There Has To Be More…

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What in the world is wrong with Christians?  As a person of faith, that may seem like an odd question for me to be asking, but it is one I have been considering for a while.  First of all, the term “Christian” brings up all kinds of different images, experiences and feelings depending on the person who is hearing the word.  For the most part, it is not a positive term, because it is so often filled with hypocrisy and perceived oppression.  I do not call myself a Christian, because although I have been redeemed and saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I do not always live the way He lived or abide by the loving principles He gave us.  So I call myself a believer or a person of faith because I am those things.  But I digress.

My own view of Christianity and spirituality has certainly deepened over the course of my life but the deeper I go, the more I realize how much is still out there.  I was raised in churches that most today would consider very conservative.  There were (as there are in most religions) many man-made traditions that had to be followed in regards to the way services were conducted and how things were taught.  There was no shouting for joy in our churches.  That was reserved for those crazy charismatic people.  There was no teaching about the true POWER of the Holy Spirit, but instead a clinical and sterile teaching about what I would consider the most high-level functions of the Spirit.  shutterstock_222016312We learned that once we accept Christ as our Savior, His Spirit comes to live within us.  We learned God knows everything we do or think.  We learned that He loves us, but we never really talked about that love as a literal, day-to-day LOVE.  It was clinical and sterile because it seemed to me that no one really walked out of the church and actually felt God’s presence with them.  I learned scripture.  I learned the books of the Bible.  I learned principles of God’s word.  I am SO incredibly thankful for my upbringing and the many teachers and pastors I had along the way, because it gave me a foundation upon which I have built a life that has been blessed beyond measure.  Many of you who know me personally or read my blog regularly know that I have felt called to study and share God’s word since I was quite young.  So my life has been filled with searching things out on my own instead of just taking someone else’s word for it.  But there’s something about those experiences in established churches that is both a blessing and yet confining.  Yes, I realize it is just my perspective and I’m not saying anyone else has to share it.  I just feel it is time to share mine.

I have struggled with many things over the course of my life.  There have been eating disorders, suicidal impulses, brain chemistry issues, and many other fears and struggles that we all deal with as we go through each day.  I’ve prayed about these things.  I’ve sought God’s help with them and yet often find myself much like the apostle Paul who prayed repeatedly for his “thorn in the flesh” to be removed but the answer was no.  The answer was that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.  So I took that as truth and tried to just power through whatever came instead of realizing God was in it with me. It was (and has continued to be at times) difficult.  Did I know God cares and that He wants to not only be my Savior, but also my friend?  Sure.  I could give you verse after verse that talks about all the ways He loves and cares for us.  I know all the right words…but something was missing.  It is the intimacy of God and the true strength of His power.  After all, if you start talking about these things…wait, if you start actually LIVING these things, you must be some “holy-roller” fanatic that has lost sight of the truth.  So maybe I shouldn’t ask “What is wrong with Christians,” but rather, “What is wrong with ME?”

I am blessed to have been taught by some of the most amazing teachers over the past 20 years of my life.  Some were within the churches I have attended and some have been outside those churches.  GASP!  I know that shocks the traditionalists but maybe there needs to be a little more shocking going on. Maybe we need to listen more to others and pay attention to what they say.  Maybe we need to spend more time determining the message’s validity based on God’s word instead of determining its validity based on the moniker under which it is said. Of course, that requires an openness many of us were taught to avoid and to listen only to people of the same denomination. shutterstock_123443956 What I have found so interesting over the years is how we can teach and learn the truth of God’s word, and even apply it to our lives in most ways, but do it in that same sterile and clinical manner in which many of us have been raised.  It isn’t simply that I don’t want this kind of sterile spiritual life; It’s that I don’t believe GOD wants us to have a sterile kind of spiritual life either.  He desires for us to be in a real relationship with Him, not just a spiritual one.  He wants us to not just know He is with us, but to feel Him with us.  He wants us to understand that He wants nothing more than for us to share ourselves with Him just as we would the people we are closest to here on this earth.  He wants to be a factor in everything we do, not because He wants to control us, but because He wants to help us.

