Great With Child - Dinner #66

     This December, I find a sense of joy in the fact that, because of Jacqueline,  I get to share in a little of what Mary must have felt.  Luke 2:5 describes her as “being great with child”, and, at 36 weeks, this Christmas, that is exactly where I find myself! Knowing the desire in my own heart for everything to be clean, and comfortable, and ready for when this baby arrives, I have a keener sense of the FAITH Mary must have had!  She was traveling, probably walking miles upon miles, with no knowledge of where her Baby would be born, or if she’d even make it to Bethlehem in time.  How many nights did she lay awake, imagining herself giving birth out in the wilderness, somewhere? Wondering if Joseph and she would know what to do, when the time came? 

     Luke 2:6-7 tells us, “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Labor was upon her, there was no shelter for them except a humble stable, and Mary did what she had to do – She was specifically chosen by God - the right mother for the job!  It is a beautiful and comforting thought to me that, no matter under what circumstances Jacqueline is born, when the days are “accomplished” that I, too, should “be delivered”, I’ll be the right mother for the job!

     During these final weeks of my pregnancy, I sometimes find myself tearfully wondering if I’m really ready to take care of TWO children.  During one such recent night of reflecting, the Lord sweetly gave me II Timothy 1:7 to hold onto: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I don’t have to be afraid of having two little ones . . . The Lord will give me the strength and the love that I need to care for them, and will help me to keep my sanity, in the midst of it all! SMILE!  He has CHOSEN ME to be their mother!

     So many special things followed the birth of Mary’s Baby Boy: the arrival of the shepherds, the admiration of the wise men, the rejoicing of Simeon and Anna, the night flight into Egypt . . . Mary had to be the right Mommy for God’s chosen Messiah, through all of that! She needed peace, and tranquility, and faith – all of which came from the Lord! This December, as I begin quickly approaching my own due date, I want to have a little more of the faith and the strength that Mary must have had!  I can’t just crumble because I’m a bit scared that nursing a newborn and taming a toddler at the same time, is going to be too much!  If I want Brooklyn and Jacqueline to one day be women of faith, I need to maintain that godly faith, myself! In II Timothy 1:5, Paul says, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Genuine faith is an EXAMPLE to the generations following!  One day, my girls are going to be calling to cry on MY shoulder about their mothering fears and anxieties, and I want to be ready when they do!  I want to be ready to say, in all honesty, “The Lord helped guide ME through such days, and He will be right there to help you, too!”

     This Christmas, I write to you, battling back aches, fatigue, mood swings, and Braxton Hicks contractions, but I’m THE RIGHT WOMAN FOR THE JOB! SMILE! I GET to bring another little life into the world!  I GET to help raise another young lady for the Lord Jesus! I GET to look into another beautiful little face and know that God has richly blessed the love my dear husband and I have for each other! This is my PRIVILEGE! When Mary thought about all that the Lord was doing IN her and THROUGH her, she lifted up her voice and said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making me and enabling me to be a MOM!

     A very special “Merry Christmas” to all of you, Ladies! God Bless!

Christmas Blessing - Dinner #41

     After more than a week of feeling nauseous and dizzy, and needing extra sleep, this month, I was pretty positive I was expecting a baby, again.  Things eventually proved otherwise, however, and my excitement of being able to announce to family at Christmas that we were having another baby, came to an abrupt end.    Do you know what happened in my heart, through all of that, though?  The temporary tears of disappointment only made me want to love on our Baby Brooklyn all the more!  It made me want to treasure being her mother, and thank God for blessing us with her, all over again.  We did not know if I would be able to have any children, but God gave her to us!  Psalm 113:9 “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children . . .” Becoming a mother is a joyful, happy thing!  Brooklyn’s smiles, her giggles, her little chirps and gurgles brighten our days with such joy!  What sunshine, those ladies who desire no children, deny themselves!  Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

      The best present of all, that very first Christmas in Bethlehem, was Jesus Christ, God’s Son – the promised Messiah!  Have you ever stopped to think what would have happened if Mary had said she and Joseph were too poor to raise children?  What if she had said she was just too scared to become a mother?  What if she had told God she didn’t want to have any babies?   ALL babies are blessings from heaven, but this One most of all!  Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  Mary had a willing spirit to carry a very special Baby within her womb.  She rejoiced to be given such a task! Luke 1:46-49 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.  For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.”

     Jesus could have come to earth as a full-grown man, but that wasn’t God’s plan.  He allowed Mary to conceive the Messiah without ever having been intimate with any man.  He allowed her to feel His Holy Son kicking and moving within her womb.  He let her watch Jesus eat His first solid food and take His first baby steps.  This was something very special!  Mary was allowed to be Jesus’ mother!  She was not holy or perfect.  She, herself, needed a Savior!  But she “found favour with God.” (Luke 1:30)

     Will any other woman on earth have that same blessing? No.  None of us will ever give birth to the perfect Son of God.  Jesus came to this earth just once as a little baby.  When He returns, He will be coming in power and glory, as He Who died and rose again.  Only Mary will ever be known as the “mother of Jesus”.  He was truly her little “Christmas Blessing”.  If we are mothers, we each have “little blessings” of our own, however!  I, and no one else, have the blessing of being Brooklyn Elizabeth’s mommy.  You are blessed to be the mother of YOUR children. 

     How precious it is, if we are able to have our children and grandchildren gathered around us, this Christmas!  As December 25^th quickly approaches, I want to encourage you Mommies to hold dear the child blessings in your life!  Family should mean more to us than any present we could ever receive.  And, above all, cherish the birth of the Father’s Only Son, - the Emmanuel of all mankind!  

