Finding Blessings Beyond Christmas Dreams


“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”(Ephesians 3:20-21)

Anyone dreaming of a White Christmas in my neck of the woods met with utter disappointment yesterday. Record-high 70-degree temperatures shut off the fireplace. The only thing blowing cold air came from the air conditioner, not the wind.

Others had their dreams dashed when what they hoped for didn’t appear under the Christmas tree. ‘Tis the season when dreaming of something like in the classic song White Christmas doesn’t always come true.

“White Christmas” may be one of the most famous Christmas songs from the movie of the same name. But another lesser-known song from the film could be the cure to the holiday blues of disappointment.

“When I’m worried, and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”

“Count Your Blessings(Instead of Sheep) penned by Irving Berlin, makes no mention of Christmas, yet it is wildly popular during the season. He described the inspiration for the song to the head of the movie studio in a letter,

“As I say in the lyrics, sometime ago, after the worst kind of a sleepless night, my doctor came to see me and after a lot of self-pity, belly-aching and complaining about my insomnia, he looked at me and said, ‘speaking of doing something about your insomnia, did you ever try counting your blessings?”

Our blessings outweigh what we dream of and do not have. Shifting our focus from the negative to the positive aligns us with God and helps us see our greatest blessing. Jesus was born into this world so that He could be born into our hearts. He offers far more than our self-pity, belly-aching hearts’ desires. He tells us in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”

This Christmas, accept the only gift that matters, a relationship with Jesus here on earth and in eternity. He offers more than we dream, ask, or imagine.

What gets in the way of seeing God’s good work in your life?

How can you shift your thinking to see His blessings in your life?

Always Believe

University of North Carolina-Greensboro 2021

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“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in.” Winston Churchill said this to a group of graduates in 1941. It is my battle cry for raising children. My son graduates from college tonight. Making the Dean’s List the last two semesters while studying for the LSAT. It is a tremendous accomplishment that comes as no surprise to me, but may be to some who have crossed his path.  

From birth, Jeffrey has been, how can I say this nicely, stubborn, hard-headed, and willful. You get the idea. They broke my water at 5 am, promising he would be born within minutes. 8 1/2 hours later, he came reluctantly into the world. Let me give you the scenario, my husband actually said, and by the way, he is still alive, “Honey, if you pushed a little harder and a little longer each time, I think this whole thing would go a little faster.” Oh, you do, do you? The entire birth crew took several steps back, ready to call a Homicide Squad. Eventually, Jeffrey made his entrance, all 8 pounds 12 ounces and 23.75 inches of him. The nurse muttered something about how it was no wonder I had a tough time. He gave us the first scare of his life. He was blue and not breathing. They did the sternum rub to no avail. One nurse began to sing, and he started to cry. She quipped that her bad singing always did the trick.

That would not be the only time that Jeffrey scared the life out of us. This child was beyond his years. The smartest toddler I’ve ever known. They tell you to read to your child. No one tells you at what age. So, I started when my son was an infant. We read before nap time and before bedtime. It became our ritual, signaling time for sleep. It was a glorious bonding time and an adventure into worlds like Curious George and Narnia. He would listen as long as I read, even as a one-year-old. It stymied my mom! At 18 months old, he couldn’t be fooled by being told that his favorite annoying toys were broken. He quickly told you, “Actually, Mommy, they just need new batteries.” If you told him how much there was of something, he would tell you, “That’s just an estimate.” And how can you possibly fathom a two-year-old who memorized the capitals of every U.S. state? Knew and identified the alphabet. He read before he went to school.

With a mind like that, boredom came easily. As Jeffrey grew, he often pushed the limits to challenge himself. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always good for him or his mom or dad. We were told that Jeffrey liked to walk to the edge and lean over. It made for traumatic high school years. No matter what came our way, I never gave in. I prayed for him. I prayed with him. I loved him no matter what. I stood by him, knowing the “real” him. I always believed in him.

And so here we are. He is graduating with a degree in Political Science and a concentration in Pre-Law; Law school is next. My heart is so whole it could burst. God is so good, and Jeffrey has worked so diligently. This past week, in Bible study, everyone talked about the meaning of their name. I looked up his. It means “God’s Peace.” That is who he is and will be in this world. He is a great negotiator!