Having a relationship with another human being means there is interaction.   There is give and take.  There is a desire to be near and talk with each other.  And when you truly love someone (purely, not in a romantic sense), there is nothing better than the closeness it brings.  You are part of each other.  Relationship isn’t just about knowledge of the other person; it is being IN IT with them.  We know this and yet we continue to act as though God is somehow removed from us even though we teach that He isn’t.  We are so afraid of talking about our relationship with God in terms we would use to describe our relationships with others, because we somehow think it is sacrilegious to assign human attributes to our Heavenly Father.   I get how some people are so careful to keep their discussion and perspective of God as “holy,” but holy isn’t some magical word!  It means to be set apart by (or for) God.  It isn’t some mysterious thing filled with such seriousness that it wrings the joy out of it.  shutterstock_214295497And on top of that, God used parables in the Bible continually to make things real and understandable to those around Him.  A parable uses the known to reveal the unknown.  So why do we shrink away from the fact that God gives us earthly experiences and relationships so that we can understand more what it means to be in a relationship with Him?  Because some of us have been taught, whether through words or actions, that we somehow degrade Him when we bring Him down to our level.  Imagine that!  I’m pretty sure the God who actually CHOSE to come down to our level and die for us is fine with staying down on our level and communing with us so that we can then rise up to His.

I’m tired of conservative Christianity.  I’m not saying I’m tired of one religion or another; I’m saying I’m tired of all of them.  I’m tired of having this great knowledge and God-given ability to discern His word that has to be put into some box of expression that fits the expectations of men!  I’m not saying I want to run off the rails and live on emotions alone, but there is nothing more “on track” about a relationship with God than the fact a real one will certainly stir emotions!  Relationships are personal.  Each one is different.  We need to all get over the rigid view we have of the truth and embrace it openly, fervently with everything in us.  Only then will we fully begin to experience the true power of His Spirit within us.  Only then will we begin to truly understand the freedom in His word.  If it is true that “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” then the truth is the only real relationship we ever have with God is the one most of us are afraid to embrace.  Because anything short of that kind of intimacy with Him is nothing more than simply keeping up appearances.

Blessings!

To Cheat Or Not To Cheat

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shutterstock_200740298To cheat or not to cheat?  That is actually NOT the question!   With the end of the football season, comes a story that has had many people talking about the Patriots and football air pressure.   I think most of us would say that cheating is bad.  Cheating in a relationship is wrong.  Cheating on a test is wrong.  Cheating in a football game or other sporting event is wrong, and yet we have situations come up like this one with the Patriots last week where there seems to be a gray area.  Things become gray due to the opinions of people.  There is always “he said-she said” in any questionable situation, but the bottom line is there are rules.  There are guidelines, and if they’re broken, it’s wrong and there should be consequences.  I realize in “deflate-gate,” many people have come out (even in the NFL) and said every team does these kinds of things.  People have even discussed that the rule should be changed because it’s stupid and no one really abides by it.  They say it doesn’t matter because everybody bends it.  If the rules say that something has to be a certain way, then you don’t have the liberty to simply choose to arbitrarily change it on your own.

Is it ever right to do the wrong thing?  That question has been asked many times before.  We like to pick and choose when it’s ok to do the wrong thing, but that doesn’t actually make it ok.  We say it’s alright to steal if you are starving, but it isn’t.  Would most of us do it?  Yes.  Does that make it right?  No.  It really is black and white, even though we use our reasoning to turn it gray.   So why is this football story so huge?  Is it because the Patriots are one of the most disliked teams in the country (according to a recent poll)?  Probably.   Is it because people are irritated over the fact they ran up the score or are arrogant?   Possibly.   But does holding someone accountable to the stated rules make you a poor sport or sore loser?  No.   So then why is this such a big deal?  There are people starving all over the world.  We have people starving in our own country!  There are human rights issues all over the world.   We have a government that is out of control.  So how is THIS such a big story?   I think it speaks to something in many of us.

shutterstock_234987922Most of us have this thing about fairness and justice.  WE WANT JUSTICE!  Of course, we only want justice when it affects the other team or person.   We only want justice when it isn’t for something we have done.  When we mess up or do something wrong, or make a less than wise decision, we want mercy and forgiveness.  We want understanding and compassion from others, yet all too often we aren’t willing to give it.  So when we get stirred up over something someone else has done (or is doing), sometimes we have to step back and ask ourselves why and consider the place internally from where it is coming.

