challenge and see what God does to restore the very roots of our foundation in Him.

I would love to see your blessings grow as the months go by so please share a picture with me if you can. Our container is pictured  at the top of this page and waiting eagerly to be filled :)

Be Blessed! and Happy New Year!

What's Holding You Captive?

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though it's waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

I have struggled these last 10 days to find the words to say. I knew what God was placing on my heart but I just couldn't quite get it out. I now understand why. What I write to you is always from personal experience and let me say that it is not always fun to go through certain moments in life but if we never went through then how would we help the next person in line.

In a season of love, family, thankfulness and most importantly, the birth of Jesus, my heart weighs heavy at times. Not for me but for those I know and do not know. I look around and see hurt and pain in the eyes of individuals. There spirits are downcast. The hearts ache. They can not find joy no matter how hard they search for it. Have you ever known someone who just always looked miserable? You always smile at them, and nothing. You try to love on them, and they refuse to budge. You don't know what else to do except to pray for them. We hand our prayers over to God and hope he can accomplish what we could not. And he can! But there's still that question in the back of our minds (or at least mine)...What is holding them captive? What caused them so much pain? Where has their joy gone? What was stripped from their heart that has left them feeling empty in this life they now call their prison?

A prisoner lives restricted and under the rules or conditions of the facility in which they dwell. They become so conditioned to a routine and many believe this is the reason why they struggle to live a normal life if and when they have the opportunity to be released from the confines of that place they have been for so long. I read a scripture this morning in Romans 7:21 that said "I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." The bottom line is that we are human. Our human nature wants to do the very things that we think or desire will bring us joy, so we compromise our relationship with God our father and we ignore His word and guidance. We don't realize it until its too late and we are taken captive by the desires of our inner flesh. And all along God was waiting for us to call on Him for help.

One of the things I like to do in the evening after the girls are in bed and life has calmed down from the rush of the daily routine is grab a hot cup of tea and read the local news for that day. It's just habit for me. I'm not sure yet if it's a good or bad habit but I feel the need to do it. So I sit there and read story after story and often wonder if I know or have seen the person in the news reports. I read of children being hurt and I can't help but to pray and hope that they are ok. I read of people being in a hit and run and I quickly search for a name hoping it's not someone I know. I am relieved that it is not but here comes the burden in my heart to pray for them. I then see a report of an accident that is not far from me that has taken the life or lives of those in the vehicle. My heart drops and again I pray. Then I come across story after story of robberies, theft, hold ups, and stolen ATMs. Most recently was a story of a young lady who was stealing from her place of employment by loading money on non-purchased gift cards when customers and other employees were not around. The sad part about the story was that she only did it because her family was struggling. What drives a person to become so consumed by their lack that they never take the time to realize their gain?

We stress over the things we do not have and we forget that we are blessed in so many other ways. In this season, when we should be celebrating life and family, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of what to buy and who to shop for. We stress over finances and spend what we don't have. We create debt, which leads to stress, stress causes our bodies to breakdown both inside and out, and worst of all...we lose our joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The joy of The Lord is your strength."

We  moved about 2 years ago across country. We left everything behind with the exception of our kitchen stuff, dining table and chairs, and our beds. We only brought a handful of clothes and shoes. No comfy couches to sit on, no TV to watch, and a truck on its last leg. But the material things didn't matter. We had each other and because of our sacrifice, so many other families that we knew in our old state were blessed with things they needed. It took about 4 months before we had a couch to sit on and we thanked God for blessing us with the means to finally get it but the empty space before the couch is what I treasured. I could watch my daughters dance and play for hours across the empty room. You see, sometimes God will allow us to go through certain situations in order to show us what is most important in life. We had each other and that was all that mattered. The couch came and yes we sit on it but from time to time I just can't help myself. I still stretch out across the floor and thank God for that moment in time that He allowed me to see the true blessing. It was not the things but the time with my family.

We may not realize it but we allow so many things to hold us captive. We struggle with our finances, we struggle with our children, our relationships are falling apart, and we can't seem to find a way out. Is our life really over? Did you take that wonderful breath of fresh air (ok...it may not always be fresh...lol) but did you breathe new life today? We allow these things to shackle us and we walk around bound by chains that we allowed these things to bind us with. I can share story after story of personal struggles that my family and I have had to endure, but one thing remains, our love for each other. Ask God to removed the chains from your life and restore Joy to you...His Joy! I don't ever see my struggles as a curse but more of a blessing. I made it through didn't I? So why can't you? I am blessed to still be here and honored to be able to share my testimonies to give hope to all who read these posts.

