It's not the wrapping, but what's inside that counts

Good Morning Friends!  Wondrously wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  Well, yesterday we took care of the shopping, now it’s time to start wrapping!  Last night as I sat in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by gifts waiting to be wrapped I thought….oh gosh….what a job!  I have never been real good at wrapping, I love to see beautiful packages, fancy bows and ribbon, tight crisp edges, but I just never have been able to conquer that art!  My husband says I don’t have enough patience…..I say it’s just not my forte!  So consequently, the gifts under my tree and especially the ones being sent in the mail just don’t look all that pretty…..Well anyway, as I was saying, as I sat in the middle of the floor wrapping the thought occurred to me…..well you know…..I wasn’t alone, HE was there twinkling in the lights of the tree….so HE was guiding my thoughts….And this is what HE came up with….”My child, don’t you know that it’s not how the package is wrapped that counts, it’s what inside!”   I felt a smile welling up inside of me, from deep in my heart…..Oh goodness, we spend so much time worrying about how we look, getting our hair cut, colored, new style, painting our nails, and clothes…crazy how we worry about what we wear, oh let’s not forget all the wrinkle creams, diets….so we look good….on the outside…..And so what if we do look awesome all “wrapped” up in our styles and creams….Our Father doesn’t even see all that, HE is looking to what is inside.  What’s in our hearts and minds, what shows through our words and actions….that’s what needs to be pretty!  Sure is a relief to know HE doesn’t care what we look like on the outside (cause my wrinkles are out of control)….I was still smiling as I finished my wrapping for the evening…..smiling to think that the receivers of my gifts will delight in what’s inside even if the “wrapping” isn’t so pretty!   Thank you Father for looking past our wrinkles and gray hair to what’s inside….help us to always be “pretty” on the inside….to Your glory.

 

This will be a sign unto you:  You will find a baby “wrapped” in cloths and lying in a manger.  Luke 2:12.  Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is great worth in God’s sight.  1 Peter 3:3-4.  The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7. 

Love you all!

 

The most perfect gift

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by His love, Tuesday!  Seems like so many conversations right now are all about Christmas shopping….what to get who….how much does it cost…..and then every other commercial is about some big old fancy Christmas gift and the stores and sale papers….gee whiz….easy to get stressed out.  We stress out over getting the perfect gift for our family and friends, the hottest new toy, or biggest tool, buying the perfect paper and matching bows…..people actually go in debt buying Christmas presents that they cannot afford……BAM!!!!  This morning it hit me……..each of us have already received the most perfect gift….many, many years ago……no it didn’t come from a high-dollar department store and wasn’t wrapped in shiny paper……didn’t cost us one cent….not one single penny……..This gift was born in a stable…..wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger…..a stable….for animals….donkeys, sheep, cows…..now I love all my little critters but a night with Chloe and Eyore….no thanks.  This gift God’s Son, born in a manager for us, lived, died and rose again for us…..died that we might live…..Our Heavenly Father gave us the PERFECT GIFT….His only Son…..our Savior…..This Perfect Gift was a gift of LOVE…….unselfish……total LOVE for each of us.  The gift of LOVE, wrapped in swaddling clothes….The perfect gift comes from love……not how much money was spent or the name brand…….So go ahead finish your shopping, but remember the Perfect gift comes from love.  Father, thank you for giving us, the Perfect gift, Your only Son who died to save us from eternal death…..Fill our hearts with Your Love so that everything we do brings glory to You.

 

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:11-12.  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John3:16.  This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  1 John 3:16.  We love because God first loved us.  1 John 4:19.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.  1 John 4:12.

Love you all!

The Perfect Gift

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His, Thursday!  A good friend is in the process of having their home remodeled; recently they moved completely out into a little house on their property, so that the big work could get done.  She is really excited about her “new” home, but has found some inconveniences in her temporary housing situation.  One, her Christmas decorations, paper, cards are all packed up and stored….somewhere….The other day we were talking and I was telling her about my silly little Christmas tree, she told me she had only a tiny fiber optic one on a little table, this year….that everything is packed and really no room.  She said that the little tree will be about the extent of her decorations.  She mentioned having to dig for paper and cards, so she had slim-lined her gifts.  I pointed out a little nativity scene I had found in someone’s left-over garage sale things and she said,” I can’t find mine…it’s somewhere, but I don’t know where.”  So often our Christmas spirit is focused on decorations, lights, gifts, but we don’t need all the decorations to celebrate Christmas.  My friend’s house may not be all aglow with Christmas decorations, but her heart is.  Her heart is aglow with the true joy of Christmas….the reason for the season…..JESUS!   Christmas decorations are fun, but the real Christmas is in our hearts…..the real Gift….Perfect Gift…JESUS…King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Emanuel, Prince of Peace….our SAVIOR….and our BEST FRIEND! Father thank you for the PERFECT Gift, Your SON…..fill our hearts with the real JOY of Christmas…CHRIST!

 

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.   Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”  Luke 2:11 & 13-14.

God Grant you:  “The light in Christmas, which is faith.  The warmth of Christmas, which is love.  The radiance of Christmas, wish is purity.  The belief in Christmas, which is truth.  The all of Christmas, which is Christ. “ Wilda English.

