Gifts You Can't Take Back

Happy New Year!!!  The tree may be down, the fudge gone, and the gift wrap out in the trash.  You still have some gifts that you may have forgotten about...let's open them and consider how to use them as  you can't take them back!

My Christmas season was different in that we lost my wonderful mother-in-law unexpectedly on December 4th.  Our weeks since have been marked with planning her Celebration of Life, hosting out of town relatives and thanking people for their many acts of kindness.  As we read the many sympathy cards we received, I was struck again by how much even simple things we do matter and leave holes when we're gone.

As I think of the impact we each have in this life we've been given I began cataloging the gifts of God that we can't take back or return. He has graciously given them to us to use on His behalf.

1.  People to love on....  We each have lots of people in our lives that God has put there for us to love for Him.  We don't love them perfectly, but we can keep trying and ask forgiveness when we mess up. This is the most important gift we have!

2.  Time....  Each of us has 24 hours in a day, yet our days are numbered by our Creator.  Live with no regrets.  Jesus tells us that He came to not only give us life, but to give us an abundant life!  He wants us to live fully, trusting in HIm for our protection and provision.

3.  Purpose....  The Bible tells us God made us with a purpose, a special place to fill in this world and even the next!  He made us the way we are because our combination of characteristics is just what He needs to do the jobs or fill the purposes He created us for!

I was talking to a man recently retired and he said, "You know, I used to think it would be great to have lots of free time with no particular claim on it..but that lasted about 3 days.  I felt useless without a purpose." So it is with us...how amazing that God trusts us to do special things in His Kingdom; things He had planned for us even before we were born!

At the beginning of a New Year, I like to evaluate how I'm using these gifts I've been given.  We've been reading the book "Going All In" by Mark Batterson at Lovely Branches and the author is motivating us to really put what we have out there to serve Jesus.  The principles reminded me of another article I read recently in Sound Mind Investing. It amazes me to think of all God has invested in me and what He has entrusted to my care, or stewardship.  The author of this article, Matt Bell, uses The Parable of the Talents from the Bible to illustrate this point.  Remember the story?  The master gives each of three servants some money or talents to keep safe for him while he is gone. Two servants invest the money and earn interest, but one servant is afraid of losing the money so he just buries his.  He gives it safely to the master upon his return but is rebuked as lazy and wicked!  Here's what the article goes on to say:

"God affirmed the two servants who took appropriate risks and multiplied what had been entrusted to them.  In God's economy, we are entrusted and empowered to make something more of what we have been given.  The multiplication is best seen when we use money (or time and energy-my add)
in ways that enable us to fulfill the three overarching purposes of our life:

To love God, love people, and use our God-given talents and passions to make a difference.
These purposes lead to a countercultural way of prioritizing the use of money.  Our culture teaches us to make lifestyle spending our highest financial priority.  Next come debt payments that come from the first spend-first priorities.  If any money is left over, we should save, invest and maybe even give some.

Scripture flips this approach on its head.  It makes clear that God wants us to approach life from an other-centered point of view, which is why He teaches us to make generosity our first financial priority.  (Proverbs 3:9)  He wants us to use His resources to care for the poor (Proverbs 19:17), share the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), and help provide for those who teach us His word. (Galatians 6:6)".

Financially, we need to also stay or get out of the bondage of debt, have some savings, invest patiently and THEN use what is left to support our lifestyle.

What a difference in how God wants us to use those things He has entrusted to us compared to what we see and hear in the world.  Even knowing these principles, I have spent too much time, money and energy on lifestyle even though I want it to be pleasing to God.

As we go into 2014, remember the principles of good stewardship:  Invest in others and help the poor, be generous, share the Gospel, and provide for those who teach His Word.  Which is just another way to seek His Kingdom first...and remember the rest?....  All things will be added unto you...an abundant life, with people to love, time, purpose and provision to do God's will with what He has entrusted to you.

Let's get going...there are people to see and love, things to do.  When we turn our priorities upside down, we can turn our world upside down as well!

Use those gifts and Go All In!

