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“Alone For Christmas?!!”

Christmas!

What do you think of when you think of Christmas, family, friends, joy, gifts, and peace?  It seems that Christmas for a lot of people makes them warm inside.  The happiness of togetherness with family gathered around the Christmas tree can bring such a joyous feeling.  It seems that people are more courteous and cheerful during the Christmas season.  But the question comes; does everyone feel those warm feelings this time of year?  And the answer is no.

I know this year even for myself there are some sorrows.  It makes it harder to have the full joy of Christmas.  We would visit my father-in-law every Christmas and bring him a gift.  But he is no longer with us.  And I remember the year that we surprised my mom with my brother coming for Christmas.  But this will never be a possibility again.  Things change and sorrow comes into our lives.

Dread

It reminds me of my son.  He cut his leg and it required stitches.  We were told that he could remove the stitches in 14 days; the doctor wanted to be sure it had healed.  My son waited 16 days for good measure.  The next day, after he removed his stitches, he was playing soccer and someone kicked him right on his cut and it totally reopened.  He thought it was totally healed but when put under unfavorable conditions it reopened.

Some people dread this time of the year.  They have had lots of sorrows and abuses that lead to unhappiness when it comes to family.  There are some that seem to have received healing from hurt and pain but when it’s hit with the Christmas season wounds thought to be healed come wide open again.  A lot of times they are either alone or feel alone in a crowd.

Bring cheer

A lot of times we can feel so focused on our own family or our own sorrows we can forget those that may not have a pleasant day planned.  Can you imagine being alone for Christmas?  It’s just another day like any other, no family or friends to spend it with.  There are many that go through this each year.  Do you know someone you could bring cheer to?  I would encourage all of us to think about who we could include in our Christmas cheer that has no place to go.  And let’s change the memory of Christmas for them so that their wounds may fully heal.  Through my own sorrows one thing that I know, as I reach out to cheer others my sorrows diminish.

I remember one year our family invited an older couple to spend Christmas Eve with us.  We celebrate and open gifts on Christmas Eve and this was when our children were younger.  The older couple so thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was wonderful to bring a little joy and happiness into their lives.

Dear Father,

Lead each one of us to think of someone that will be alone for Christmas so that we can include them in our family gathering.  Help us to remember that when we do it unto the least of these we do it unto You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Invite someone today to spend Christmas with you.

Love you all and a Merry Christmas to you.

Do you have a story of inviting someone that would have been alone to join you for Christmas?  I would love to hear it.

 

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“Repent??!!”

Repent

Repenting can be a very hard thing; I think we can all attest to that.  But why is it so hard?  I would suggest that it is because pride is in the way.  In order to repent, we have to humble ourselves.

Relief

I can attest to the fact that when a person finally humbles him or herself and repents it brings such a relief to the soul.  I remember as a young adult going against my parents.  They had said no and I ignored that no and did what I wanted anyway.  For years I always defended my position and felt my parents were wrong, even though the choices I made were making my life miserable.  I did not want to admit that my parents were right and I was wrong.  My parents never brought up the fact that I had gone against their wishes they just loved me and tried to help me in any way they could.

Years later

Several years went by.  I had gone to some workshop and what I heard really hit home.  The realization came to me that even though I could not change the choices I had made I could humble myself and repent.  I went to my parents and asked them to forgive me for my disobedience.  Of course, they forgave me, they already had.  It was me that had a wall between us that made me feel uncomfortable.  Even though my circumstances did not change there was a relief that came to my life.  Remember repenting is not for the other person it is for us.  When we hold something inside it does not affect the other person it only affects us.  I also made things right with God as well, what a blessing.

Our day begins in the evening

I believe that is why God made our day to start in the evening.  We always think of it as the end of the day but it is really the beginning.  If we do not make the right moves in the evening it affects our sleep and the next day.

Before going to sleep at night going through your day and evaluating how your day went, what you learned, maybe how you could have done things better and setting goals for the following day is a good thing to do.

The most important thing is to go to the Lord in prayer and repentance for anything that you have done during the day that has been displeasing to Him.  If you have a forgetful mind like I do I need a little help and God can help us remember.

Psalms 139: 23, 24

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

God knows everything about us.  Our “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

As your allowing God to search your heart He will show you those that you need to go to and ask forgiveness.  As far as possible it is good to do it before you go to bed, which if it is a family member you can.  But if it is someone not in your home you may need to wait until the next day but make sure to make things right as soon as possible.  It is so relieving in the evening to make things right as far as possible and it starts your day right at night.

What does true repentance look like

You can go through the motions of asking someone or God for forgiveness but how can you know if it is genuine or you are just going through the motions.  The motive is very important.  I know that the Lord can help you see your motive.  There are a couple of stories in the Bible that make me think about the difference.  One is the story of Esau and the other is David.

Esau

Esau came from the field after a big hunt and he was hungry.  He felt he could not make it home and live.  His brother was cooking some food and he begs him for some.  His brother wanted the birthright that Esau had as the first-born so he said, “sell me your birthright and I will give you some food”.  So Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of food.  Later Esau repented but for what reason.  Was it because he was really sorry he had sold the birthright or was it because he realized the consequences?  The latter was really the case for Esau.  He could care less that he disobeyed he was just sorry for the consequences.  Esau did not have true repentance.

Hebrews 12: 15-17

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for on morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was reject: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

True repentance means change, not just words.  Esau was not living the life that he was supposed to live in order to receive the birthright.  And when he realized that he was not getting it he “repented” but it was for the wrong reason and was not true repentance.  He wanted to blessing without having to do the responsibilities that went along with it.

David

David is the second one I want to look at.  When you read the story in 2 Samuel 11:1-27 it is mind-blowing.  Here he committed adultery with the wife of one of his soldiers and when he found out she was pregnant, he eventually put him on the front lines so he was killed.  So he committed both adultery and murder.  This seems way worse than selling your birthright.

God sees things way different what we do.  To God sin is a sin.  There is no category.  Sin separates us from Him no matter what the size.  Sin also separates us from others.  True repentance brings down the barriers and is so freeing.

David had true repentance but he still suffered some consequences.  True repentance does not always take away the result of our sin.  David’s true repentance is found in Psalms 51.  Read it and make it a part of your life.  The first verse really tells us what kind of God we serve.  “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”  God says in Acts 13:22, “….I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill My will.”  David wasn’t perfect but he was humbled when God showed him his error.  He was truly repentant and that is what makes the difference with God.

Dear Father,

I want to have a repentant heart.  I know that even repentance is a gift from You.  Convict my heart of sin and give me a repentant heart.  Thank You for Your forgiveness and love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember no matter how much wrong you have done God loves you and is just waiting for you to come to Him.  He is full of love and forgiveness.  Ask Him to forgive you and surrender your whole life to Him today.

Love you all.

Do you have a testimony of God’s forgiveness?  I would love to hear it.  Share below.