Kissing baby Jesus!

My granddaughter Ellie stood fascinated in front of the nativity.  She was busy rearranging each piece in a not so orderly way.

As she was playing with the nativity figures she told me that baby Jesus was crying.  I figured that would be very possible watching the way she manhandled him. 

I was wondering if he had broke his arm or leg or maybe neck.  Poor baby Jesus.   His nurturing mother was no where to be found either.  She was probably under the couch or somewhere hiding from Ellie's not so gentle embrace.  Could you blame her!  But Ellie meant well.  

You could see Ellie was enjoying her encounter with the baby Jesus.  She was playfully absorbed in the little manger and those  swaddling clothes.   I wondered what she thought of baby Jesus lying in such an uncommon and not so comfortable bed.  

I remember as a child I too loved playing with our nativity.   I would find it in it's usual place under our Christmas tree.  Probably put there away from sticky little fingers. 

The pieces tho would become chipped, broken and scarred over the years.  Because of our not so gentle ways, a few arms, legs and crowns had to be carefully reglued.  

I loved playing pretend with them.  I would lay under the tree imagining what it was like for Mary to have been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.  She was always beautiful and poised, bowing in adoration.  At least the one I played with under the tree was. 

In my little girl mind I would begin to picture the mom I would someday be.  Imagining I could be a mother like Mary, so beautiful, brave and courageous and always bowing.  Ok not the bowing part!  

I would hear my heart say that I too love the sweet baby in the manger.   I'm sure I didn't understand that this Christmas baby was our savior.   How could a baby be the savior of the world? 

Early on I would remember hearing the words and "she pondered these things in her heart."   Mary, she had much to ponder.   Over the years I would hear those words echoing in my heart.  It's in those moments where I regroup and listen to the stirrings of my soul.  I realized it's good to ponder sometimes! 

Those elegant, broken, chipped figures from the nativity taught me a lot.  They allowed me to imagine a story that would unfold through the pages of scripture. 

 Each Christmas we would read this familiar story over and over again.   Thankfully we never tired of It.  

As I pay attention to the simple truths, the simple words and simple thoughts of faith.   They remind me to be thankful for the simple memories, even the broken, chipped and imperfect ones. 

Memories of a baby who lovingly came wrapped in mercy and grace.  The miracle of Christmas right under the tree, beautifully wrapped for us in love, in swaddling clothes.  The hidden gift that doesn't stay hidden.  The miracle of his birth brings new hope. 

It comes in the impossibilities, in the broken places and in the pain.  When we welcome the broken, chipped and reglued, we welcome Him. 

Advent is about seeing those places and drawing us to them with eyes and hearts wide open.  Knowing he is coming.   He comes in the simple uncommon places through uncommon moments.  He shows up in places we never think to look.  

The morning that Ellie told me baby Jesus was crying, I asked her what we should do. She said we should kiss him. She held him close to her face and with gentle hands kissed baby Jesus. 

So did I!  

May we all kiss baby Jesus and welcome him into our uncommon moments and in the places we least expect him to be.  He is ready to do the impossible in our broken and imperfect lives.  

He invites us "as is!!"   We don't have to clean up first.  That's the miracle of grace and love.  The real miracle of Christmas! 

 I didn't tell Ellie, but He loves the gentle and even the not so gentle embrace of a child.  It's ok if the pieces get chipped and broken or crowns need regluing.  That's why He came.   

He came for us.  The broken, scarred, dirty, chipped, reglued people.  Humbly he came. Reminding us to give away what he gave so graciously. 

Whether you find your nativity pieces under the couch, under the tree, lying down, standing up, broken, chipped, dirty, scarred or reglued.  Whether the halos are tilted or missing.  Let it remind you that he came for you, as is.  You who are greatly loved, so you can love greatly! 

May we be ready for the unexpected with an expectant heart.  May we encounter the swaddled baby in new and fresh ways today with childlike faith.  

Welcome baby Jesus!  Here's a kiss! 

Right behind our eyes!

We all just want to be noticed!

I remember when I was a little girl, the delight I felt when someone noticed my new swirly dress or my shiny new Mary Janes.  I would beam and swirl and twirl.  My heart was simple then and pure. 