When I look at the Patriots, although they may be one of the most disliked NFL teams, they are also one of the best.   They have skilled players who work together well.  They have achieved greatness in many areas as a team and so has Tom Brady as an individual.  They’ve been on top and they are on top again.  There’s something interesting about being on top:  the higher you climb, the bigger target you become.   When you’re good at something, you are going to be viewed with more scrutiny.  When you rise up, you must inevitably dodge the shots being taken at you.   And whether that’s right or wrong, or good or bad, it does remain a fact.  When you stand up and say “I’m going to lead,” or you step up and make yourself visible, you better be ready because things are going to happen.  My grandpa used to always say, “You can’t keep people from saying negative things about you, but you can make them liars.”  In other words, there are always people who are going to talk about you, and I will assure you if you are in a position of leadership, popularity or notoriety, people ARE going to criticize you.  They may all have different reasons for trying to knock you down, and whether or not it’s fair for you to be held to a different standard, you are.  WE are.  You don’t have the luxury of always doing the things that others are able to do.  There are things they can get away with for which you would be held accountable.

shutterstock_209920357So back to “deflate-gate” for a moment:  The Patriots are accomplished, winning and visible, and as a result they need to pay attention to details and do the right things even if no one else is.  As far as the pressure in the footballs, there should be no question at all.   You know what the rules are; abide by them.  Put yourselves and your team above reproach as much as possible, with the understanding that you are still going to get scrutinized over things.  The same thing holds true for us.  It’s hard to say you’re sorry when you’re not wrong.  It’s difficult to have to constantly evaluate things and say to yourself, “This is the situation, and if I do it the right way, it’s going to take me longer.  It’s going to cost me more in one way or another.  What should I do?”  It may wear on you over time, but that’s the choice you constantly have to make, because when you don’t, the smallest indiscretions will rise up in your world and become much bigger stories or scandals.  You can look to the right or left and you can watch people gossip, lie, cheat, steal, tear other people down, be manipulative, not care, not love others, not be a good neighbor and countless other things, but it doesn’t matter what they do.  It doesn’t matter because WE are called to love, care and forgive.  What does the Bible say is required of us?  “He has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.”  (Micah 6:8)  In Ecclesiastes 12:13 we are told, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”  We are to stand up for what is right, not in everybody else’s life, but in our own.   It is really easy to sit in judgment when someone else has done something wrong, but if you want to sit in judgment, then judge yourself.  We all like to look out the window but rarely want to look in the mirror.  Rest assured, none of us are perfect, and we all have things we should be working on.  But if you are going to hold true and stand up strong for something, just know you are going to be hit with a firestorm at one point or another.

shutterstock_228213685It can be really discouraging watching other people act like sharks during feeding time.  You can’t help but wonder, “What are they gonna get theirs?  When are they going to finally get in trouble?”  But that’s not your problem, and it’s not mine.  Quite frankly it shouldn’t even be our concern as people of faith.  God has promised to take care of us and meet all our needs, if we will simply focus on Him.  Instead of spending our time being so concerned about what should or shouldn’t happen to someone else, we should spend it making sure we are doing the right things.  Remember, the higher you go, and the harder you try to do what’s right with pure motives from a genuine heart, the more the sharks are going to try and feed.  The more you are going to be peppered with questions about rules that everybody else seems to bend.   The problem is, if you stoop down and decide to bend or break the rules, it will inevitably be YOU that is caught, because they certainly aren’t going to turn on each other.

So I hope the recent events cause us to reflect on these things and remember we are called to be different.  As people of faith, we are called to come up higher, but we should never do so unequipped. We need to make sure our armor is on and our shield of faith is lifted high, because often the battle really does come down to you and God, not against the world, but against yourself.  You can’t keep people from talking about you, but you have complete control over whether or not what they say is the truth.  Stand up and be strong.  Lean for support on those God has brought to your life that are of the same mindset and spirit.  Nobody ever said it was going to be an easy road, but we do know it is a victorious one.

Blessings!

When God Takes Your Fleece

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We are barely into 2015 and already it has been quite an interesting year.  Every once in a while we find ourselves in a position of specific consideration and decision around our life’s path.  Although it is certainly true that we are constantly making daily decisions that affect the direction of our journey, it is also true that sometimes we have to step back and look at things on a little bit larger scale.  This is the place I’ve found myself lately.   Recently there have been some things come up that have required much prayer and consideration regarding the place to which I believe I am called.  Potential changes in our paths, no matter when or how they present themselves, must always be seriously considered, especially when it pulls at the deepest desires of our hearts.