If I could give one piece of advice to young parents or parents of teens, it is the words of Winston Churchill, “never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in.” The future and success of your child depend on this. We are living proof. My son Jeffrey, who from the start had a thirst for knowledge, with “God’s Peace”, Love and Mercy, graduates with honors, with so much more to come.

I believe in you ALWAYS!

Jeffrey’s life verse.

How to Live Love: Insights from 1 Corinthians 13

In the bath, where I try to put on my best face before going out in the world, hangs a more critical way to get started. A framed artwork from my husband, bible verses, read at almost every wedding, including mine, on Love. God’s holy word tells us:

“Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Imagine husbands and wives treating each other this way. Imagine what the world would be like if we treated everyone this way. 

The Lord loves us and treats us like this because God is Love. All of those attributes describe his character. If we belong to Him, His spirit lives in us, making it possible for us to live this way too. We would live only to love ourselves and our desires apart from Christ in us.  

When we realize that God sent His very beloved Son to rescue us, we understand how great His Love is. 

Because God is Love and all good, he can’t look at us when we live apart from him. By asking the Lord into our hearts, God sees His Son Jesus covering us. We stand before Him white as snow. Jesus washed away our sin by taking the very punishment we all deserve. Here we see ultimate Love.

“Greater Love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”(John 15:13)

Jesus calls us friends if we come to Him.  When he lives in us, we can treat the world as friends with Love. The next verse in that passage says it all:

“Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:8

Prayer

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 out loud every day. In place of the word “LOVE,” put your name. Ask God to help you be more like Him. Set your heart on what is good. It will change it! 
  2. Ask the Lord to help you turn from negative and destructive thoughts, words, and actions. God is Love and light. Ask Him to protect you from the father of lies and darkness. 

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Trusting Your Senses vs. God’s Truth

Billboards litter the sides of highways almost as much as trash does. How effective can these be when the target audience races by like the Indy 500? The most effective billboard sports a few words. Anything beyond three or four is a blur for drivers who think the speed limit is optional. 

Two billboards on a nearby Interstate captured my attention. The first, big black letters emboldened on a white background tell passing motorists to “Think God.” The other declares a similarly short message: “Trust Your Senses” on a brightly colored, busy, floral-decorated sign. Both kept the message short and sweet, but only one kept its point simple for a fast-paced world.

Trusting your senses—sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell—can lead you astray even though they help navigate the world around you. I have reached an age where trusting my senses gets me in trouble. My hearing sometimes fails me. The other evening, my eyes convinced me that small deer were in my backyard. Morning light revealed that our Adirondack chairs had been turned upside down. (Hey, those legs could have been antlers!)

All of our senses can deceive us. Think God. His word of God never does.

The Bible tells us: “This God—his way is perfect;[d]

    the word of the Lord proves true;

    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the Lord?

    And who is a rock, except our God?—

the God who equipped me with strength

    and made my way blameless.

 He made my feet like the feet of a deer

    and set me secure on the heights.”(Psalm 18:30-33 ESV)

We believe the psalmist’s words when the road we walk is easy. When it gets tough, we think God’s way isn’t perfect; He doesn’t protect or defend. We are alone.

Satan deceives us the same way our senses do. He mixes a little reality with lies. I believed I saw deer that evening because they frequent my backyard, making a buffet of my plants and flowers. True, yet my eyes tricked me. 

The devil will deceive us into believing that God doesn’t really care about us. We learn in the book of Genesis that Adam and Eve, who walked right alongside God in person, believed this lie from Satan. He took God’s very words about not eating from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and said that God was holding out on them. He left out the second part about how it would lead to death. God wanted Adam and Eve to follow his path. They sinned when they went their own way, eating from the tree. Sin meant separation from God, the “death” God warned them about. 

Friend, we do the same thing when we point God at what we think would make us happy and complete. We tell him he can’t possibly love us in the dark places. We rail against him. Yet a loving God will withhold what he knows will harm us and separate us from Him. 