The prisoner at the beginning of this message...well he is you and I. The difference in the story is that we do not conform to the routine of confinement but we experience true freedom through Jesus Christ. When we give our lives to Christ and we choose to trust and have faith that He will see us through, that is when we have true Joy and Hope. You have been in your chains long enough. Drop them and allow God to restore your Joy and Peace. You will make it through! Be blessed!

The Heart of Christmas

The Heart of Christmas

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJktrBObrI

Have you ever had a moment where  you had so much on your mind you just couldn't seem to get the words out for fear that there would be too much to share and the excitement would turn to rambling and then no one would listen? Wow! That was a long first sentence! Hopefully the rambling won't kick in too badly and I will be able to share what's on my heart in an orderly manner ;) lol

All kidding aside though for a moment. I really struggled finding the words to share with you this time around. I would start to set time aside to write and then change my mind because I just wasn't ready yet. This went on for the past 5 days and even though I still feel like there is so much more to share I will share what I can and continue on in the coming days as the Lord places it on my heart.

First of all, please take the time to visit the Youtube link I have posted at the top of this blog. This song truly blessed my heart when I heard it last night for the first time. You may have heard or seen the movie it was the inspiration for, but for me, I came across it, I believe not by accident when listening to Matthew Wests Christmas album. God summed up my heart in one song. In the last couple of posts I shared about thanksgiving and gratefulness, but what often happens between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Our moment of thankfulness is gone and we dive head first into a sea of emotions.

Probably for about the first 10 years of our marriage, Chris and I would get so excited about Christmas. We would decorate, bake, and attend holiday friend and family parties. The church was always doing elaborate celebrations, and of course halfway through those 10 years with the birth of our daughters, Christmas was even more exciting. We wanted to do all we could for our little blessings, and we did! But one thing remained, Chris and I always made it about the children and when it came to shopping for gifts, we did all we could for the girls and everyone else would do without. Did we want to bless our family? Of course we did! Did we wish we could do so much more for everyone else? Absolutely! But the truth of the matter was, we just couldn't. As much as we wanted to, we just couldn't. As we found ourselves stuck in this position year after year, we hoped for change, we prayed for increase, we wanted the ability to do more. Frustration, sadness and an overwhelming guilt always surrounded me. I was frustrated at always having just enough and never MORE than enough. I was saddened that we were not in a position to bless others the way our hearts desired to. And most of all, a guilt hovered over me when we would receive gifts in the mail from family and we had not sent a single package out. Why was this so torturous? Why was the stress so overwhelming and over-powering that the joy I was supposed to have at Christmas was sucked out of me so quickly that I had to pretend to be happy. Oh I was truly grateful for the gifts but why did they have to even send them? I didn't ask for anything! I hadn't even made a Christmas wish list! Then my feelings would turn to anger because now it was more of "how dare they make me feel bad!" This only lasted a moment because everything would eventually break down and I would then be left in silent tears because there was nothing I could do about it. What was I going to do? Get angry at someone just because they decided and WANTED to bless me?

I remember being invited to a Christmas/Birthday celebration with the ladies of our church at the time and at this event each of us was there to honor a particular leader in our church who had been a part of our lives for several years. I was very nervous because a gift was expected and for one we did not have much, secondly most of the other women knew her interests and likes more than I did. I struggled for  days trying to figure out the perfect gift. I was very close to just giving up and not attending at all when God spoke clearly to my heart and said to give a gift from the heart. I immediately sat down and began to write the words of my heart on parchment paper. When I was done sharing my gratitude and appreciation for this person, I took the paper and burned the edges, rolled it up and tied it with a ribbon. There were 3 gifts in the bag to represent the words I had written. A journal to represent the words of encouragement that she would one day write for other women, teabags to represent the relationship established over gatherings, and the last gift was a shawl to represent the covering that she had been to all of us. The time came for the party and the moment of gift giving. As she opened each gift one by one, I began to doubt the simple contents of my bag. Expensive gifts, one right after another came, and I began to feel extremely nervous. I wanted to duck out when no one was looking but the time came for me to present my gift. With a humble heart but also a feeling of downcast spirit I stood and pulled the scroll from the bag and began to read. With each part I read I pulled the gift from the bag and presented it to represent the words. As I read, tears began to roll down my cheek and I could feel God removing the shame from heart. I lifted my head and gave her a hug and returned to my seat. You see, I learned a lesson that night. There was nothing wrong with anyone else's gift, but there was nothing wrong with mine either. I gave from my heart and that was all that mattered.

In this season of Christmas, we see a lot of selfishness, envy, anger, and frustration, but the hardest part is that I see mostly, hurt, sadness, loneliness, and heartache. We have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. We temporarily forget about the one who can replace our heartache with joy, the one who can bandage up our wounds and bring true healing. He is the one who can bring peace in the midst of chaos. Jesus Christ is the true reason for this season and all year long for the rest of our life. We have to allow Him to take the stress and doubt from our lives and replace it with His love.