shutterstock_171929312Many of you who read or follow my blog know that I have a huge heart for service.  I feel very strongly about being true to the calling I believe is placed on my life, but sometimes that is much easier said than done.   It seems there have been junctions several times in my journey that would have taken my day-to-day life in a very different direction.  But at each decision point, I have genuinely tried to clear the voices of expectation, and the noise of emotions from my heart and mind, and simply listen to that still small voice within.  When we are able to do that, it makes our decisions much clearer and also makes it easier to stand strong when the inevitable doubts creep in.  We like to be certain of things in life.  We like to feel confident that what we are about to undertake is the “right” thing for us.  We want to move forward with assurance and a strength that will withstand the barriers that come any time we make a change.  It is interesting that even when we think we have reached this place of certainty, no matter how clear things have become, we still want a sign from God that we are leaning the right direction and that our decisions are correct.

There is a story in the Bible (Judges chapter 6) of a man named Gideon who struggled with the same things we do in our decision-making process.  God had already promised him the victory in an upcoming battle, but even a direct word from God was not enough to quell Gideon’s doubts and apprehension.  After all, this was a serious situation he was heading into!  So Gideon talked to God and asked Him for a sign to prove to him that what God told him earlier was the truth.   So he says to God, “If what you said is REALLY the truth, then I’m going to put a fleece on the ground tonight.  In the morning, I want you make it so the dew is only on the fleece but the rest of the ground is totally dry.  That way I will know for sure and can trust I’m doing the right thing.”  shutterstock_230866396So the next morning, God did exactly as Gideon had asked.  You’d think that would have been enough, but it wasn’t.   After all, maybe something happened and the fleece got wet some other way, or maybe there just wasn’t any dew at all that morning.   So he goes back to God and says, “Ok God, please don’t be angry with me, but just humor me for a moment.   I just need to test this one more time with the fleece.   I’m going to put it out again, but THIS time let the fleece be dry and all the ground around it wet.”   So God again did exactly what Gideon asked so that Gideon would finally move ahead with assurance.

I share that story with you because it’s important to understand that sometimes when we ask for a sign, God humors us and gives us one.  Unfortunately, we often react just like Gideon and reason away the sign even when it is the exact thing we said would make us certain.   So we ask again, and sometimes He gives us another sign at our request, but I can just see Him shaking His head in disappointment at our lack of trust in the direction He’s already provided us.  And then there are times, like I have experienced in the past week, when I think God has a sense of humor and simply removes our fleece altogether!   Let me explain…

I am not a “fleece” person under normal circumstances.  I learned long ago that as long as I silence my spirit and truly listen to my heart, I have the ability to discern the true and correct path I should walk.  But when I let other people or situations enter in and cloud the process, then I begin to doubt even the strongest pulling toward the true answer.   In other words, I don’t usually go to God and say, “Ok, I think this is the way I’m supposed to go, but if You would just do such and such, then I will know for sure.”  But this time around, I have to admit, I reached for the fleece.  I had reached a point where I felt I knew the answer for my path, but part of me was still being pulled toward something I desired.  As a result, I picked a fairly benign action to become not a sign, but a validation of what I thought I already knew.  Somehow that made my request for proof seem more reasonable.   As it turned out, the situation unfolded in a way that made it meaningless as a sign, and it made me chuckle audibly.  I shared what happened with a trusted friend who knew about my little fleece moment, and then I added, “I think God stole my fleece!”  Although humorous, it was also true.  After all, my validation indicator had basically disappeared.  I believe sometimes God removes our fleece in order to remind us the answers we seek are actually within us if we will just listen.

shutterstock_217585258Sometimes we are faced with decisions so important to us that we should not devalue them or make them less significant by relegating the outcome to needing proof.  The only proof we need is within us.  If we genuinely seek the truth, we will find it.  If we genuinely seek the path, it will be revealed.  And if we seek God and delight ourselves in Him, His word tells us He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).  The key is making sure our hearts are first turned to Him.  If they are, then we will be able to discern things in a much more peaceful and clear manner.  When my fleece disappeared, and I let go of my desire for validation, I found exactly what I needed.

To continue asking for proof when we already know the answer often leaves us paralyzed in a place of contemplation rather than being able to move forward.  When we throw down the fleece every time we need to make a decision, we regress to such a state of spiritual immaturity that God has to continually spoon-feed us in order for us to do anything at all.  We need to grow up and let go of our security blankets made of fleece.  We need to approach the intersections in our life’s journey with great consideration and care, and then be willing to step out in confidence…even if that “step” means not walking anywhere at all.

Blessings!