He wants to protect you, like he tried to protect Adam and Eve. He wants us to “Think God”, not trust ourselves or our senses. Our ways fall short every time. Only His way is perfect. When we navigate the rough roads with Him, He will lead us to His perfect will.

Color With Joy

Move over, helicopter parents who hover over their child’s every move. Get out of the way, snow-plow parents who remove any obstacle in their child’s path. A new, less menacing-sounding model has replaced you.

The other day, I read an article about “Sad Moms.” These parents have rid their houses of anything of color, including colorful children’s toys and clothes. They decorate their homes with beige on beige. One was even quoted as being offended by the green in the grass. It turns out that color overwhelms them in what they see as difficult times. Climate change, political division, or anything that offends them has driven them to dull their world. 

For them, beige is the boss. Hard to teach your small children the colors when only one can be pointed out to them. Sad Moms, you bet, and off the mark. Yes, life is hard. But God is good. Erasing the color from life because times are tough won’t change your outward view. That only comes from within.

In Romans 12:12, we learn how to have joy no matter what life brings.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Tough times come. Trouble awaits. God tells us He will get us through when we turn to Him. Praying reminds us that He is in control, not our circumstances. Waiting helps us develop character, shaping and strengthening us.  

This reminds me of the “No Pain, No Gain” theory of working out. This year I started a new exercise program to strengthen my core and back muscles. I want to stand up straighter and prevent injury to my aging body.

My muscles mutinied immediately. Small lifting movements and various bands and weights break down, exhaust, and strengthen muscles.  

Friend, adversity does for the heart and soul what exercise does for the body. It’s pulling and prodding exhausts us and strengthens our faith in God as we turn it over to Him. Each trial helps us stand when a more challenging one comes our way. God reassures us that it will be worth the work.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”(James 1:2-5)

God wastes nothing. Even the bad things He uses for good. We must work it out, not tune it out.  If we strip the world of color and joy when life gets tough, we will miss the masterpiece He is creating- a relationship with HIM.

Drop the Banana: Finding Hope and Purpose

Monkey Trap! No matter what version of this story you hear, it doesn’t end well for the monkey. The legend goes that either there are too many monkeys or tribes trap them for food. They devise a trap with a small opening in it. A banana is placed inside. The baited trap is set, and the tribe waits. The monkey can easily slip his flat hand inside when it comes for the banana. He can’t remove his clenched fist from the trap when he grabs the banana. He jumps up and down and screams. His cries alert the hunters, who come and kill him. All along, letting go and unclenching his fist would set him free.

This is all of us. At one time or another, we all hold onto something that hurts us, harms us, or is just not good? We tell ourselves that something worse will happen if we let go. We scare ourselves with the “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” So we hold onto that banana until it is blackened, bruised, and mushy. Convincing ourselves that this poor excuse for a piece of fruit is somehow still tasty and pleasing. We lie to ourselves. Like the monkey, we jump up and down and scream when things don’t go as we hope or want. All along, we find freedom if we drop the banana.

What are you holding onto so tightly that it is hurting you? Maybe it’s someone you are dating, a spouse, your job. Maybe it’s you. You are a control freak, bent on making everything just so, fixing yourself, your problems, and the world’s too! Good luck with that. That job has been taken since the beginning of time. Yet there you are, jumping up and down, screaming. Whatever you hold onto looked so pleasing at first. You have squeezed the life out of it and yourself. Letting go and finding the real life is far better. Letting go isn’t the worst that can happen. Holding on is. Look around. Holding on isn’t working out really well for you now…

Ouch, right? It hurt when someone said it to me, too. Still does. I’m that Control Freak and a couple of other things, too. There’s no fancy method to follow or anonymous meetings to attend to learn how to drop the banana. There’s a “Good Book” full of truth about what happens when you let go.