I want to go back to this song I posted at the top of the page. The Story behind the song broke my heart but the love throughout the song gave so much hope. The family lost this precious gift but God filled their hearts with love, faith and hope to press on and live every moment to the fullest. The title was so perfect because what God showed me is that it's God's love that is the Heart of Christmas. Gods love to others, through others, and with others is the heart of Christmas. The most important part of Christmas is not the gifts or the parties, but the love we show to those around us and most importantly taking the time to show those you love how much you truly do love them.

We take for granted the fact that they should already know we love them, so we don't say it enough. Those simple words from the heart just might be what is needed to pull that special loved one from what ever pit they may have found themselves in. I was once in a pit, almost no life left and it was Gods love through those around me that pulled me up and out and gave me hope again. You see, I don't ask for much, actually I don't ask for anything anymore. I wake up each morning and the question I hear over and over is, "If I never gave another thing to you, would you still love me?" And my answer every time is, "Yes Lord, I would." I say these simple words to my husband every chance I get, at least once a day, "I love you and you are my gift." He is my gift. I asked God for him and He blessed me with the greatest husband and best friend. My daughters are my gift. We asked specifically for twins and that is what He blessed us with and they are the most wonderful gift. I am grateful for life, my family who loves me unconditionally, and most of all, my Heavenly Father who has never has let me down. I have no need for anything else when God has already given such wonderful gifts and the greatest gift of all, His son Jesus.

So in this Christmas season I want to start by saying...

To all my family and loved ones - I love you, I thank God for you and there may be distance between us in miles, but you are closer than ever in my heart. YOU ARE MY GIFT!

To all of my closest friends - You know who you are, and if you have doubts then maybe we should talk...lol. I love you and you are special to me. God has placed us in each other's lives for a reason and a season. Some seasons may last longer than others but each is just as important as the other. Thank you for your friendship. YOU ARE MY GIFT!

To everyone else who I may not know but you received this because someone cared enough about you to share these words, just know that you are loved by God and those around you even if they may not stay it as often. You are loved!

Tell those you love how much you love them and don't forget the Heart of Christmas is Gods Love!

Be Blessed!

Take Heart

"I have told you these things,

so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart!

I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

Over these past couple of days, as we come closer to Thanksgiving, we can't help but to reflect on the things God has done for us throughout the many seasons of our life. The good, the bad and the moments of testing all come to a halt, allowing for a time of evaluation over such things individually. We search the very reasoning for why these things take place and wonder if we have succeeded in overcoming the trial placed before us. Why do these things happen? Why is it that some things bring more confusion or hurt than others? And when do we ever get the chance to successfully predict that which is to come? Hmmmm...What are the answers?

Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace." He revealed to the disciples the truth of what was to come. He gave them a glimpse into the future of what God had predestined for us all. He spoke peace to us all through His word, but yet we still find ourselves in a state of panic, discouragement, worry, frustration...and the list goes on and on. The next part of the verse speaks clearly of the tests and trials we will have to endure, but He has already reaffirmed through His word that we are overcomer's through Him. He says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." And we still question why and panic when things go a different direction from what we thought would happen. He says to Take Heart!

Take: means to reach for and hold

Heart: means the central or innermost part of something.

So what Jesus was telling the disciples, as well as, all believers (you and I) is that we must "fear not". Take Heart! Reach out and take hold of the central and innermost part of what He has called us to do, predestined for our life, and set us on this earth to complete.

I continued on through John 17, which is a wonderful chapter...I would encourage you to read it. We find Jesus praying to His father in heaven. He began by praying for Himself, but then continued on to pray for the disciples, specifically in their call to ministry, and then prayed for all believers. He was determined to cover us all, but what I love about His words is that in the beginning of this chapter as he begins to pray, he does not speak of himself as he saw himself, but as how God saw him. He spoke in 3rd person as if he were referring to someone else and then spoke in 1st person referring to himself. He recognized that he belonged to God and his purpose was to make sure we knew God the way he knew him, as our father. This was the great opportunity for us to have a personal relationship with God.

He then prayed specifically for the desciples. His prayer was not that God remove the disciples from this earth but that God would protect them from evil. They still had a calling on their life and were here on purpose, for a purpose. They couldn't take the easy way out. If they had, where would we be today.

Lastly, he prayed for you and I and all who choose to believe. He took the time to pray for even those who may not know him now, but will one day choose to.

Immediately in the next chapter, John 18, Jesus finishes praying and heads to an olive grove where he is to be betrayed and taken. The olive represents a place of pressing. An olive is squeezed in order to obtain the oil within it. Jesus was going to be squeezd by the enemy, but the oil that came from him is what would one day be poured upon the believers.

