My Favorite Christmas Story 12/25/15

Taken from my favorite Christmas book,
The Christ Child, Illustrated by Miska and
 Maud Petersham 

     Merry Christmas.  That each guest of this inn has a lovely day, is my wish.  I know I will.

     What is Christmas?  Nope, it isn't about gifts.  It's about
one Gift, Christ.  This holiday is about God's incarnation, becoming man.  This day celebrates His arrival.  He dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14) I know for many this is an outdated concept.

     Thank you, for visiting this year. One hundred and sixty-five thousand (165,000) guests have.  About 460 a day, 13,800 a month.  Inspired and cheered, each time your drop by.  That's my hope.

      What Christmas gift can I offer?  How about the key to serenity?

      I find it attainable when we do what we can, then letting go of the results.  An expectation is a resentment waiting to happen.  We leave them to the God.  There is only one God and we are not Him.  Our best efforts are good enough. (Courage to Change, p. 9)

      Worry is like a rocking chair.  It gives us something to do but it doesn't get us any where. (Hope for Today, p 98).  I'd rather light a candle, doing something constructive. That's better than cursing the darkness of despair, cussing out our trying circumstances.  Complain-ing and fear----where's the growth in that?   You're right, there's none.

     The gift of joy is available.  Really.   It's about perspective, how and where we place our thoughts. The life of the innkeeper, growing up, was difficult, more than you might imagine.  Yet, as you know my life is full of joy, wonder, hope and positivity.  This can be your lot, too, for....

  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."    Proverbs 23:7

     Perhaps you lack abun-dance.  With the economy as it is, we worry about the fin-ancial stability of our future.  While I would not use a crys-tal ball, I know who holds the future.  My confidence is in Him.  Neither my job nor my paycheck is my provision. 

      God is.

      My faith is not in faith.  That's folly.  Blind faith usually is dangerous.  Where I place my faith, matters.  It can tentative and insecure. I can place my toes on four foot thick slab of ice on a lake.  As I detect it's ability to support me, my trust strengthens.  If I see a Zamboni---you know, those truck-like, more than a thousand pound devices that smooth ice on hockey rinks---racing up and down the surface of ice I am standing on, my trust increases.

       On the other hand, I could have tremendous faith, while stepping on a 1/8th of an inch thick sheet of ice covering a lake.  It will not prevent me from crashing through.

       It is not the intensity of my faith that matters.  What is critical is the object in which I place it.  For me, it's God.  He consis-tently has demonstrated unwavering support and love. He is patient, gracious.  This has been my experience since I was fourteen. 

      My wish for you this Christmas is discovering----if you haven't already----the gift of a personal relationship with Him.  The Wise Men sought Him, years ago.  May you seek and discover Him, too, is my prayer.  He awaits you. All you have to do is invite Him into your life.

     How?  Through the door of your heart. You entrust your life to Him.  You'd discover peace, joy and serenity if you do.  I know.  I did this as a boy.

     He remains with me to this day.  He makes it possible to enjoy a rich, peaceful and satisfying life.  He is the source of my Attitude of Gratitude.   I enjoy such a life, in spite of encountering betrayals, trauma, and difficult circumstances.

     My hope is that you will know His peace and joy that transcends our understanding and circumstances.

                      May you have a great and grateful Christmas!