I see my granddaughters swirling to be noticed now.  Beaming pure heaven from their little faces.  A sweet reminder of myself.  How we all desire to be seen, to be noticed,

to be accepted and loved.  

My dad was wonderful about noticing me.  He would tell me often that I was special.  His words would fill my heart and I thought I could do anything that I put my mind to.  I think I was blessed!  

He would tell me that Jesus had something special for my life.  At age 8, I remember wondering what that was.  What might Jesus want for me.  

I tell my sweet granddaughters that they are good at twirling and swirling. That Jesus has something special for them. Their eyes glow! 

As an adult being noticed by others continued to be important to me, I wondered if I mattered to those around me.  Whether it was for my abilities, a job well done or just a kind word or smile.  We all long for approval and affirmation.  

I would look for people to speak into my life.  I would yearn for words from others to encourage my soul.  But I would get stuck in the worry about what people thought of me.  

I think we put too much weight and thought where it is not necessary.  I would continue to wonder what Jesus wanted for me. 

I hoped that maybe I mattered.  I sometimes wondered if that was a normal thought.  I think I've been looking for that most of my life.  It was how I functioned. 

I know we all just want to be seen, to know that we matter to someone. 

My soul swells when I receive a smile from someone in that occasional moment when I am feeling lousy and distant.  I would breathe in words, I was noticed!  

Those moments capture my attention, and I feel good, and blessed and my heart enlarges.  I want to notice them back and smile genuinely.  

We've all been in places where we've stood unnoticed. We felt invisible.  Someone cuts in front of us in line or we walk into a room where we never felt more alone.  

You wonder to yourself what, am I invisible? Maybe feeling over looked for a specific job or opportunity.  Those hollow moments leave us absorbed in self pity. 

So begins the stumbling down that slick, icy slope and at the bottom finding our souls empty.  Guts and feelings dripping out like melted ice. 

Whispering to myself that I am once again "not enough."  Wondering if God even noticed me.  I would ponder the thought that I guess I'm a failure again.  

I think we listen to lies way too much.  We hear the damaging whispers that shout louder and louder that soon drowns out the truth. 

I've wasted too much time listening to those lies.

I do think that God takes our failures and the times we feel unnoticed and speaks over them. Maybe He even shouts above our failures because that's how love works. 

I know he redeems and in time gives those places meaning.  That's Gods heart of redemption.  His redeeming love.

But it doesn't happen right away. It takes time to listen in and grow.  I'm so glad He never stops listening to our hearts cry.  Even in the silence and the questions, He redeems. 

This is what I'm learning.  It's not how others make us feel that matters but rather how we make others feel.  

Noticing others in a new way might be a gift to someone.  But We receive the blessing.  Making others feel special. 

Noticing the broken, the unnoticed and the weary, the poor and sad.  I think that's what Jesus does through our eyes! 

You never know what that might do for someone's soul.  Maybe you will help enlarge someone's heart. Maybe Jesus will be seen. 

Help us Lord to be the ones who see, who notice!  Jesus wants us to tell the world that they matter to Him.  

My prayer is to see with new eyes!  Maybe it's through our eyes, God looks to see others.  Maybe that's where he resides, right behind our eyes!  

1 Samuel 12:16 

Now then, stand still and see this great thing The Lord is about to do before your eyes! 

1Thessalonians 1:4 

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you. 

Genesis 16:13

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Chasing sunsets!

I love to chase sunsets.  I realize it's not possible to chase sunsets really!!  But I have this desire to capture and enjoy sunsets especially with my camera.   I never tire of experiencing another sunset.

The sunsets that I most love are the ones that reflect over a lake. It's something about the sun light that casts a magnificent reflection on the water that sets my heart in motion.  My heart enlarges and i find a place in my spirit to worship God.  I want to lift my hands in praise!  Sometimes it's just a gaze.  But I'm always in awe!  Always in awe!

I often chase against the clock to get to a lake to capture the sun as it sets.  You can't be late.  You can't procrastinate.  You just have to be there and be ready if you want to experience a lake sunset.  