GOD BLESS & MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Holiday Patience - Dinner #40

     Christmas is a WHOLE SEASON requiring PATIENCE!  If you have pets, you no doubt need patience as they try to climb the tree or tear into the presents, right now.  If your little ones are stuck inside the house, you need patience with their pent-up energy.  If your husband is working over-time, because of the holidays, you need patience with his busy schedule.  And if your baby girl is nearly 6- months-old and teething, like mine is right now, you need patience with her great amount of fussiness! SMILE!  LOVE is patient! I Corinthians 13:4,7 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind . . .  Beareth all things . . . endureth all things.” 

     Have you stood in a long line at WALMART, this month, or dealt with rude customers where you work?  Sometimes it takes an EXTRA MEASURE of patience and self-control to get along with others.  In Ephesians 4:1-2, Paul commands God’s children to, “. . . walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love . . .” God also wants us to have patience when people make mistakes or don’t do things exactly the way we want them to.  Colossians 3:12-13 declares, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Time and time again, in the Scriptures, we see that OUR GOD is patient and forgiving.  Psalm 86:15 “But thou, O LORD, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” How very grateful we can be that God is patient with US! Should we not, therefore, strive to be patient with others?!

     For some people, the month of December places life in a sort of “holding pattern”, before January 1^st rolls around.  It can be a difficult time of hoping for answers.  Are you, perhaps, waiting to see if you will have enough money to return to college, next semester?  Are you prayerfully seeking the Lord about a missions opportunity, in the near future?  Sometimes we have to patiently wait for God’s will to be fulfilled in our lives.  Romans 8:25,28 “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it . . . And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

     As a teacher, and later as a daycare worker, I was often told, “You must have a lot of patience to work with preschoolers!”   Patience in one area of life does not necessarily denote patience in other areas, however! LOL!  I will look out the window some dozen or more times, when I know my husband is expected home.  I check for email or Facebook replies, FREQUENTLY.  I tend to become quite irritable, if I’m waiting for someone, any more than 10 minutes past the time agreed upon.  Patience is not something that is learned and then “marked off a list” of desirable character traits.  It is a CONTINUAL struggle.  James 1:4 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”  Patience takes time! And what better time to work on developing it, than this busy holiday season! SMILE!  Take a deep breath, wait for God’s answers, be patient with loved ones as well as strangers, and have a very Merry Christmas! SMILE!

                                                                                        

The Simplicity of Christmas - Dinner #38

     Every December, I see parents rushing through WALMART, children having temper-tantrums in store aisles, and moms listing off the many parties and recitals they “have to” attend before the holiday season is over.  Do we ever stop to reflect upon the SIMPLICITY of Christmas? It does not have to be a difficult and complex holiday! It really doesn’t even matter if you’re able to put a tree up each year or not! The Bible teaches that the real elements of Christmas are so much deeper and more meaningful than many of us take the time to realize.   

     Christmas is about FAMILY.  When we look at Matthew 1:1-17, we find Christ’s place in the lineage of King David.  Christmas is about remembering where we came from.  It’s about special traditions.  It isn’t meant to be a season where every single minute is spent either shopping or baking!  It is a time for BEING WITH those you love!

     Christmas is about having a WILLINGNESS to do whatever it is God asks you to do!  Matthew 1:24 “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife.”  Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word . . .” If the Lord asks us to make some sacrifice this holiday season, will we be willing to obey?  If He lays it on our heart to meet the needs of someone else around us, will we be willing to listen to His voice?

     Christmas is about WORSHIP.  It is about praising the Name of Jesus and remembering that He came! The wise men sought to worship Christ.  Matthew 2:2 “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Mary praised God.  Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” The angels in heaven glorified God.  Luke 2:13-14 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The shepherds worshiped the Lord.  Luke 2:20 “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”  Funny holiday songs may be very well and fine, but do we take the time to sing UNTO THE LORD, during the Christmas season? Do we take our children to church cantatas and song services, where they will hear the praises of God?

     Christmas is about GIFTS, not so much for each other, as for the King of Kings!  Matthew 2:11 “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” What gifts will you give to CHRIST, this year? Will you give financially to His work on the foreign mission field? Will you give to the Lord of your time and your service? Will you give to Him your heart?

     Christmas is about WITNESSING.  Once they had seen the Christ Child, the shepherds had to tell everyone around them the good news! Luke 2:17 “And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”  There is no other month of the year when the hearts of sinners are more softened to the Gospel.  People who will not visit church at any other time, are often willing to attend a service with family or with friends in December, “because it is Christmas”. What a wonderful time of year for sharing the truth of God’s love with unbelievers!

     Christmas is about FORGIVENESS, and making sure we don’t have anything between us and others.  Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  How can we share the forgiveness found in Christ, if we aren’t willing to be right with other people, this Christmas?!

     The truth of the matter is, this holiday is about MIRACLES.  Sometimes God chooses to do amazing things during the Christmas season – He brings souls to salvation, He unifies families, He heals hurting hearts . . . In Luke 1:37, the angel Gabriel declares, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

     Lastly, Christmas is a special time for REFLECTION.  Just like Christ’s mother, Mary, we have the opportunity to think about the birth of God’s Son and the wonder of salvation.  Luke 2:19 “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” If we’re too busy attending parties and participating in festivities and programs every single day of December, we will miss out on remembering the real “Reason For The Season”!

    In this upcoming month, may we let go of so much of the stress surrounding Christmas!  May we realize that it will not be the end of the world if the tree has fewer lights than last year, or if the cookies come out a shade darker than normal.  May we understand that Christmas is a time for LOVE – for loving each other and for sharing Christ’s love with others!