I know it's not quite the Christmas season. We still have to celebrate Thanksgiving and give our thanks to God for all things. However, we must get started on something now.
During this time of year, people both young and old, consciously or unconsciously scribble down wish lists.
Some ladies wish for diamonds, a piece of furniture or that certain kitchen gadget they've been eyeing. Men wish for guns or boots or maybe a particular tool they saw advertised in the most recent Home Depot flyer. Teens wish for electronic gadgets, hip clothes and lots of money. And children...their list is often the most lengthy and detailed as they make out their wish list for piles and piles of toys.
At one point, I had the new-yet-vintage Fischer Price toys from Barnes & Noble on my Christmas Wish list. I even added it to the wallpaper on my trusty cell phone.
Then...things in my world changed and so did my wish list.
Those memorable, little toys on my list were replaced with desperate pleas and prayers to God to fix stuff in my life.
Yes, life certainly has a way of bringing about change. And, change is difficult. It can be painful. It can take time to become accustomed and used to the idea of change. We can hate it and fight against it, but sometimes change is inevitable...and NOT on our wish list at all.
So, what's a girl to do during those times? Something that has absolutely nothing to do with our wish list at all. It's not something we can be given, it's quite opposite in fact, and requires us to take action:
GIVE IT AWAY!
We can choose to give up our wish lists, including our disappointments and broken dreams, to someone far better than Santa. Our heavenly Father knows what its like to feel the pangs of hurt and loss when things in life change and we're left disoriented and reeling from the craziness of it all. He also knows how to give us the best gifts. Isn't that exciting?!
Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
God can take the ugliness life has dealt and, in return, give us hope and joy in spite of it all.
So, if you find yourself scratching out those items on your wish list that seem not to matter any more, and replacing them with desperate, heart-felt desires and wishes, take heart. This season, let's give our lists to the One who can really make the difference. The God of all good and perfect gifts can take any situation and change...and make it all better. He doesn't allow something to be taken from us without replacing it with something far better.
Hope is what Christmas is all about!
Maybe now it's time to sit down and make your grown-up Christmas Wish List. What do you want most this Christmas? Thank God for even knowing and being concerned with our wish lists!
There's still time to pray over that list, give it to the Gift Giver and prepare our hearts for the absolute and perfect will of God to be done. He can handle change and He longs to fill us with the most important things - which includes joy and peace - during this season and every other too.
There's still time to pray over that list, give it to the Gift Giver and prepare our hearts for the absolute and perfect will of God to be done. He can handle change and He longs to fill us with the most important things - which includes joy and peace - during this season and every other too.
Blessings~
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