Thursday, December 31

Thoughts on the Christmas We Just Celebrated........... 12/31/20

Taken from my favorite Christmas book,
The Christ Child, Iilustrated by Miska and
 Maud Petersham 
     I hope you had a Merry Christmas. 

    What is Christmas?  Nope, it isn't about gifts.  It's about one Gift, Christ.  This holiday is about God's incarnation, dwelling among us, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14)

    Thank you, for journeying with me this year.  I appre-ciate your visits.  Inspired and cheered, is my hope, each time your drop by. 

    What Christmas gift can I offer you?  How about ser-enity?

     I find serenity is attainable when we do what we can, letting go of the rest.  Our best efforts for today is good enough. (Courage to Change, p. 9)

    Worry avails little.  I'd rather light a candle, doing something, than cursing the darkness of my despair and circumstances. Constant com-plaining and moaning----where's the growth in that? 

    You're right, there's none.

     The gift of joy I wish for you.  It's easy to attain, really.  It's about perspective, how and where we place our thoughts.  

    My life growing up was difficult.  Yet, now, my life is full of joy, wonder, hope, and fulfillment.  This can be your lot, too, for....
  "As a man thinketh in his            heart, so is he."    Proverbs 23:7
     Perhaps what you lack is abundance.  With the econ-omy as it is, we can be worried about our future.  While I cannot predict the future, I know who holds it. 

     My confidence is in Him. 

     My faith is NOT in faith.  That's folly.  Where I place my faith, is what counts.  

     No matter how tentative and insecure my faith may be when I put my toes on a seven-foot slab of ice, covering a lake, and detect with each step it's ability to undergird me, my trust strengthens. 

     When I see a thousand pound Zamboni racing up and down on the surface, polishing the ice, my trust grows.  On the other hand, I could have all faith, while stepping on a 1/8th of an inch thick sheet of ice covering another lake.  It will not prevent me from crashing through, getting soaked and miserable.

      It is not the fervor of my faith but the object in which I place it, that mat-ters.  It can be the God of our understanding.  He consistently demonstrates his unwavering love for us.  For me, from my youth to today.  

       His love is marked with patience, grace, truth, and forgiveness.

      My wish for you this Christmas Day is that we will know the gift of a personal, loving relationship with Him. The Wise Men found Him, lo, many years ago.  May we discover Him, too, is my prayer.

      He awaits our invitation.  He will enter the door of our heart when we turn our will and life over to Him.  This is Step 3 in Recovery.  

     I pray you will discover the joy and serenity that takes place when you do.
     May you have a great and gratefuChristmas!                                                 

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Quotes from the Posts

"I'm mindful that our thoughts affect the words we use, our words influence our actions, our actions shape our character and our character determines our destiny."

From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.

"Progress not perfection, is better than no progress at all, especially when we're trying to rid ourselves from unwelcome dragons that dwell within the closets of our soul."

From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post
written. To read it, please click here.

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
From the post: "Life Is Not a Correspondence Program." Click here to read it.

"Even though we cannot control our circumstances, we can control how we choose to respond to them."

From, "Handling Stress and Dealing With an Emotional Bully."Click here to read this post.

"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"

From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.

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