 

Love you all!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by His love, Tuesday!  Yesterday a friend brought me a great big piece of homemade chocolate cheesecake to share with my husband.  Oh my goodness!!!!!!!  I have never ever tasted anything so good!!!!  From the thick graham cracker crust to the deep dark chocolate on top!  Absolutely marvelous!  But you know what the sweetest part was…..not the crust or the fillings….nope, the sweetest part was not what tantalized my taste buds…..the sweetest part was the act of giving…..not just the cheesecake, but her time, and knowing that she thought of me and cared enough to take the time in her morning to wrap it up and bring it to me….Yes and delivered with a hug!  Now that is sweet!  Here we are, December 3^rd….I have seen lots of homes all decorated with lights and Katy and Cooper have their tree up and decorated….I have been thinking it’s time for me to get to decorating too…..I love Christmas decorations reminders of our Savior’s birth, my favorite are the Christmas lights…..shining, sparkling, filling rooms with a warm glow….Seems to me that we can be Christmas decorations….living decorations…decorating the people we encounter in our lives with unselfish acts of love and kindness…..sharing a tasty treat (recently another friend brought me her venison jerky), giving up a place in line, maybe offer to babysit, or give someone a ride, take a lonely neighbor dinner, stop by a rest home and share a Christmas smile, make your hubby his favorite dinner, getting on line and ordering butterfly wings for someone that is not so good at it, do some crafts with kids…..not necessarily just your own……oh what beautiful decorations……Jesus is the Reason for the Season…..Jesus is LOVE…..Alive in our hearts we can be HIS loving, living decorations shining brightly, warming the world…..Father, prepare our hearts to focus on the LOVE of CHRISTmas…Your gift to us to share!  Thank you Father for the people in my life that share so unselfishly!

 

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  John 8:12.  This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  1 John 3:16.  Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8.  We love because God first loved us.  1 John 4:19.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.  Galatians 5:22.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10.  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.  1 Timothy 1:12. 

       “Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first.”  George Matthew Adams

Love you all!

 

May 13, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  More than we deserve, Monday!  Hope everyone had a good weekend and all you mom’s hope yesterday was love-filled!  Mine sure was….I have to say I got everything I asked for!  A couple weeks ago I told Kim, I need a new hose for mother’s day.  Gosh I have had the same one for so long, one patch after another, had to cut off the end and a leak sprung so big that I couldn’t fix it….been wasting so much water…so I thought perfect time for a new hose, right.  Well heck a few days later, I saw the coolest yard shoes at TSC; they are rubber slip-on’s and oh so brightly colored…perfect for the yard chores!  So, I told him….forget the hose I want these cool shoes….Well, a few days after that, I thought….darn what I really want is a month of tanning (sorry doc)…so, once again I told my sweetie….forget the shoes…I want a month of tanning for Mom’s day!  Guess what I got!!!!!  Go ahead guess….spoiled brat~  I got all three!  Why he even had the new hose all hooked up, ready to go and threw away the old one!  My shoes are awesome, turquoise with bright flowers…..and tanning gift certificate.  I got everything I asked for, even though one thing is not really too good for me. Delighting in being spoiled and feeling quite special a thought occurred to me…..What if God gave us everything we asked for….what if He didn’t use His omnipotent powers to do only what’s best for us…..Sweet Kim gave me a gift certificate for tanning because I asked for it, but really…it’s not good for me.  So often we ask God for what we think is best for us….even though it is hard at times to accept what He gives…..we must trust and believe that HIS will for us is best….even if it’s not what we asked for…..Father, thank you for always knowing what’s best for us…..increase our faith so that we trust and believe in Your plans for us….keep us grounded in YOU. 

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.  Proverbs 16:20.  Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but however trusts in the Lord is kept safe.  Proverbs 29:25.   “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.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, “ declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!  “Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been His counselor?”  “Who has ever give to God, that God should repay him?”  For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things,.  To Him be the glory forever! 

Love you all!

December 4, 2012

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by His love, Tuesday!  Seems like so many conversations right now are all about Christmas shopping….what to get who….how much does it cost…..and then every other commercial is about some big old fancy Christmas gift and the stores and sale papers….gee whiz….easy to get stressed out.  We stress out over getting the perfect gift for our family and friends, the hottest new toy, or biggest tool, buying the perfect paper and matching bows…..people actually go in debt buying Christmas presents that they cannot afford……BAM!!!!  This morning it hit me……..each of us have already received the most perfect gift….many, many years ago……no it didn’t come from a high-dollar department store and wasn’t wrapped in shiny paper……didn’t cost us one cent….not one single penny……..This gift was born in a stable…..wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manager…..a stable….for animals….donkeys, sheep, cows…..now I love all my little critters but I night with Chloe and Eyore….no thanks.  This gift God’s Son, born in a manager for us, lived, died and rose again for us…..died that we might live…..Our Heavenly Father gave us the PERFECT GIFT….His only Son…..our Savior…..This Perfect Gift was a gift of LOVE…….unselfish……total LOVE for each of us.  The gift of LOVE, wrapped in swaddling clothes….The perfect gift comes from love……not how much money was spent or the name brand…….So go ahead finish your shopping, but remember the Perfect gift comes from love.  Father, thank you for giving us, the Perfect gift, Your only Son who died to save us from eternal death…..Fill our hearts with Your Love so that everything we do brings glory to You.

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:11-12.  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John3:16.  This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  1 John 3:16.  We love because God first loved us.  1 John 4:19.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.  1 John 4:12.

Love you all!