Resolutions…Or Not

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shutterstock_191672999As we turn the page on the calendar to a new year, it is almost impossible to not stop and think about where we have been and where we are going.  A new calendar year is often a chance for new beginnings and a time of recommitting ourselves to the things we believe are important in life.  It’s easy to get lost during the course of a year and January 1st brings with it a chance to wipe the slate clean and start again.  Of course, the reality is that EVERY day is a new beginning and a new year.  We have the ability to start with a clean slate at any moment we choose; it’s just that we are usually too busy to even remember we have that choice.

Reflection is a GREAT thing in which we should engage.  Taking even a few moments a day to get still and quiet can do wonders for our spirit (and our sanity) and we ought to do it more often.  I realize we are all extremely busy.  It is the nature of our society.  It doesn’t matter if you work at a job, home, in ministry or in some other volunteer capacity.  No matter what it is, the pace is almost impossible to maintain and is something I believe God never intended for us.  There is a reason He gave us a day for rest, and He even gave us an example of it in the creation of the universe.  He rested on the seventh day not because He was tired, but for an example to us that rest is important!  Rest allows us to contemplate, and we cannot contemplate very long before our spirits begin to consider God and His creation.  That’s a good thing!  When we consider these things, it puts everything else in life in perspective.  When we remember that there are things bigger than ourselves, it helps our troubles fade into the background for a while and brings new perspective.

shutterstock_224938534Reflection is really a two-pronged activity: 1)  We remember the blessings we’ve experienced.  2) We remember the mistakes we have made and the consequences those mistakes brought to our world.  There isn’t much danger in an over-consideration of how much we have been blessed in the past, but there is definitely a danger of over-considering all of our mistakes.  Reflecting on the things we need to do differently or areas in which we need to change can spur us to become better people.  It can also remind us of how far short we have fallen in what we wanted to accomplish in the past year (or in our lives).  How we react to these realizations and reflections will determine whether or not our next year is an amazing one or one that we will gladly be saying goodbye to next December 31st.

I’m not big on resolutions.  I don’t make them because I know they usually end up being more like wishes than commitments.  It’s easy to look at a new year and think about all the things I’d like to accomplish this year.  It may be a wish, a goal, or a dream but that doesn’t make me committed to it.  I can say, “I’m going to lose weight this year” (or anything else) and make that my “resolution,” but unless I actually commit to it long-term, it isn’t a resolution at all!

Commitment is an interesting thing.  It isn’t an activity that is loud or visible; it is something that is quiet, strong and steady when no one else is looking. It doesn’t need accolades or applause.  It simply needs a humble heart whose desire for sincere change runs deeper than a need for the approval of others.  Commitment is staying true to the path or changes to which you have been called rather than just “trying” it for a while before going back to your comfort  zone.

shutterstock_221511418So let us begin 2015 not with resolutions, but with resolve.  Let us not begin with promises, but with promise.  If we will look within and commit to simply living our beliefs rather than trying to conform to what we think others want us to be or do, we will find this year to be one of our greatest…no matter what circumstances it may hold.

Blessings!

Holiday Hangover

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shutterstock_235558714Here we are smack-dab in the middle of the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  For most of us, we are tired from all the holiday running and stress of expectations that come with this time of year.  I mean, think about it for a few moments.  The DAY of Thanksgiving, millions of people start rushing to get deals on items for Christmas.  Why?  Why don’t we actually just spend the time sitting back and relaxing?  Why is it that we don’t even have the turkey digested before we are filling ourselves with Starbucks and shopping like mad through the night?  I suppose there are many reasons, but I keep coming back to the same one over and over:  Expectations!  The holiday season brings with it huge expectations for most people.  We have to meet expectations in buying gifts, getting together with family and friends (even if we love them).  We often get caught up in the frenzy of December and start stressing about every detail.  It’s even worse if you are still having to go to work (or are working as a stay-at-home mom) and don’t have the luxury to attend to the details of the season whenever you’d like.  The expectations are outrageous, and yet we find ourselves on the same treadmill year after year.

