A Gift for Everyday

Does Christmas have a feeling?
If so, it doesn't "feel" like Christmas to me.
At least not in the way that it felt when I was a child. I remember feeling really excited about all the gifts that were waiting for me under the tree on Christmas morning. As I got older, I started realizing that not everyone celebrated Christmas like I did.

Religion, ethnicity, and money all play a signifcant role in how a family celebrates the holidays. Sometimes, we just need to go without to see how fortunate we are to have.

Sitting on my couch looking at my Christmas tree, I now understand that Christmas isn't about the quantity or quality of a gift, but rather, the gift that one gives. Gifts don't have to be material; they don't need to come all wrapped up in shiny reindeer paper adorned with a nice gold bow. The best gifts are those that you can give everyday such as a smile, a helping hand, friendship, a listening ear, gifts whose value is not measured by a price tag but by a person's genuine interest in the individual. Lasting gifts may not be easy to give but may be the exact perscription that a friend needs. Humbly giving to a neighbor in need reaches across the socioeconomic status that the media often defines as a "wealthy," a "middle class," or a "poor" individual.

Allowing your hand to willingly reach out and hold the hand of another is the exact love that Jesus was talking about. It is this kind of self-less love that brings about action, causes forgiveness, and promotes peace in our families, coummunities, government, wars, etc.

What if everyone reached out to one person a day?

Would our world be a better place?

Would your world be a better place?

Would those you touch either physically, spiritually, emotionally, academically, etc. reach out and touch another person, thus creating a lasting domino effect?

Would there be any changes in your life or the lives of others that you invest in? What would those changes be?

Could you see yourself adovcating for the lives of others, putting other's needs before yours, and loving regardless of the circumstances?

Would you be able to accept the fact that Jesus loves you everyday, not just on Christmas? That it is Jesus who watches over you, "knows when you are sleeping, knows when you're awake, knows when you have been bad or good"? It's not the man in the red suit that brings you toys once a year. It's the human, the Spirit, the God that holds his life in your hands. Every breath, every movement, every action is known by God even before you fulfill it.

Have you accepted the reality for today that God loves you just because?
Where in your life are you allowing God to "love" you?
If you have, where in our life are you not allowing God to "love" you?
If you haven't, why not? Where could you give of yourself to help a friend in need today?

Psalm 56

Be merciful to me, O God, for me hotly pursue me;

all day long they press their attack.

My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.

When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mortal man do to me?

All day long they twist my words;

th

Simply Beauty, Simply Love

Beauty knows no limits.
For what is beauty without God?
He is the essence of beauty and the perfect example of true love.
A love that never fails, but always lasts.
A love that doesn't hibernate with the winter, or fall off the trees, or sprout new leaves.
No, his love is one that weathers all storms.
His love has substance.
I can't even begin to put into words the amount of love that he has for you and I.
Though we will never have God all figured out, just know this: it's ok.
For he still loves you and I just the same.

Simply Love

A friend once told me to close my eyes and imagine an entire room filled with water. Every chair, every wall, every pore on my face consumed by water. A God who loves me as close as my breath, a God who is near to me as my human heart.

A God who loves me just because.

What does such as love feel like? Look like? Act like? Is it indescribable, does it have hands and feet, or does it have the characteristics of both? A love that is so incomprehensible that words cannot fully describe it.

When I think of such a love I am reminded of a marriage.

"A man should have to seek [Him] first to find her." Maya Angelou

Likewise, we should seek God first before we get swayed by a false love that does not exist, by a love that lacks a body, soul, and mind. God will fill this void that every one of us experiences at some point in our lives. He is the only one that can truly satisfy this longing, this natural desire for more.

For life is more than the next big thing. The next big term paper, the next snazzy car, the next cheap relationship. God is the solid foundation that will last. He is the ONLY ONE who provides lasting forgiveness. Material items perish standing next to eternal life. A life full of happiness and committed love.

A life where God loves you just because.

This life can happen right now.
What will you do?