“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. – Proverbs 19:21

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

The one responsible for everything is God, not you. And his plans for you are to give you hope and a future, more than you can imagine. Your plans are many, yet they are crumbling. His plans will stand. Letting go sounds good right now. It’s scary but good. Yet the grip on the banana is strong. You can’t fix you. God can.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – ! Peter 5:6-8

Give God your concerns, your anxieties, your fears, and your problems. Start small. Hand over one thing at a time, the easiest thing first. Pray and ask Him to help you. You can’t do it on your own. Ask others to pray for you. No one stands alone. No one should stand alone. This flies in the face of today’s worldview. Do it anyway. No one is doing well on their own. God is for you, not against you. Drop the banana. Listen for His voice. Follow His plan for hope and a future. Drop the Banana and live.

Promises straight from His word: (Numbers 6:24-27) “The Lord bless you And keep you Make His face shine upon you And be gracious to you The Lord turn His Face toward you And give you peace.”

(Exodus 20:6) “May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And your family and your children And their children, and their children.”

(Exodus 33:14) “May His presence go before you And behind you, and beside you All around you, and within you He is with you, He is with you.”

(Psalm 55:17) “In the morning, in the evening.” (Psalm 121:8) “In your coming, and your going.” (Psalm 30:5) “In your weeping, and rejoicing.”

Practice Makes Perfect: Golf and Growing Your Faith

They call golf “A good walk spoiled.”By “They”, I mean me and everyone else who has tried and failed miserably. They equip you with a skinny stick to hit a tiny ball to what can only be described as infinity. Don’t be fooled by cute terms like dogleg left, water, and sand. Golf calls the last two hazards in the playbook. Also, they don’t build them on flat surfaces. It’s up and downhill. All part of the dastardly plan.

Sounds a lot like life. Hills, sudden changes in direction, and hazards constantly try to spoil our good walk. We can navigate obstacles like good golfers by learning to avoid or get out of them more easily. Train.

The other day, while on the course, we came across a group of senior men. The oldest gentleman approached his ball. He pulled back his club. To my utter shock, he blasted the ball long and straight down the fairway.

My first thought- I want to play like that guy. My husband reminded me that these men have played for years and,” Practice. Practice.Practice.” He reminded me that I have a natural swing. But I have to stop thinking I should be on the pro tour. I need to train if I want to get better. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Christian, this applies to us as well. We must work out our faith. In 1 Timothy 4:8, we learn, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

We train by praying, studying God’s word, and walking with Him daily. The more time we spend learning about Him, the more we depend on Him to help us navigate this life. When we strengthen our faith, we point others to God. Then, like that man’s golf swing, people will want what we have.

Childlike Faith: Jesus Loves Me This I Know

Children make a lot of noise. They live out loud. They laugh loud, talk loud, fight loud, play loud, and somehow even manage to sleep loud. They live life wide open because they haven’t built up walls to protect themselves.

I care for three little girls during the week. Being raised as one of four girls, I am not shocked by the near jet engine decibel level and constant chatter in the house. I get it.

I did have to stop one day at the sound of the 3-year-old’s voice—a beautiful sound singing equally beautiful words: “Jesus Loves Me, This I know.” I know the song. I have sung it countless times, often along with the Whitney Houston version. She does a much better job than I do—pitch perfect and on key. But her version pales in comparison to the 3-year-old’s.

When that little one sings, “This I know,” she means it, heart and soul. When I sing it, well, it’s all in my head. My adult, jaded mind is hampered from understanding the kind of love a child can easily understand.

This past Sunday, our pastor preached on Knowing God or Knowing about God. There’s a big difference. I know my family and friends and what makes them happy, sad, or hurt. I spend time with them, listening, talking, laughing, and crying. We have relationships.

I can say I know Whitney Houston, but I only know about her—the songs, the movies, the tabloid fodder. I have never spoken with her, shared with her, or had any relationship with her.

Christian, God wants you to know Him more than you know about Him. He wants to know you, too!

This happens like it does with our family and friends. Spend time with Him. Read His word and devotionals, attend church, and a small group. Pray quietly, and then listen for His still, small voice. We can’t hear him through the clutter and chaos.

To really know Him, take Him at His Word. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) He is the I AM. Getting to know an invisible God sounds impossible to us. So, He provided a way. God sent His Son Jesus, whose very life we see in the pages of the Bible. Learn about Jesus, and you learn about God. When you know Jesus, you know God.