shutterstock_215935333Last Thursday was Christmas and I’m sure I’m not the only one who is thankful to have gotten through another year of festivities.  I love the time with family and friends, but (like most of you) we have several family get-togethers, and it seems we spend the 48 hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day doing nothing but running from one place to another…and eating FAR more than is comfortable for any one body to digest!  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the festivities.  I just wish they were spread out over more than just two days!  And of course, there is always the purchase of last minute gifts (or the equaling of money spent on gifts), and everywhere you look, people do NOT look joyful.  Right up until the moment of celebration, people are irritated, stressed, and trying to just get through the day.  One of the things I do find it funny though is that so many people lament about the over-commercialization of Christmas, but they do the same thing with over-committing themselves to activities – even those that are filled with the true spirit of giving.  It’s easy to point your finger at someone who is caught up in the monetary aspect of the season but not bother to look at the fact you are caught up in the activities of the season (no matter how noble) and wear yourself down until you can’t enjoy or appreciate the reason for the season either.  It’s no different, so get off your high-horse and take a look in the mirror.
And then it’s over.  We go to bed Christmas night and wake up on December 26th.  For some, it’s back to the daily grind of their jobs.  For others, there is the realization that all the money and energy spent over the previous month didn’t accomplish much more than putting them in debt (financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually).  shutterstock_150212927We wake up with a little bit of buyer’s remorse with the way we “spent” the holiday, and whatever temporary joy we experienced on Christmas suddenly fades into the reality that the time and energy we sacrificed is often a very high price to pay.  So begins what could be called the “Recovery Week:” seven days to go through a sort of “after-Christmas grief process.”  Seven days that give us a chance to not just reflect on the year, but to stop and look at how the year culminated into a chaotic frenzy that is nothing more than an indulgent binge.  You can break it down into the five stages of holiday grief.  Instead of DABDA we have SANTA:

  1. S  pending – This starts at Thanksgiving and is fueled by a “have to” approach to buying gifts just because it’s what we do…and after all, there are SO many great deals! We spend like we are in denial of what it costs us (not just financially).
  2. A  nxiety – As the season progresses, we begin to realize how much money and time we are spending trying to live up to the expectations of those around us and society as a whole.
  3. N  egotiation – Eventually we start feeling out of control and vulnerable so we make deals with others (or ourselves) hoping to regain the equilibrium we’ve lost. We wonder things like “if only I hadn’t committed to so many events…” or “if only I had been strong enough to resist the urge to spend so much money.”  We look for ways to soften the inevitable “crash” that is coming by promising ourselves (or God) that we will stop and settle down and refocus.
  4. T  rouble – As we go through the actual holiday, we find that we are already depleted before we begin. We try to enjoy the day and the people we are with, but find our tolerance level has been reduced.  The day ends and we start to feel depressed about what we’ve “lost” in the holiday.  We long for the times we enjoyed as a kid when everything was still magical and exciting instead of stressful and tiring.  We grieve the loss of the true spirit of Christmas and wonder how in the world we got so lost.
  5. A  cceptance – After the troubled spirit we experience on Christmas day, we are faced with a new reality. No longer are we clouded by expectations of others.  We see more clearly and start to consider how we could have done things differently.  We are faced with the bills associated with our spending, and the recovery we need physically to heal from the indulgence and lack of true rest.  It doesn’t mean it FEELS good; it simply means we have reached a point where we reflect and accept the place in which we find ourselves.  We no longer make excuses for our holiday behavior, but instead decide to move forward. This is the place we reach during the week between Dec 25th and Jan 1st , and it drives us to make changes as we begin the new year.

Christmas should be a celebration of the greatest gift this world ever received in the birth of our Lord and Savior.  But maybe the second greatest gift of Christmas is actually found in its over-the-top nature that we often complain about.  Maybe the over-commercialization and over-indulgence has gotten SO bad that it actually brings us back to what is important.  We may lose sight during the season, but somehow that is often what brings us back to a place where we realize just how far left of center we have gotten.  It’s like anything else in life – we over-indulge and wake up the next morning regretting it.  It can be drinking, eating, spending, working or anything else.  Most of our best decisions are made in the moments after we have lost our way.  It is often in our weakest or most troubling times that we can hear the clearest.  Much like the prodigal son, eventually we “come to ourselves” and make the decision to turn around.

shutterstock_228944191So as we go through these next few days and approach 2015, let us all step back and be thankful.  Be thankful for all the good that comes from the holidays.  Be thankful for friends and family.  Be thankful for a God who loves you so much that He sent His son to die so you could live!  But be thankful also for the renewal of perspective.  Be thankful for the credit card bills that will be coming or the exercising you are going to have to do because of how you indulged during the holidays.  Be thankful for it, because the most difficult realizations often create the most beautiful changes.

Blessings!