This morning while I am sitting at home on Christmas Eve instead of being in church where I would prefer to be with my friends an loved ones, I am home making a memory of a different kind ...watching a Gaither Christmas Video and wondering if I actually have the "mumps". Few people my age get to even think about this but for some reason I must be special because here I am and I sure have made a lot of family laugh at my situation so I suppose I am blessed in spite of it all.
It must have meant to be because as I was listening to Gloria tell a story a short while ago it reminded me of us and God's love. She told of a man who was trying to choose a special card for his wife - probably for her birthday - but he could not find the card that said exactly what he wanted to say to her. Have you ever been in this situation?...when you knew that there was something that you wanted to say to someone but just did not find the right words. I have. Sometimes it has been because I have been overwhelmed with love and appreciation like the time I met Henry Blackaby and stood there with my mouth open and nothing coming out and other times it has been when I was angry with someone and wanted to tell them what a jerk I thought they had been. At those angry times, it was probably best that I did not have words to say and I turned away.
I usually do not have problems with telling people that I love them. Sometimes I don't tell them enough. I want to find better words to tell Bob how much I love him and how much I thank God for putting us together 44 years ago because He has been so wonderful to me and my love for him deepens every day. I am so honored to be his wife and know of his love for Jesus and how he has lead our family to know Him better. I want to tell Debbie what a wonderful daughter she is and how much I love and appreciate the young woman she has become, the wonderful wife and mother to my grandchildren. I want Kenny to know that we love him like the son we never hand and treasure him with all in our hearts and thank him for being a wonderful Christian husband to Debbie and father to Rachel and David. We tell Rachel and David all the time that we love them but our hearts fill with such pride and joy and we cannot find adequate words to express to tell any of these what is truly in our hearts. I want our families to know that they are in our hearts and prayers every day even when we do not call or e-mail. We want our church and our pastor to know how very much we love them and how much we depend on them but there are no adequate words even through we try to say "I love you" often and try to show, yet somehow it does not seem enough.
Most of all we want our Lord, Jesus Christ to know that we love Him and there are not enough decorations, music, celebrations or anything else that can truly express what is in our hearts for Him and what He has done for us. The only way we can show Him how much we love Him is by loving each other and offering our praise and worship with humbled hearts and bended knees, sometimes tears of repentance and gratitude.
Our Scripture reading last night was from 1 John 3. Verse 1a says "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God!: Chapter 4, v 7-11 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, He who does not love does not know God for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love (agape), not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (sacrificial substitute) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
It is awesome to know that we are Children of God if we believe in Jesus Christ. The best gift you can give to Jesus this season is yourself. I John 5:13 also tells us that we can KNOW if we have eternal life for it says "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God".
In 2006, I have tried to share with you some of what God has been showing me. I am looking forward to another year with you and
Sharing God's Love,
Peggy
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