Yuletide Cheer

~~ Luke 1:47 (NLT) ~~   How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

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by Carley Cooper

It’s almost here!  Christmas, that is.  The excitement is in the air so thick you can practically smell it.  Do you have your tree and decorations up yet?  Are you finished your shopping?  Have you done your Christmas baking yet?  Oh, and don’t forget the Christmas cards!

We put ourselves through weeks of preparation for this day.  Hundreds or even thousands of dollars are spent for gifts that we don’t really want to buy so we can give them to relatives we don’t see the rest of the year because they get on our nerves so much.  Decorations are hung everywhere, and more food is prepared for that one day than we need for several days.  Then there’s the parties with eggnog spiked enough to knock out a black bear.  We write out so many Christmas cards to people we never see or talk to that we get writer’s cramp; and keep the post office in business for another year.   Weeks are spent baking fruit cakes that have the daily caloric limits to keep the average healthy elephant going for several days. 

Have you ever stopped to wonder why we do so much for what is essentially one day?  We put up a tree... inside the house.  I mean, think about it for a minute.  A tree?  In the house?  Does that not strike you as just a tad bit odd?  Only to put all sorts of completely useless and colourful doo-dads on it.  And we finish it off by letting some strange fat guy come into our house in the middle of the night where gets to eat our snacks, and have the freedom to snoop to his heart’s content around the house and we are be none the wiser.  Oh, have you ever stopped to notice that not only has he not shaved in... forever... but he has also been wearing the same coat and pants for decades?  Truthfully, I’m not sure I would want my kids sitting on this old guys knee.

What is the excitement about anyway?  Do you even get excited?  Some of us have a difficult time through the Christmas season.  It’s been about 18 years since I’ve had a truly great Christmas.  It’s a very long story, but the bottom line is that it’s been a long time since I’ve looked forward to Christmas.  It is a very emotionally draining time of year for me.  When the Yuletide Cheer was handed out, I seem to have missed getting my portion.  There’s one person out there who got a double shot of joyfulness; and who’s just a little bit too cheery; and it isn’t from the eggnog. 

I put my Christmas tree up last week.  That alone was emotionally draining for me.  But wait... it wasn’t decorated yet.  I mean, literally, just putting the tree up.  And it’s only a small tree about 3.5 feet tall sitting on top of a small table; which I have to stick with because of space issues.  I am proud to say, though, that I haven’t killed any trees for my own pleasure in many years.  I’ve stayed with some very nice artificial trees.  Anyway, since I put it up last week, it took me all whole week to force myself to put any decorations on it, which I did yesterday.  The place looks nice.  Except I wasn’t feeling it.

This morning, when I got up I showered and got ready to go to church.  Except, that I had no interest in going and my joy was completely nonexistent.  The tension has been building inside me for a couple months at the thought of Christmas coming.  This past week was the worst, and the height of that was since yesterday.  I have been questing a few important things in my life in the past week.  I talked with my Pastor in a counselling session a few days ago, about the doubts that I’ve been having.  I have had strong believe for certain things in my life for a long time.  One of these things didn’t come to pass.  It made me question my faith; if it was placed right.  If I could be so wrong about one thing, than how do I know that I’m not wrong about more important things?  My vision of the future became very bleak.  I wondered if I am to spend the rest of my life in this same struggle.  Will it ever end,  or if I should try to come up with a solution to my issues and go out and solve it myself. 

Well, I forced myself to go to church because I know that in the past when I have been in this state of mind, going to church has always been a wise move.  Today was no exception.  Being the second Sunday of Advent, the sermon was about... wouldn’t you know it... about “Joy”.  I went and spent the first half of the service trying to hold back tears because of how I was feeling inside.  Then I heard the message of the day.  God definitely wanted me to hear this sermon today. 

