New Year

Today begins a new year on our calandars.  2022 has exited, and 2023 has begin.  Do you wonder what 2023 will bring?  I suspect it will be a combination of joys and sorrows just like any other year.  The difference is that the children of God know the Lord is with them in both the trials and the joys.  

Why is it then that even we, as children of God, often find ourselves fretting and worrying from time to time?  I think part of it may be that we are making other things outside of the Lord too important to us.  Sometimes perhaps these other things over which we are fretting have become functional idols.  Also, we are imperfect, needy people who need the assurance of God's protecting and loving heart.  Yet, God has promised us over and over in His Word, the Bible,that He will never leave us or forsake us and that He will be with us to the end.  He has also proven Himself over and over in our lives.  

Matthew 6 in the New Testament of the Bible instucts us not to worry about our lives.  If God cares for the birds and the flowers, He will certainly care for us.  We often fret and worry about our needs and wants, but Jesus said in Matthew 6:32 that "your heavenly Father knows that you need them."  Instead of worrying Jesus commands us to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness."   He says if we do that, "all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

I don't know about you, but I often fret and worry.  In fact, the other morning I had just read the beautiful Matthew 6 chapter and was reassured from the passage.  Yet later in the day I found myself fretting about some little thing again.  Yet the more we are in God's Word, the Bible, we find out that worrying is not necessary.  We can just rest in the Lord even in the difficult moments. 

Philip Yancey says, "A God wise enough to create me and the world I live in is wise enough to watch out for me."  Paula Rinehart says, "If God has you in the palm of His hand and your real life is secure in Him, then you can venture forth-into the places and relationships, the challenges, the very heart of the storm-and you will be safe there."  Timothy Keller has said, "Worry is not believing God will get it right."  

No matter what we face, whatever God allows in our path; He will be with us and will be with our very lives.  Even in life's trials we are in His hands.  Maybe you are challenged by a family care-giving situation. Maybe you or someone you love is very ill.  Maybe you have financial or job issues.  Maybe you have relationship issues.  

In the last couple weeks of 2022 alone for me there were experiences of sharing Christmas joy with some of my grandchildren and my new husband of three and a half years.  I have, however, also experienced difficult moments due to the continual struggles of my sister with her cancer and the funeral a few days ago of my husband's only remaining sibling, his brother.  

This time of year is always also somewhat difficult for me, as I think about how twelve years ago my son and I found on the morning of January 2nd that my my first husband had passed away during the night, a day after his 65th birthhday.  This had been after a few long years' struggle with a neurological disease.   Yet no matter what we face, the Lord is still our great Shepherd and will care for us.  God has been with me through many difficult experiences, and will be with me in the current and future ones.  I need not fret or worry.  He will for be with you as well, dear reader.    

Let's enter 2023 with a new confidence and trust in the Lord.  Let's rest in Him.  Let's trust Him with our todays and tomorrows.  He is worthy of our trust.  He is Immanual, God with us.  (If you did not see last week's Christmas post about Him being Immanuel click this link:  https://christiancaregiving.blogspot.com/2022/12/immanual.html )

Immanual

Today is Christmas. Blessed Christmas to you all!  For some of us, Christmas presents are already unwrapped due to an early Christmas celebration.  Perhaps, for some of you today is the big day for opening presents.  For others you do not plan to celebrate until later in the month or even into the new year.   In all the celebrating let's not forget the real meaning of Christmas on this special day.  

For all of us, the year 2022 is almost over.  Year 2022 certainly has had it's challenges, but there has also been huge blessings.  Now we look ahead to year 2023 with it's challenges and blessings.  Psalm 62 talks about trusting the Lord at all times.  Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."   Psalm 62 tells us that in God alone we find our rest, hope, and salvation.  He alone is our rock, refuge, and fortress which can not be shaken.  He is a strong and loving God.  

Circumstances may be difficult, and people may fail us, but God will always be with us.  We can always trust the Lord. The Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament calls Jesus, Immanuel, which means "God with us."  (Immanuel is also sometimes spelled Emmanuel.)  

