cookies

Laboring of Love

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The laboring of Love, sweeter than anything, tolerant of hot situations, and surely God is in the mix all the time. Love Wins.

Perhaps we are not done with our Christmas prep, I’m surely not. I’m certainly not done with work stuff before setting that aside for a few days vacation. I’m reminding myself that I need to stop prep for Christmas to simply BE in Christmas, for example that the party I attended is actually mentally attended by me IN a Christmas Spirit, IN a jolly mood, IN JOY. And not just needing to collapse on their couch. 

Then again, Mary and Joseph were laboring in their day just about now, Mary for sure about to give birth, the innkeepers were laboring busy, the Maji at some point started prep, and as for the gifts – someone labored hard to get them ready to prepare or purchase, and perhaps we all should tip our postal workers and delivery drivers just a little more for their back-breaking work.

Cookies – I attended a very unique if not the best cookie party concept ever – with friends just bringing dough and baking there, and sharing and eating… so just a little prep led then to a chatty fun bake-off… and what amazement to me were there were no duplicates. 

The laboring of love, sweeter than cookies, tolerant of hot oven touches, and surely in the mix all the time.

The laboring (for anything) one could have is different when done together, it’s truly “many hands make light work”. And this is true of everything, work work included, and including decorating the tree, which my friend I visited gave me the privilege of placing the angel on. Beautiful. Not laboring there even if I was stretching to reach.

So what’s the labor of getting through day to day that plagues us with stress when we go it alone? What’s the deal with hard to get our selves organized or motivated? We are stuck in the go it alone mentality. BUT are we? NOPE! We HAVE THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WITH US ALWAYS. Maybe we have stretching to do, like my reaching up to put the angel on the tree, but if we tap into real angel realms of warriors, they can help us!

Jesus may have waited for being born on earth, BUT Him as God already was laboring in LOVE,  already fully God. Mary waited for Him too, laboring in love. So it’s OK for us to wait AND labor right now, (just rest your legs more), and appreciate Christmas IN the labor too. 

And Rest in LOVE too, because the laboring of God IS in love and for us to know to rely upon Him.

Jesus the Son, God the Father, Holy Spirit the advocate, Three in One, never change like shifting shadows of time. ALL OF GOD IS WITH US ALWAYS, not away or elusive, but surely right here to help. So close, God is allowing and helping every breath.

Ok, making cookies are checked off the list, eating is ongoing, but the sweetness of Christmas? FOREVER…

Amen 

Cuteness, Cookies, Contemplating Christmas

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Contemplating Christmas is the shift of the season… my taking a half day off on Friday helped me move into Christmas mode… (plus wearing my Santa pants for comfort and warmth…)

The best inspiration? FRECKLES…

Seeing the FRECKLES of the sweet little girl’s face was seeing the CUTENESS of the season. I was at a Friday night girl scout party helping with the crafts, in charge of the hot glue gun, PERFECT for my skillet and my non-afraid finger burning. I am experienced in that by choice, hot glue guns over white glue are to crafts what the electric sewing machine is to a needle. Faster. 

The FACES of the scouts, yeah 150 plus for a rocking dance, cookie, craft event, a service unit MEGA holiday event, were a reminder of the SWEETNESS of children. The beauty of seeing how God made us in His Image is seeing fresh faces. The faces of asking, trusting, and thoughtful crafting minds were the highlight of the evening, better than the Christmas cookies (which were SO GOOD), better than the event I just had left, a tree lighting out in the cold with Santa on his fire truck, BETTER than sitting on my couch contemplating Christmas containers in preparation… (Don’t worry, it will all get done somehow)…

Christmas is best prepared in the heart. Christmas is best shared in the hope. Christmas is KNOWING the LIGHT of the season and SHINING alongside… it’s not necessary to get in the flashy part of Christmas, just the spiritual part.

My Christmas prep includes visiting holiday houses, music programs, etc.  And yet helping is better than watching. And those freckles? I was a freckled faced kid too, in sweetness we can help guide the next generation to know sweetness in the Christmas season. 

Isn’t Christmas seeing the image of hope in the children? It was surely the hope of Jesus to see people believe in the desire of God, the King of Glory, to come directly to earth to be God with us, Immanuel. 

So, here’s a reminder that you and your own face can help make Christmas bright, so get out there and SHINE… A SHINING face is the HEART of God beaming through the rest of life’s ups and downs… Don’t cloud Christmas, let it reign.

Keep Christmas special. Christmas is for children at heart, of all ages.

Amen 

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Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.