So This is Christmas...

my pastor said something last Sunday that i have found quite profound...

"often you will find that most everyone is fine and happy about Jesus in the mangerbut when you put Him on a cross, people have a problem with that."

that's the way it is isn't it? we want to stay in a place of simplicity.

 for when we come to the hard, difficult truths of life we shy away and run into the arms of all we used to know to be pleasant and safe and painless. 

easy, simple, manageable.

but really, is that what life is about???

being able to manage it?

i am convinced without a doubt that it is just the opposite.

this year has not been easy for me. not one bit.

yet i have grown by leaps and bounds- on a monthly basis- and let me tell you, God is squeezing in all He can out of the last few days of this year.

but see, it is out of the hardships, the pain, the grief, the tears and mourning that i HAVE grown. perhaps simply because i CHOSE to make that hard decision to not run.

at the very beginning of my blog i wrote about learning to stay. stay in the pain, stay in the chaos, stay in the ups and downs of life. that has been a really massive theme of my life this year and maybe just now i'm realizing, gratefully, that that theme has an essay that surrounds it.

in these last few days of the year i am facing some of the toughest hurts and emotions of my life and as once again i was COMPELLED without choice to open my Bible to find the strength to function i've been struck by SO many words:

"O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest. YET You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed."

and it's TRUE. 

not only have i seen the Lord come through in my own life time and time again in His faithfulness but there is an ENTIRE book the size of 10 novels just overflowing with testimony of His never-ending faithfulness.

and why is it we think we, as Christians can make all the 'right' decisions to pave the way to a picture-perfect life? i don't know, maybe i'm the only one. but seriously, just LOOK at the lives of the people in the Bible. i'm not going to say that almost every one of them committed horrible sins but, well, let's just say God didn't leave us without example of bad decisions gone wrong. who am i kidding?? 

anyways, of course the pain is still there, but i'm also reminded of the man Job. simply ASTOUNDING the hurt and pain he went through- simply to prove to Satan, before God, that he would remain faithful no matter what his circumstances. now THAT is a challenge! and the words of his that are the most unbelievable are in response to his wife's suggestion to curse God and die. to this he replies:

"...you speak as one of the foolish women speaks. shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity also?"

indeed.

and as we think about Christmas and the Christ child i was reminded last

night at the Christmas Eve service of one of my favorite

names of God that comes up much more often around

Christmastime-

'Emmanuel'

meaning

"God with Us"

really, that's all i need to know.

I refuse to live my life saying "I'm fine."

apathy is one of my biggest pet peeves.

i cannot stand it when people become used to a life of acceptance and complacency and CHOOSE to stay in that life.

don't get me wrong, i do believe, of course, that life will always have its ups and downs.

i mean more when it comes to asking for help as opposed to "just dealing".

i find it VERY interesting that people see nothing wrong with turning to professionals for say, personal training, getting the car fixed, having alterations done, etc. but yet have a big problem seeking help when it comes to personal issues- especially when there is a long-term relationship involved that was promised to be forever. the ONE thing that should be valued above all else on this earth.

i say all this because recently i have been finding myself running from the word "fine". that is the last thing i want my life to be because my God created me for an ABUNDANT life and that's what i'm after.

sometimes it's really easy to let circumstances and situations and difficulties weigh me down and keep me from living joyfully, abundantly; but that's exactly what the Enemy wants and i refuse to give in. 

why settle if i don't have to?

it's the way i've lived every other area of my life

so why not?

i am SO happy as of late.

so MYSELF.

feeling.

growing.

living in a very large way.

i am thankful for the strength that God has blessed me with to sustain my sanity and contentment...

i think the difference between complacency and contentment is really interesting:

       ***com·pla·cen·cy

  

         –noun, plural -cies.

1. a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unawareof some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation,condition, etc.

***con·tent·ment

— adj
1.	mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are
2.	assenting to or willing to accept circumstances, a proposedcourse of action, etc DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE??? danger. being unaware of danger. veeeery interesting.

our pastor spoke today on simplicity in the lives of a few of the people surrounding the Christmas story...

1. The shepherds

     *** do you realize that they did not even question what the angels told them??? i'd never thought about this before but it IS rather admirable. to have seen a whole host of angels- a supernatural occurrence-  and to not even stop to scratch their heads?! they simply believed as they said "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2:15) extraordinary!!! they

 simply BELIEVED

2. Simeon

    ***and Simeon who had waited his WHOLE life to see the "Lord's Christ". can you imagine just going about your life day to day to day knowing it could happen any moment and yet staying faithful to your life, your responsibilities, your God year after year after year. that takes an INCREDIBLE amount of faith and determination to simply WAIT

3. Mary and Joseph

     ***and the parents of Jesus. to WILLINGLY step in to a situation of ridicule and humiliation as those around them speculated on how Mary had become pregnant. and then to continue to follow as their life was uprooted time after time following God's direction without knowing what their next step would be or when. simply OBEYING no matter the difficulty or inconvenience or discomfort. amazing!

the message of these 3 examples gave me hope again to keep believing, waiting, and obeying no matter what some situations or circumstances may look like.

and yet in all three of these examples i cannot help but see the exuberance in all the God was working through the lives of these people. i highly doubt they would say "ok God, it's fine". 

RATHER

"Lord, we will trust every word that comes from Your mouth and in the times when you are silent we will live in light of all the extraordinary things You have shown us thus far and delight in the life You have given us in which to revel and glorify You."

~NOT complacent, but CONTENT~

content.

in freedom, in love, in grace, in joy, in blessings- in NEW ABUNDANT LIFE!

(no matter what the tribulations and trials the above trumps ALL)

i WILL be much more than fine!

with a life full of all these, who wouldn't??!?!