Pastor said that as a culture, we are confused and disoriented about Christmas.  When the angel appeared to Mary to tell her she would conceive a child; she didn’t exactly jump for joy.  Mary was “confused and disturbed”.  I try to put myself in her place.  How would I feel if God said that I was chosen to give birth and be a Mother to the One who would save the world?  I’m not sure, but I think I would panic at the very least.  I mean, my first thought is “but God, I’m having a hard time just with writing a book.”  However, Mary took the angel at his word, and decided to obey God.  Then  she went to visit her cousin who she could talk to; who she knew would understand, support and encourage her.  After being obedient, Mary found true joy.  It is by being obedient that we are rewarded with try joy.  (Luke 1:26-47 (NLT))

Pastor asked us if we were hearing from God, as Mary did.  He said that we will always hear from God in many ways in our lives.  He said that we probably feel like it’s shaking up our lives and rattling our cage.  It’s confusing and scary.  My thought was “yep, that sounds familiar!”  But if we surround ourselves with supportive people, and vow to take God at His Word, and obey Him; we will find joy. 

After the sermon I went to the prayer rail and cried; partly because I needed to let out all the emotion inside me and also because I was thanking God for how well He takes care of me.  God knows that I want so very much to obey; but when I need someone the most, that’s when I’m least likely to reach out.  So, He sends people to me.  For example, yesterday when I was feeling overwhelmingly lonely and alone; my friend Jeff from Myrtle Bach popped up on Skype.  The conversation got around to where he was telling me that when Jesus taught us how to pray He said we are to ask that God “give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV84)).  Jeff said that means ‘Today’; not tomorrow, or next week.  We are to pray for what we need on this day.  Tomorrow will take care of itself (Matthew 6:34 (NIV84)).  Yesterday, I needed someone to talk to, and God gave that to me at the moment I needed it the most; along with a great message of guidance and support.  Today, He gave me what I needed to hear to realize that I am on the right path.  I don’t have to try to fix my own issues.  God has a plan, and as long as I stay on this track and obey; joy is at the other end. 

I got out of service today, and had another pep talk from a wonderful friend, Garry which topped off what we had just heard.  I told him that every year for many years I have only asked for one thing.  Every year I don’t get it.  Garry asked me if I was asking for what I wanted for Christmas, or what God wants for me.  I had never thought of it like that before.  He was right.  I have been asking for what I want in my life, not what He wants in my life.  I left there feeling like there is a real possibility that I may have a great Christmas this year.  Where do you find your Christmas cheer?

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In my life, the cultures that I have been blessed to be part of, at times, during the Christmas season wish each other a Merry Christmas in the following ways.  How do you say it?

English – Merry Christmas

French – Joyeux Noel

Portuguese – Feliz Natal

Here’s a video of everyone’s old Spanish favourite...  Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano

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~~ Dear God ~~   Thank You for the joy, and the path of obedience that you are taking me on to find it.  Please help me to keep Jesus at the center of my Christmas cheer, and to never lose sight of that.  Help me never to forget that neither fruitcake, decorated trees or fancy wrapping paper will ever bring me the joy that only You can bring.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

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The Flip Side

~~ Luke 15:32 (NIV84) ~~ But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  

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 by Carley Cooper

Gravenhurst, Ontario
Photo by Carley

Remember your senior year of high school?  I bet it felt like the longest year of your whole life, as though it was twice as long as other years.  Why?  Well, it was because you were anxiously waiting to finish high school, to start your life as an adult.  Do you remember the day you left home; I am guessing, because you were leaving for college?  It was an awesome day.  You got to move into your own space, and do your own thing.  Mom was not there to tell you that you have to eat broccoli.  Even better was that she was not there to tell you that you cannot have sugary cereals, for dinner; or cold, left-over pizza for breakfast.  There was no curfew, you could watch whatever you wanted on TV, and party with your friends all weekend long.  Venturing out into the world without a chaperone looking over your shoulder; was the ultimate freedom.  It probably never occurred to you to feel like you were lost.

Well, for some, you are now on the Flip Side; you are now the parent.  You are sending your own kids off to college for the first time, and you are feeling scared half to death to let them go off into the big scary world alone.  “My baby is growing up way too fast.”, “How am I going to protect him when he is in another city?”, “What if he gets sick?  Who is going to take care of him?”, “How am I going to save him from dating the wrong type of person, or from getting involved with a bad crowd?”, “How do I protect him from peer pressures of drugs, sex and booze?”.  The list of things to worry about is never ending.  Every fibre of your being wants to hold that child, protect him; never let him experience any hurt, disappointment, or hatred.  If you had your way he would never even experience a cut finger.  Above all else, you certainly do not want your sweet baby doing the things you did in college!  You want only love, laughter and joy in your child’s life; for his whole life.