Jesus and God are one and the same. In Exodus, when Moses asked God who He was, God told him, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ (Exodus 3:14) In John 4:16, Jesus uses the same name: “I Am the way and the truth and the life.” In its original language, “I AM” translates to the God that was, is, and will always be.

That everlasting God wants to have a relationship with you, to know you, for you to KNOW Him. Jesus is The Way.

When my little friend sang, “Jesus loves me, this I know,” it hit me like a lightning bolt. I had to ask myself, do I know that or merely know about that love? The song’s words speak the truth. Jesus loves us. “The Bible tells us so.” Believe it. Be still and Know that he is God.

No Pain. No Gain: Working Out Adversity Through Faith

Move over helicopter parents who hover over their child’s every move. Get out of the way, snow-plow parents who remove any obstacle in their child’s path. A less menacing-sounding model has replaced you.

The other day, I read an article about “Sad Moms.” These parents have rid their houses of children’s toys and clothes made up of primary colors. They decorate their homes with beige on beige. One was even quoted as being offended by the green in the grass. It turns out that color overwhelms them in what they see as difficult times. Climate change, political division, or anything that offends them has driven them to dull their world.

For them, beige is the boss. Hard to teach your small children the colors when only one can be pointed out to them. Sad, you bet. And so off the mark. Life is hard, as the name of this devotional tells us. But God is good. Erasing the color of life because times are tough won’t change your view.

In Romans 12:12, we learn how to have joy no matter what life brings.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Tough times come. Trouble awaits. God tells us He will get us through when we turn to him. Praying reminds us that He is in control, not our circumstances. Waiting helps us develop character, shaping us and molding and strengthening us.

This brings to mind the “No Pain. No Gain” theory of working out. I started a new exercise program this year. A mutiny erupted in my muscles immediately. A not-so-very “stretchy band” and light weights break down muscles and, for the first time in a while, build them, I hope.

I started this program to strengthen my core and back muscles. I need to stand up straighter. Plus, I’m trying to prevent injury to my aging body. I never want to be that woman in the cheesy Life Alert commercial declaring, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

Adversity does for us what exercise does for the body. It pulls and prods us, stretching our faith. In God’s eyes, it strengthens us so we can stand when something tougher comes our way. God reassures us in the Book Of James that it will be worth the work.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”(James 1:2-5)

God wastes nothing, Even the bad things He can use for good. We must work it out. We will see His beautiful, perfect plan when we pray, wait, and stay faithful. We develop perseverance and maturity when we turn to Him for strength through troubles. If we strip His world of color, turn our eyes from what seems too much, we will miss the masterpiece He is creating – a relationship with HIM.

Finding the Good in a Negative World

This is a Debbie Downer world. The times we live in focuses on the negative. “If it bleeds. It leads” the news tells us. Good news seldom makes 6 O’Clock News. 

The station where I worked in Phoenix always looked to do something new and innovative. “Good News Arizona” hit the airwaves, showing people building a special needs playground in their neighborhood to help one child. School children sending care packages, photos, and letters to soldiers fighting the Gulf War, and so on. There is no shortage of goodness in this world. The trials we go through just cloud our view.

Laziness makes us focus on the negative. It surrounds us.  It takes work to push through the tragedies in life to find the treasures. God equips us with all the tools we need Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.“

You realize all of those things define God Himself. If we set our eyes on Him and focus on Him, our focus will shift.  

Need a little help? Look around you. When God created the heavens and the earth, the animals, the flowers of the fields, He put a bow on it all and pronounced it “GOOD.” When He formed man and woman, He declared them “VERY GOOD.” Goodness surrounds us.

Go for a walk. Soak in the sunshine. Call a friend or loved one to hear a friendly, caring voice. Play your favorite music. In Job 38:7, we find “‘the morning stars sang together’.  God is surrounded by a heavenly choir. Angels sang, heralding the birth of Jesus. Dance like David did. It will bring you and God joy!

As the Facebook meme goes, “Be the good you want to see in the world.”  We have too many Debbie Downers and too much negative news. Do something new and innovative. Set yourself apart, and  “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2.