Skip to main content

Ta-Da!

Christmas was one of my mom’s favorite holidays.  She loved Christmas.  She loved everything about it and she made it VERY SPECIAL.  One of our “traditions” was that no matter where we were, if it was at her parents’ house (as small children) or later as adults, when we opened presents, she ALWAYS opened her presents last.  It was like the “ta-da!” to the day.  I vividly remember this because we made such a big deal out of it.

Everyone wondered, did she get what she wanted?  - did dad get THE PERFECT PRESENT this time? – what would her reaction be - we would wait with baited breath . . . . phew!  S-U-C-C-E-S-S!  or uh-oh, this ain’t good!!

I wonder now what WAS she looking for?  What WAS the perfect present or the perfect ending to this holy day?  Would she EVER get what she EXACTLY wanted . . . EVER?

I find myself reacting the same way (unfortunately) . . . looking for the perfect gift . . or reaction . . . or feeling.  What’s with that?  Is my Christmas “success” going to be wrapped up in the presents I get?  Really?  Or will it be in the rest of the celebration – the family and the fellowship and the worship and the love and the food and the giving. 

I don’t know if I have EVER got the perfect gift for Christmas and I’ve received pretty much everything from diamonds to hug coupons to small appliances.  This year we found out we are going to have another grandchild next year!  That sounds PRETTY PERFECT if you ask me, but still . . . . . when the night’s all over and its just me and my heart – is THAT going to do it for me?

Psalm 103 says:

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.
(my emphasis)

The Psalmist says praise God with ALL MY INMOST BEING – that’s the heart, the mind, the soul – all of me (we’ve “talked” about this before)  and to “forget not His benefits” – all He has given, all the blessings in my life – I couldn’t BEGIN to name all that He has given me.

Then there’s the “redeems my life from the pit” part – yep, been there, hated that.  I’m redeemed and I am definitely NOT in the pit anymore – I’m on solid ground and not drowning (AND LOVE IT).

WOW – just thinking about this gives me goosebumps (or as my friend says:  “Holy Ghost bumps”) !!!!!

And my desires?  My desire for that perfect Christmas (“ta-da!”) – that perfect present – family – marriage?  What about that?

The Psalmist  says He will satisfy us with “good things” – “GOD” things is what I’m thinking:  what God knows is BEST for me – not what I think is best or what the world tells me is best – but what God KNOWS is best for me – good things (and in those good things, I am renewed and refreshed and enlightened (just to name a few J)).  

The baby Jesus, in the manger, came to save me.

Came to save you.

He was born for THAT REASON – to save.

His life for ours.

       His gift – our redemption -  our satisfaction – our hope

                                           our “ta-da!”

The summation of all that Christmas has been,  is and will be . . . .
til the PERFECT ENDING – heaven !!! 

May our hearts see . . . His PERFECT gift .

Comments

  1. Ok, you have to tell us which of your sons (his wife, to be exact)is having another child!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It all started before that.

As she talked, I sat there amazed.   Not at what she was saying, but at who she had become.   Confident.   Godly.   Faithful.    Respected.   It just hit me that she is now a leader in our church.    A true leader.   The next generation of leaders, in fact. But wait -- is this the same young woman who God brought into our lives a little over 10 years ago?   The anxious, nervous, only-just-started-going-to- church- wanting-to-please-everyone young woman my son introduced us to?   Watching her confidently taking her seat, I started thinking of those first days . . .   and seriously, my breath caught in my throat.   How amazing God is!   He molds, He holds.   He shapes and He grows.   And He does this over and over – and it still amazes me.   That got me to thinking.   God’s amazing work in my life didn’t start with my daughter-in-love.   It started before that.   It starte...

I prayed for toilet paper.

    I left for a LONG walk by myself recently while vacationing at my sister's place.   Armed with a bottle of water, it was a perfect morning to get away.  The sun was shining and the birds were singing - what could be better??   Having walked this path before, I didn't have a worry in the world. Praying, humming and taking in as much of God's creation as I could, all was good.   Well, until . .   My bladder was full and no bathroom was in sight.   I figured I was still about two miles away from the nearest bathroom.   What to do?   Two miles is a LONG WAY when you gotta go.   Some of you know EXACTLY what I mean.   Or maybe you don't have problems like this and if you did, you at least wouldn't tell anybody about it.   But the older I get, the more of a problem it is.   And the older I get, I know that EVERY event in life has a lesson.   Yes, even one like this   So I did what an...

Obligation or desire?

I had a question asked of me yesterday that quickened my heart and left me wondering.  I'm still wondering for that matter.  It actually makes me a little sick to my stomach to think that I even have to question myself and admit this out loud.  But here goes . . . . . do I worship God out of obligation or desire? We are studying 1 Kings on Wednesday mornings and King Solomon is the main character.  He's the son of David (known for being the man after God's own heart).  Solomon loved God and worshiped Him.  In fact, Solomon was allowed to build God's temple and became one of the wisest richest rulers of all time.  I Kings says,   5  Three  times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the  Lord , burning incense before the  Lord  along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations. I'm thinking to myself, WOW, this guy's doing it all rig...