As a parent, you are most certainly not alone in those things you are feeling.  Every parent who has ever had to let go of a child has felt these things and much more.  Now, for just a minute; imagine what it would feel like if your baby went off into the big world and then stopped all contact with you.  What would that feel like for you?  There are no emails, no letters, no text messages, no phone calls, and no visits home for the weekends or holidays.  Even worse than that, all your calls and messages go unanswered.  You have given this child everything that he has ever needed, guided him, moulded him, and loved him with your whole soul more than life itself.  It would be excruciating to have him willingly walk out of your life without an explanation. 

The feeling that you would be completely lost without your child is something that Jesus understood very well.  In Luke 15, Jesus tells us parables of the ‘Lost Sheep’, ‘Lost Coin’, and the ‘Lost Son’.  When the lost is found, in each parable, the Master has a celebration.  Nothing else matters, except that the Master is reunited with the lost.  When we venture out into the world alone, without God, and determined to live our life according to our own agenda, we get separated from Him.  We are lost.  More than that, God’s heart is missing us and longing for us.  He wants us with Him.  We may not even be aware that we are lost because we are too busy enjoying the scenery on the journey we have laid out for ourselves...  or worse, we are just coasting along without a plan, not knowing or caring where we are headed.  The problem here is that we end up, either, on a dead end track; or one that is leading straight to the edge of a cliff.  God is trying to get your attention to let you know that only He can move us onto the right track.  He wants to protect us from getting lost, falling over the edge, or ending up in the middle of no-where. 

God has the most amazing blessings waiting for you if only you would call home.  He is as much a member of your family as your spouse, kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even pets. With every decision you make, every trip you plan, every holiday you celebrate; Jesus should be included in the plans.  For example, I wake up every morning, no matter what the weather, look out my window and say “Good Morning, Lord.  Thank You for the wonderful day; and thank You for the wonderful apartment in this wonderful city.”  He is a member of my home and I like to greet Him as I would anyone else when I get up in the morning.  I have also learned to make decisions according to what He would like me to do.  I pray to Him and wait for an answer.  Sometimes I do not get the answer I would prefer, but I have learned not argue with Him anymore as I used to do.  It is a little bit like chasing your own tail... completely pointless.  A friend once offered me the most incredible gift; of a trip of a lifetime to travel Europe.  I turned it down, because the specific circumstances surrounding this gift would have placed me in a position that would likely cause me to stray away from God.  I am not willing to take that risk.  I do not ever want to live without God in my life, again.

Do you make God a member of your family?  Do you include Him in decisions you make?  Do you talk to Him every day?  If not, He is calling you.  He is your Father, and He loves you.  He misses you, just as you would miss your kids or anyone else in your family that would suddenly drop from the scene.  So, before you go about your life without including God; put yourself on the Flip Side and imagine how He is feeling having to live without you.  He is waiting to celebrate your home coming.

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 ~~ Dear God ~~  The plans that You have laid out for my life are perfect.  They include dreams and blessings beyond anything my imagination can come up with.  Please always keep me close to You, and do not ever let me wander off into the world alone to follow my own track.  I love You and I do not ever want to live my life without You.  Just like the lost Son, in Jesus’ parable, I want to come home to live my life with You, and I am looking forward to the celebration that You have planned.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

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The Wishing Well

~~ Psalm 37: 4-7a ~~ “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this; He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him...”
  

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Casey standing by a Wishing Well
Photo by Carley

I love that little ‘plop’ sound.  The one you hear when you toss a coin into the water in a wishing well.  I am sure everyone has tossed a coin into a wishing well at least once in their life.  Standing with eyes closed and coin in hand, I repeat a wish to myself in my mind.  I wish I had a job, I wish I could go back to school, I wish I had a boyfriend, I wish I had a flatter stomach, I wish I had bigger breasts, I wish I could lose that last 20 lbs, I wish I had another house, I wish I was a better photographer, I wish I was a better decorator, I wish I was a better writer, I wish others could see the me that I see in my dreams.  The list goes on and on.  Then I toss the coin, listen for the ‘plop’; and watch the little water ripples for a minute, feeling a little bit of anticipation, as if I expected the ‘Wishing Well Fairy’ to come out and grant me my hearts desires.

