Reflection on Giving

This mirror in my front hall reflects red jingle bells. Somehow a bell ringing at Christmas just gives a feeling of lightness and childlike wonder. As I get mired down in lists, errands, expenses, commitments, the season takes on heaviness and I let those things steal my joy. Actually, I give the joy away as I try to achieve getting things done and checked off my list, and rushing to that perfect holiday.

There was a time in my life that I had to practice saying "NO" in the mirror. I figured if someone asked me to do something then it meant I was supposed to do it. I didn't want to disappoint others, and wanted them to like me, so found myself doing lots of things I didn't enjoy for all sorts of wrong reasons.

I find, especially at Christmas, that unrealistic expectations can get me in lots of trouble. My greatest joy in these last few years has been to give several gifts to people that don't expect one. Sometimes they are even given in ways that the person does not know who was responsible for the gift. The joy of giving something done in secret is its own reward. The funny thing is that it covers up the giver in delight and blessing as much or more than the recipient. It tilts the world system of lists of expensive, expected wants and must haves.

Don't get me wrong...I love giving presents to my family and cooking traditional holiday things for them. But I find myself yearning for simpler times and ways of giving and being together. I have found glimpses through a few practices.

I highly recommend:
1. Giving an unexpected gift to someone God leads you to bless.
2. Giving yourself the gift of a block of time with a friend or loved one.
3. Saying "NO" as a complete sentence in response to something you really do not want to do, and does not bring you joy.

It is very freeing, and you may find yourself, like me, delighting in the childlike wonder of Christmas again.

By Faith

Sometimes I get a photograph that my friends call a "God shot." The interesting thing about going digital is that I see immediately, without having to wait for film, what showed up in the picture. There is evidence of things in the photo that my eye did not see. But there was a call of deep to deep that drove me to take the picture.

What delight when I realized that taking a picture of the wreath on my front door captured a Texas sunset in the glass at the center! The Father of light and life gave me a light show smack dab in the middle of the wreath I hung to honor the babe we celebrate this season.

We received the light when we believed on him, the Word that was with God that became flesh. Those first enthusiastic responses of faith are fired again when He reveals himself in photographs such as this one. When I am stirred by the spirit to shoot some photos, I know by faith that there is something He wants to show me. I have confidence that responding to the nudge of God's will actually stimulates hope and perseverence in me that likewise can encourage others in their faith. I think that pleases God. He is always the proper object of genuine faith, and richly rewards it. He nudges us to seek him; find him. He delights in being found!
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And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

Blue Poinsettia

I am amazed when I see a flower bloom in a new color. I have been drawn to photograph roses that looked black, silver, or lime green; and lately I succumbed to buying a blue poinsettia. I am not sure if it was grown, dyed, sprayed, or just how it arrived at its color. All I know is that I like it. I can tell you by looks that I get not everyone thinks it is pretty. Maybe pretty odd, "silk??"; or nothing spoken at all accompanied by rolling eyes.

I remember reacting negatively to some green catsup a few years ago. Catsup is supposed to be red. Poinsettias are supposed to be red. No wearing white shoes certain times of the year. No mixing gold and silver, although there is a current trend to do exactly that. I guess I use color to illustrate how much we get in the box with certain expectations of how things are supposed to be. We can even become legalistic with color.

I imagine that some of my free spirit is because of the right brain artist thing. But I imagine my mind will be totally blown each time I get to see another dimension of God when I am in heaven. A blue poinsettia will be pretty mundane. I suspect that when we experience something out of this world we may be getting a small spiritual preview of that thing we cannot wrap our minds around, about whom we cannot lean unto our own understanding.
That would be GOD, OUT OF THE BOX.

The Perfect Gift

I was taking some pictures of Christmas decorations around my house when the scene above my front door caught my eye. As the sun began to set, the scene changed because of the light.

I got two different pictures of the very same thing in a matter of less than an hour because the sky showing through the window changed from soft blues into sunset hues. As I searched scripture about "light" I came across the scripture about every good and perfect gift. It also contained a line about shifting shadows. The figures in the window are Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. The babe who is the word of truth made flesh, the perfect gift. Wow! God so loved us that He gave the perfect gift.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18

Treasure

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34

I received a package in the mail yesterday that was worth more than silver or gold. My Colorado friends sent me a package full of the mountain. It contained fresh green boughs, a great book, chocolate, and precious fox and moose ornaments.

I thought about putting the boughs together with the wired ribbon enclosed so I could hang it on my front door. But God led me to exactly where all the gifts should reside: a treasure chest. The chest lives in the front hall, but now is full of smells, tastes, thoughts, and heartstrings from Evergreen. It reminds my heart that the simple gifts, many times the least expensive, are the ones we hold dear.

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SHOULD I START A "COLORADO" TREE
TO DISPLAY THESE HEART GIFTS BEST?
ME THINKS THEY'LL REST ON MOUNTAIN GREENS
IN A FITTING TREASURE CHEST!