This is what the Lord spoke to me in His word:
Jesus knew what was to come but he still prayed for you and I. Often times we pray not knowing what will happen. We pray by faith, but what if we did know the future? What if we could see the trials ahead? Would we still be able to pray as Christ did? Or would we become angry with him? Could we find the strength to go on? Jesus knew they were coming for him but in the moments before his arrest, He prayed for you and I.

The trials in our life should not destroy us but build strength and perseverance in us to go on. We struggle, its not easy, we feel as though we won't make it, but why do we just give up? Why don't we fight? We can overcome! He said he has already overcome this world. We have already won but if we allow those things to kill us, then when will we ever be able to encourage the next person in their struggle? When will we be able to speak about Gods mercy and grace? We must fight! We must have faith! Don't give up! The storm only lasts for a short while. When we endure the storms of life, we take shelter in his word and worship, we pray and comfort those around us, and we wait for the storm to pass. When it's over, LIFE'S NOT OVER! There may be a mess but we look around, take a deep breath, and begin to pick up that which God promised to restore. We see it restored, revived, and renewed. God can piece any situation back together in its proper place. When trials lay ahead, Jesus prayed.

When we come up to a stop sign in life and the trial delays us for a moment, we look both ways, wait for the traffic to pass and continue on when the road has been cleared. What have you allowed the storms of life to uproot, destroy or displace? Don't give up, but ask God for the strength to replant, rebuild and rediscover. Take heart! Take hold of all God has purposed for your life and dig deep into the innermost part of your destiny. He has already overcome the world. And never forget that in the midst of trials, there is always a blessing to be found. Thank him for all he's done for you.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

I have enjoyed so much sharing my heart with you this past week and I pray everyday that the words God speaks to me continue to encourage you. I wanted to do something different today so I asked my husband to share with me what was on his heart. This is what he spoke. I pray it bless you as much as it did me.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,

for they love to pray standing in the synagogues

and on the street corners to be seen by others.

Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

But when you pray, go into your room, 

close the door and pray to your father,

who is unseen.

Then your father, who sees what is done in secret,

will reward you.

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,

for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them, 

for your father knows what you need before you ask him.

This, then, is how you should pray"

Matthew 6:5-8

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it puts us in a mindset of reflection upon getting together with family, friends, and loved ones. We also think about the sequence of events that take place during these types of gatherings. You have family laughter, joy, games, food, and fun but we often forget about the true reason why we are gathered. Then comes the moment right before we feast which is the traditional prayer of thanks. I recently had a good friend of mine ask me about prayer and how to pray, as we reflected upon our position and purpose in life. As we talked about the holidays coming up, we also talked about the many times we are asked to deliver a prayer of thanks. Our conversation quickly turned into a discussion of the proper way to pray. What was the proper way to pray? How were we to gather the correct words? Is there an outline to follow? Should it be this hard? He redirected the questions and challenged me to write an outline on how to deliver a formal prayer, whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other formal or family event. Walking away from that conversation I asked myself two questions: 

1) How is it that someone does not know how to pray to our Heavenly Father when it should be easy to do? 

and 2) How would I answer this challenge when it's something that I thought I knew for years?  

Taking this request to God in prayer, God convicted me for being ungrateful and taking my relationship with Him for granted. He reminded me of something that was said to me during my conversation with my friend and it was this..."Chris, You have a story to tell and something to share."

So the first thing that I will share is what God revealed to me on how to pray in any situation and that was the instruction that was given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 6 and starting with verse 9. 

"This then is how you should pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins."

As we pray the prayer that Jesus Christ instructed us to pray in our closet, then God miraculously through the Holy Spirit reveals to us what that prayer means in our personal lives. Once we are obedient to what Christ instructed us to pray, then the door of understanding through the Holy Spirit is opened for us to know what to pray, specifically for things, issues, and events that are presently taking place in our lives. "God I don't know how to talk to you. How should I speak to you?" "God Im having an issue with my husband/wife and I don't know how to pray for direction or understanding on how to handle it." The list goes on with our inability to know how to pray or what to pray for. God gives us hope and understanding that prayer is a simple conversation between a loving father and his child. And when we don't know what to say in any given situation, if we pray this prayer with all sincerity, God will reveal His perfect will in what to say through the Holy Spirit. 

But keep in mind, "your father knows what you need before you ask him." 

So come to him as a child comes to his father with a simple request. He gave us an outline of prayer to follow, but he hears every word you speak no matter what order it's in. Our prayers are our thoughts, and our thoughts come from our heart. Just speak whats on your heart...He is listening.