God is with us because Jesus came to this earth as a baby.  He was God incarnate revealed to us.  He then lived a perfect life for us that we can't live and finally died to pay the penalty for our sins.  He rose again and is now in heaven, but He is still present with us through the Holy Spirit.  So the book of Matthew begins with a promise that God is with us.  The Gospel of Matthew also ends with a promise that God will surely be with us "to the very end of the age."  What a precious promise! 

Let's carry that precious promise with us as we seek to live out the last days of 2022, and as God ushers in the new year, 2023.

Gifts

 

What kind of Christmas do you anticipate this year? Perhaps your Christmas will involve a lot of extra work for you in addition to the challenges and responsibilities of other life activities, or perhaps you are feeling isolated and ignored and all alone this Christmas in your daily burdens. Instead, however, perhaps you will experience Christmas this year as a reminder of your blessings and as a blessed respite from the drama of life's challenges.

Whatever we experience this Christmas and with every gift we receive at Christmas or at any time of year we have to open our hands to receive the gift; or the gift does not benefit us or give us any joy. The gifts we receive which are eternally precious, however, are the gifts which God wants to give us.

The Lord first offers us the gift of salvation which is what Christmas and walking with the Lord is all about. He further offers us the accompanying gifts of joy, peace, and hope. They are ours for the taking; and yes, they can coexist with the pain and heartache which often are present in life. Further, the Lord promises us a happy ending. That happy ending is eternal life. Christian reader, the heartaches that sometimes come in life are but a comma in your life story. They are not the end of your life’s story. They are not the end of your loved ones' life stories either.

We also can all receive other gifts. We can receive the gift of trust in God and letting Him control our lives. We receive this gift by resting in Him and by letting go of anything which we are holding onto too tightly or trying to control.

We further all have to let go of feelings of unforgiveness for people who have not been there for us. We further have to receive the gift of forgiveness for ourselves.  We have to bring to the Lord any true wrongs, and ask for His forgiveness. Further, we often carry around a lot of false guilt about things beyond our control. So whether false guilt or true guilt, we need to let it go. We need to give it to the Lord. Trust and letting go are great gifts to have in our lives.  Receive the gift of releasing it to the Lord.

One great gift we can give ourselves is the gift of acceptance of our situation. We often waste so much energy wishing circumstances were different, but we can rest assured that we are right where we are supposed to be in our lives. Dear Reader, your responsibilities may be emotionally overwhelming at times, but in the measure that you can accept where God has placed you now in your life you will find joy. It is a great gift you can give yourself.

Yet another wonderful gift we can give ourselves is the gift of being still in the presence of God. (Psalm 46:10) Doing this helps us grow in peace, wisdom, and insights. Finally, we can give ourselves the gift of gratitude. When we are grateful in spite of our circumstances our joy and blessings will multiply and resentments will flee.

Would not these be wonderful gifts to have in your life? These are wonderful gifts not just for Christmas but all year long!

Christmas Hope

 

December is the month that we think of Christmas and hope.  Is your life weighed down with care and worry this Christmas season; or is it filled with hope?  During the holiday season we are reminded of the birth of Jesus Christ. Over two thousand years ago before Jesus was born most of the people were living without very much hope. Then in Luke chapter two of the Bible we read that an angel appeared to Mary and told her that she was being blessed by God's grace in becoming the mother of Jesus. Jesus Christ was coming as the Savior of His people!

Mary's response to this was openhearted acceptance (Luke 1:38).  Mary would suffer many immediate problems being the mother of Jesus.  She would experience many heartaches in her future. Because Mary now had hope, however, she was willing to accept God's will for her life with joy.  A life secure in the Lord's hope can move with confidence through life in spite of difficulties and challenges.

Life can be very heartbreaking and challenging.  There are times when the circumstances of life can be overwhelming.  But like Mary in the Bible we too can have hope no matter what our circumstances. Dear reader, rest your heartaches with the Lord. Know that He is the source of strength and hope.  His hope is not a wishful thinking type of hope, but it is a hope based on His certain promises in the Bible. His hope is secure and will never leave you.

Beyond the Weariness

 Do you ever feel overwhelmed with or weary from a situation or circumstance in your life?  Perhaps you are the caregiver for a loved one which requires much of your time or energy.  Perhaps you have a serious illness yourself.  Perhaps you have a situation at work which is overwhelming.  Perhaps you have a family member who is requiring much encouraging and counseling, and you find this emotionally draining.  Perhaps you have yet another very difficult situation in your life, and you feel weary with it all.  

