Just yesterday I woke up to Christmas and celebrated New Years Day. How 
did this year pass in such a blink of the eye? Now it’s time to take out Christmas decorations, once again, and go through the holiday weeks ahead. And, yes once again I am faced with turning holidays into holy days of remembering Jesus Christ, and what He came for. The remembering is not as easy as it once was…with all the frenzy around me…lights, decorations, sales, and all the things that make-up the American tradition of this time of year.
Maybe it’s that I am getting older, or maybe it’s God stirring me, but I can not quit thinking about how quickly life goes by, and how much of it I waste on trivial stuff…like worry, living in disappointment, hanging tightly to insecurity or suffocating in fears. Things like holding on to a grudge or taking things too personally. You know, those every day unspoken types of things. While we are holding on to these things, life is racing by and days that could be filled with the goodness of loving others and serving God with full hearts, are being checked off the calendar…never to be given to us again.
Our best life waits us each day when we open up our eyes. Each day, whether rich or poor, sick or healthy, offers a grand surprise of His Presence. We often are so busy that we miss it, don’t we? But, Today is the day. The day to come to attention, thanking God for life, and living it with a gratefulness that fills our hearts and changes our perspective.
No more humbug, no more spiraling down. It’s the day to Live Up! Living Up! in all that God has created us to be, in Him. Are you a mother? Love your children! Are you a wife? Honor your husband! Are you a friend? Remember to care and be there! Are you part of a church? Quit criticizing the pastor!
This holiday season I want to reclaim, once again, what is mine in Christ. A relationship, vital, personal, intimate and growing…with the God who made me, and Jesus Christ who redeemed me from the old girl that was lost in herself, in her personal history, and in her dysfunction. Jesus changes lives, and I want to continue the journey of change.
Well, gotta go for now, the carpet cleaner is here…after all, it is also time to deck the halls and cleaning our carpets is on today’s calendar square. But, in that square is also the call to come to Him, be renewed in Him, and experience Him…one calendar square at a time.
How about you?
Today was my first day visiting your website. Ever since that night I heard your testimony at our church last month, God has been pulling closer to his word. Psalm 107 revels in my head throughout the day. I read this Psalm each morning for about five times and each time new things were revealed to me. I often repeat to myself that “He sent his His word and he heals, He saves, He delivers, He brings out, He stills, and He calms”. Since reading this Psalm I wondered where to go from there in my daily study. Once again God was faithful and has proven He knows me. You see, I was starting to clean house and had skipped my devotional time this morning, I picked up some papers that had accumulated in my Bible to throw away and the postcard with your “Wild” book caught my attention. I looked at it
and noticed that you have a daily devotional blog. Remembering that I needed to take time for God before the house cleaning and the all the other stuff that seems to fill my day quickly, I picked up my laptop and logged into your website. What a blessing for me today!!! Todays blog described my daily struggles that seem to pull me down and rob me of the joy I so greatly miss. The worrying,disappointment, insecurity, fears, and grudges seem to hold me back each day from what God wants me to be. I feel that I fail at my faith and feel alone when I struggle? Your blog helped me to remember today to remember that I am not alone and to put aside and live today in appreciation and live it up to all that God wants me to be. Thank-you for being an instrument of His love for us.
Debbie, thank you for sharing your heart. Today’s devotional really blessed me. Thank you for your honesty, your transparency and your encouragement. We all need to remember these are HOLY days!