Come Let Us Adore Him

Something funny happened in my basement closet as I was getting out Christmas decorations.  I pulled out the handmade manger scene with Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angel and sheep, the usual cast of characters, but when I pulled out the manger, Baby Jesus fell out and was lost in the  bottom of the closet amidst all the other decorations !  As I peered down through all the Christmas clutter trying to find Him, the message became clear:

Don't lose Jesus in all the other Christmas stuff!!!

This season of  His birth should be all about waiting for Him expectantly and rejoicing in His arrival.
Whatever we do to celebrate Christmas  it should be about adoring Him!

Here are my top ten ways to have a simpler Christmas with the focus where it needs to be.
1.  Get our your manger scene and turn a Bible to Luke chapter 2, the story if Jesus' birth.  Give these a place of prominence in your home. You can download free manger scenes that you print out for children to move the characters as you tell the story of Christmas.

2.  Establish the habit of meeting together as a family to do an Advent calendar of activities, or read scripture or Christmas stories each evening of as often as possible.
Our family did this before bedtime, all cuddled up on the couch by the tree.  Even as teens and now  adults they remember fondly the stories I clipped from magazines about selfless acts of service and Christmas miracles and still want to read old favorites.  The Jesus Story Book Bible has a adding for each day, begin at the front and day 24 brings you to the Birth of Jesus, and God's great rescue plan for his people has arrived.
Togetherness is what matters here, as well as refocusing on the reason for the season.

3.  Make your home an inviting place to be...inviting, not perfect, not magazine worthy, not spectacular!
You can decorate with very little..a tree perhaps, or even little trees from the thrift store, or evergreen branches stuck in bottles.  Make handmade ornaments, put out favorites with lights.  Part of the fun is seeing everyone's favorite ornaments again.  We always chose an ornament that reminded us of a milestone in each child's life that year as a present ...a football player, a camper, ballerina, etc.
Shop for decor at your grocery store...put candy canes in mason jars along with other Christmas candy, have a big bowl of red and green apples, a glass container of lemons and  limes.  Have the kids stuff some oranges with whole cloves and place in a bowl with cinnamon sticks and pine comes.  Shop for decor out your door...cut evergreen branches and gather pine cones for displays throughout the house.  Shop your house..use thing in a different way.  Put Christmas bows around stuffed animals in a wagon! Wrap your picture frames. Tie bows around your sofa pillows.  Make a
"Snow village" with branches spray painted white, batting for snow and  Epsom salt snow in mason jars with tea lights, or the snow spread on a tray with candles.

4.  Make your family's favorite cookies and desserts.  We have some cookies we only make at .Christmas...Reindeer Haystacks, which are chow mein noodles and melted chocolate chips and peanut butter.  We do not make fancy cookies and neither should you unless you enjoy that!  We do make a Jesus birthday cake, which I never dreamed would still be requested as it is only a jello poke cake with white cake mix and red and green jello,  Who knew?

5.  Cook ahead and freeze extra for busy days...chili, roast beef sandwiches, lasagna, etc. Have a stash of crackers, chips and dip for unexpected company.

6.  Make your home smell like Christmas whether you bake or not.  Collect peels from oranges and put in a small saucepan on your stove with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and some water.  You can reuse this mixture several times.

7.  Keep the grinch of consumerism and commercialism away...or it will steal your Christmas joy! Don't look at magazines, decor and fashions at the mall, or ads that urge you to spend more, and even make you discontent with what you have.  This includes children.

8.  Focus on giving..not "I want, I want".  Have your children make a giving list and an acts of service list as their gift to Jesus!

9.  Have a silent night.  Sit together with just light from candles and of the Christmas tree. Play Christmas music and just ponder  the wonder of Christmas in your heart.  This is the way to truly adore Him!

10.  Do less and enjoy the season more..your family will cherish memories you make together and you can enjoy the season.  For too many years I tried to be the overachieving Mom and hostess, ending  up frazzled and snippy with my family instead of  relaxing and being present in the moment.  I was thinking of the next items on my to do list and playing martyr because I has so much to do...a lot of which really didn't add me that much to our adoration of Jesus.
Let that be the funnel you sift activities through...do they help you worships Jesus and bring your family together or not?