Pain. I don't like pain; I'm pretty sure it's unhealthy to like it. But there is a place for pain in our life. Think about physical pain: there are some people with a condition where they don't feel pain. They could stick their hand in a fire and never feel a thing. Cool right? No! They could cause severe damage to their body causing infection and maybe even leading to death-but no pain. Pain warns us of danger, pain alerts us that something is wrong, pain tells us something needs mended, and pain tells us something needs healed. So if we ignore pain or shove it into the depths; ignore it; we are unaware of danger, and the broken and wounded cannot be healed. It will stay broken. Pain is not our enemy, pain is actually our ally. Not our friend; we don't want to hang out with pain; but an ally that can help guide us through the path of war. So don't ignore pain, or hide it. If we do we will remain broken and hopeless. No, embrace it and walk through it; for through that pain Jesus will make you stronger, fuller, and more alive!
Christmas is 81 days away. I count down till Christmas all year long because; well I might be a little crazy, and I really like Christmas. For me Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year; and there are many things about the rest of the year I that I love too! But the reason I love Christmas has nothing to do with "shopping days". Now I do thouroughly enjoy the goodies, presents, decorations, music, movies, and snow; but those are the aspects of Christmas, not the reason. The reason I love Christmas-all year long-is because it is the season of Hope. It is the celebration of the birth of The Savior; He IS Hope! Christmas is calm and pure, Christmas is Peace, Christmas is happiness and joy, Christmas is hope-Christmas is Life. That's what Christmas is, that's who Jesus is! Without Jesus we don't have Christmas, and without Christ's birth - His Life - we don't have Him; and without Him, WE don't have life! So Christmas is deep and yet simple; it represents and celebrates, Hope and Life, and all that life entails. Jesus IS Christmas, and He literally and truly came to bring us Life-to the fullest. That's why I really celebrate Christmas-every day of the year! |