Yet you can know that God has placed you exactly where He wants you to be at this moment.  He wants you to be a tool in His hands for the benefit of someone else.  So you and I must stay the course and persevere in what God had called us to do.  This task that God has called us to do may only be something we can fulfill through God's strength and will.  We can also pray for each other, as we persevere in the tasks God has given us.  I ask for such prayers from you.

If you have not had chance to read my blog post of last week on joy, click on this link: https://christiancaregiving.blogspot.com/2022/11/joy_26.html 

Joy

 

In the early morning I love to spend time in God's Word.  As I am having my devotions I enjoy watching the darkness outside turn to light.  Morning is one of my favorite times of the day.  Sometimes the morning awakens with a brilliant sunrise.  More often, it is a more gentle awakening with light becoming more and more evident in the lower sky.

The psalmist said in Psalm 143:8-9, "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.  Show me the way that I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.  Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in You."  David, the Psalmist, was looking to the Lord for light and guidance in His life struggles. 

Even though I enjoy the beauty of early morning, I also sometimes I struggle to wake up to a new day with its issues and problems.  Currently I have a sister with a terminal illness.  This illness with its prognosis that she is facing breaks my heart. I was able to visit her and other family members about a week ago.  My family members live about 500 miles away.  I can testify that my sister's faith remains strong and is fixed on the Lord.  Our time together was one of sharing burdens and grief, but also joy and gratitude.  As my pastor recently said lament often comes before gratitude, and they often comingle together.    

I have other struggles and laments in my life as well.  Yet spending time in God's Word and watching the new day unfold always reminds me of the joy the Lord wants me to experience in spite of life's struggles and sometimes because of them.  

The night before Jesus went on the cross He spoke to His disciples of the joy He wanted them to experience.  That joy is found only in the Lord and not in the things, circumstances, or even people of this world.  Jesus said to His disciples that they would find joy in Him alone.  This is true of His disciples today, as well.  Jesus also said that no one will be able to take away our joy (John 16:22b).  He further said, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).  Jesus said that He promised the things He did before He died, "that they may have the full measure of My joy within them." (John 17:13b)  Jesus wants us to have overflowing abundant joy in Him even in the face of obstacles and deep trials. 

With His joy we can live with courage and with inner confidence.  We can't produce this confidence in ourselves.  It can only come by abiding in Him and by the Holy Spirit in us.  Jesus called Himself the Vine and called us His branches.  He said, "I am the true vine---Remain in Me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." (John 15:1-4).

Joy can be found in Him in spite of circumstances!  Joy can be found only in abiding in Him!  Joy can be found only in seeking His glory and living for Him.  Joy can be found in Him in the deepest night of trials and by rejoicing in His light!

Grace That Will Keep Us

I had not intended to post this week, because of some events happening in our extended family which has greatly saddened my heart.  Yet this morning in church our choir, of which I am a part, sang a song which greatly encouraged me.  Perhaps it will encourage your heart as well, if you are going through some extra difficult times.

The name of the song is "Grace" by Carolyn Hamlin.  Here are the words for that song:  "Lord, as I seek Your guidance for the day, I find my thoughts unyielding, confusion crowds my way; but then when I  bow to You, the challenges You guide me through.  Your promises are ever new. I claim them for today.  Your will cannot lead me where Your grace will not keep me, Your hand will protect me.  I rest in Your care.  Your eyes will watch over me, Your love will forgive me; and when I am faltering, I still will find You there.  Each new day's design is charted by Your hand and graciously revealed, as I seek your master plan.

Keep my steps faithful when from You I go.  Return me to the joy that Your blessings can bestow.  Your will cannot lead me where Your grace will not keep me, Your hand will protect me.  I rest in Your care.  Your eyes will watch over me, Your love will forgive me; and when I am faltering, I still will find Your there.  Your eyes will watch over me, Your love will forgive me; and when I am faltering, I will still find You there."

If you are hurting today, as I am, may this song bless your heart.  God is always there to comfort and to guide.  His grace to us is a wonderful blessing.  His will does not lead you where His grace cannot keep you.