It sounds a little silly when you think about it.  I mean, seriously; how much can we expect to get for a quarter these days?!  Or maybe you ‘splurged’ hoping to get a big dream by tossing in a one dollar or two dollar coin, or even a few coins?!  Well, I hate to be the one to shatter the fantasy world, but the Wishing Well Fairy has retired and moved back home with the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Fairy God Mother, and Santa Claus; never to be seen.  You can dump all the coin in the whole city into that well and it will not grant you your wish.  The only thing you will have accomplished is to waste a lot of money by dumping it into a hole in the ground!

God is the only one who can grant wishes to come true.  Even then it is dependent on whether or not it is in His will, if you are an obedient Christian, and if your heart truly has pure motives.  Matthew 5:8 tells us “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”.  If you want your wishes to come true you have to do something about it.  Nothing is going to fall out of the sky and into your path.  You have to work for it; and if you don't have to work for it then you probably don't want it! God gave us common sense and free will for a purpose.  If you want those wishes to come true, you need several things.

1. The desire to do something about it.  If your motivation is strong enough, you will have the inspiration to take steps toward making your dream a reality.  If your drive is not strong enough to force you to take action than you have to ask yourself, why not?!  Is this dream truly what your heart desires?  Is there something standing in your way; such as fear, anger, or insecurities?  
2. A plan, with goals stated out step by step.  Seriously, write it down!  Make a plan; write a journal, order blue prints; put it on paper with the process details including major goals, minor goals, and deadlines!  If you do not have all the resources you need, such as enough financing for example, than make those problems a part of your plan.  One of the first major goals should be to be getting enough money!  What are you to do to get it?  
3. Accountability. If you think you cannot hold yourself accountable, than you also need to develop an accountability plan.  Ask; or hire, if necessary; someone to help you stay accountable.  If you have some road blocks standing in your way such as fear or insecurities, then you have to put it in your plan to get around these as well.  Conquer them.  Seek out the help you need to get around them.  Ask God to show you how to do this.  He will insist that you step out of your comfort zone, so be prepared.  Also, brace yourself to forge through some very painful things that you most certainly do not wish to face... but sooner or later you have to, if you expect to make progress in any direction. 
4. Your focus to be on God.  Your plan has to be one that will bring glory to God, and bring you closer to Him.  Your heart has to hold this as a vital purpose in your plans. 
5. Faith that He will make your dreams reality; or to lead you to a much better dream.  Even when things look impossible, do not give up.  A very special friend once told me when I was about to throw in the towel “Do not Quit.  It is when things look impossible that God does His best miracles”.  My friend was right.  I have seen God do miracles in my life because I refused to let go of my faith.  I remind myself of this on a regular basis now, to help make sure I do not ever give up hope in God. 
6. Prayer.  Above all else, you have to keep God in the loop with each and every step.  Ask Him, to give you a clear vision of the goal; about the steps to take, how to progress, and how to make your plan a reality.  Then listen for His voice, and watch for messages that He will send you.  Also, keep in mind, that His answer may be “no”.  It may take a while but He will respond one way or another.  Everything happens in His time, so be patient.  Ask Him to reveal to you, a new and better plan if this one should not be in His will.  Then ask Him to make your heart willing; and your eyes, ears and mind open to receive the messages He is sending you.  Have you ever done that before... ask God to change your desires?  It is very difficult, but I assure you that it is worth it!  Without God as your leader, your plan will not be a success.  At some point it will fail.  Even if it does become a reality, it will not turn out to be what you hoped it to be.

Wishing wells can be beautiful with a certain magical quality about them; but if you keep looking into a hole filled with water and reaching for wishes, sooner or later you are going to fall in and drown.  God is ready and waiting for you to ask Him to help.  He put your desires in your heart, and He put them there for a reason.  He has a plan to make them happen.  God not only wants you to have dreams; He wants to give them to you, and more!  Mostly, He wants to be included in those dreams.

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~~ Dear God ~~ Your ways are perfect.  Your plans for my life are better than any dreams my heart can desire.  Please let all my wishes be tossed into Your Wishing Well, and not into anything that is not in Your Will for me.  Lead my every step so that my desires will be those that will show Your awesome love, grace and mercy.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

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