Wednesday, December 19, 2018

His Indescribable Gift...

Who remembers the Sears Wish book?
I'm pretty sure I drooled over this very catalog.
I would have been twelve years old. I dogeared pages, wrote lists and imagined getting every single thing I desired from that wonderful Wish Book.
Christmas in 1977 wasn't like Christmas today.
My family lived on a very tight budget. Credit? No way.
Today we live in a world where stuff is plentiful...whether or not it's affordable in the moment.
Even though this wish book invokes memories of childhood desire, I'm glad I didn't receive the treasures of every dogeared page.
I'm glad my parents carefully chose gifts for me and didn't stack boxes to the ceiling, feeding the greed monster that lives in all of us.
I'm glad God doesn't give me everything I want either.
Sometimes I think of some of the things I begged God for.
Relationships when I was young...I'm so thankful for the husband he gave me.
Stuff I knew I couldn't live without...my friends got some of that stuff and they were no happier for it.
As an adult, I wanted children right after we got married. I'm so glad we waited five years. We were so young at that time (19 and 20).
There are so many times I didn't get what I wanted and I'm forever thankful for that. Time always revealed the blessing of a "no" answer to my prayers.

I wanted to write a book when I was in the thick of mothering.
I felt God say, "Wait. I'll tell you when to write."
So I did.
I set my desire aside.
Dogeared the page, nonetheless, but set that wish aside.
The Lord is faithful and He's taken me on a winding road to publication.
A short story was published this fall, and from that endeavor, I was invited into a critique group - challenging me to become a better writer.
I'm grateful for the freedom to follow every rabbit trail on this path to publishing a novel.
I couldn't have done that and mothered my children well.
He is so wise.

What are you wishing for this Christmas and in the New Year.
Have you asked God for it?
Seek God's wisdom this season and see where He leads.
His gifts are always good.

His best Gift is the One we celebrate this season.
May you grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:18-20)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Merry Christmas every one!

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