“Do not I fill heaven and earth? declares the
Lord.”(Jeremiah 23:24).
We all want Christmas to be a joyful, happy time, but that
may be difficult. Pain can dampen our
spirits and limit activities. The self-absorbed
mindset of our society tries to rob Christmas of its true meaning long before
the month of December. Finances,
relationships, or circumstances can contribute to a less than joyful
mindset. When bombarded by these negative
conditions, it is easy to feel not only a loss of joy but even a loss of God’s
presence during this special time of year.
I came across a quote from C.S. Lewis that prompted me to
look at things differently: “We may
ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him.” I started looking for signs of God’s presence
even through the commercialism and pain, and I found them.
I heard sacred Christmas songs playing throughout the mall and
in other secular settings. People who
may speak God’s name only in cursing were proclaiming Him Savior – a foretaste
of the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. A major store set up a huge nativity display
on a heavily trafficked road in our city.
Although in discomfort, I was able to see God’s handiwork in nature while
visiting some spectacular Christmas gardens and to take a walk one night under
a gorgeous full moon.
Our world may be crowded with pain, suffering, and materialism,
but God is still here. As I make a
conscious effort to see signs of Him during this holiday season, His Spirit
revives my joy. It is not a joy based on
how I feel or what I have. It is a joy based on the wonder of an eternal God
who visited this earth in human form, whose Spirit now dwells in His people,
and who will one day return in glory to reign in that perfect world I so long
for now. So look for Him - if you seek Him you will find Him when you seek Him with
all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Prayer: O Lord, wherever I am and whatever I am
experiencing this Christmas season, give me eyes to see glimpses of You. Amen.
Thank u for your most encrging & wonderful post! It has made me more aware to be sensitive to God's presence wherever I may go and it has given me a joy in my soul this christmas to know that He really is everywhere, that if we look for Him, listen for His voice, we will see & hear Him in some way everywhere we go. I am so looking forward to experiencing this... what a lovely present u have given me! Thk u. :o)
ReplyDeleteI am so blessed to know you received something from this post and I pray you have many opportunities to see and feel God's presence this holiday season and throughout the coming year. With God's peace and hope to you,
DeleteBronlynn
~ Thank you... and many blessings and a wndrfl christmas to you too. ~ Chazah :o)
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