I love that when I get up in the morning, I know the sun will set that day.  It is a promise that he's been faithful again today.   And I know that when I go to bed the sun will again rise the next morning.  That's a promise.  

I sense His presence in the sunsets. The Lord of Lords reached out his mighty hand and directed the sky to light up the evening for our enjoyment.  

He calls my name in those moments and reminds me that he is holding my world in his hands. 

I see his creativity as a gift.  He proves his majestiy every morning and every night. He reminds me that this display is for our viewing pleasure.   

I learn to trust again as my spirit says he must really love me.  He must really love us.

 He established a work of art with just the touch of his hand.  He paints a canvas of love and grace and then invites us to a front row seat. The best seat in the house. 

 So when I'm challenged to ask God where he is.  And when my doubts take over and my thoughts play havoc with my mind.  I gaze into his workmanship.  I chase another sunset!  He promises and sends his comforter to minister to the brokenness in me. 

From our glorious God to his blessed children, thank you for a beautiful and creative reminder that you are worthy of our praise.  And you allowed me to be worthy of another sunset. 

His word expresses it better than I. 

Psalm 19:1 

 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

Psalm 50:1

The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets.




Psalm 65:8

Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sunrises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy. 

Psalm 84:11

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

Psalm 104:19

You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. 

Amen!!

My sweets!!!

Some of my summer pics !

Choose the blessing !!

When I was just a little girl, I wanted to have a big family.  Kind of like the one I grew up in.   I adored babies.  I would follow around anyone who had a baby.   I babysat often in my early teens.   I had several moms on a regular basis ask me to watch their children.  I rarely said no.

Even as a young child I knew I would probably have a large family.  I couldn't get enough of babies and all their perfection of sweetness.

For me motherhood came naturally.  I remember when I held my firstborn for the first time, I was in awe of this gift I was just given.  I couldn't wait to watch her learn and grow. 

As it turns out I did have a fairly large family. 4 children spread out over 13 years.  Some would say that's big.  I'm not sure that it is, but nonetheless we decided to join the 4 and no more club!  That would become our new mantra! 

 I look back now and I can say. I'm so glad that I had 4.  Was it easy?  No, not for one minute. Raising children is not a picnic. They require every ounce of every minute of every hour of every day of your time, energy, strength, brain power, reasoning skills.  It will take sacrifice, wisdom and selflessness and lots of love. 

There will never be enough of you to go around.   You will feel spread thin and overwhelmed many times.  You will be challenged and broken and spend lots of moments in worry and fear. You will cry, feel stretched and discouraged many days.  You will wonder at your own strength and abilities to do what's needed.  You will probably second guess your decisions.  

But as I think back to those early days of raising my family. I can say I'm glad I chose to make the sacrifice.  I'm glad too that I chose to stay home with them.  A choice I was blessed to have.  Sadly, not everyone has the luxury of that choice.   Again not an easy job and not always a popular decision.

 We chose to be a little less rich and a little more poor.  But the blessings still were evident more than I even knew. God always showed himself faithful when I least deserved it.  I would often miss the blessings.  But He in his patient ways would remind me that He stood in the gap when i was not my best.  I would learn eventually not to measure my own abilities or lack thereof by others standards.  It was so easy to do. 

 My perspective would often get lost in my struggle to keep everything tidy and in order.   I would find it easy to hide behind the wall of discouragement and focus on what I didn't have instead of on what I had.  

 Again Gods gentle reminders would come in a variety of ways.  I would hear his whisper "be grateful."  "Don't miss the blessing!"   God would continually nudge my heart and pour His spirit into my parched soul.   His gentle guidance would instill in me a greater desire to grow in my faith.  

I would often get caught up in being right and correct over all else.   But eventually my stubborn heart would see that it was about doing love and being love.  Love would win over every time.  My four would teach me and bless me again and again.  

 I'm still learning and struggling.   It's in the struggle where we grow muscle and strength and courage.  Maybe it's there where we learn to live and love differently. That's the beauty of family love. It's not in getting it right but in choosing to see the blessing.  

Romans 8:39

         

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

,
   

Romans 15:4

 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans,

    but the Lord determines our steps.