Christmas Morning Musings

Christmas Morning Musings

These past couple mornings at the new house I have endeavored to start getting up early and spending the first minutes of my day with the Lord. I have neglected this for a while now and have realized how much I have missed it.

Coming out of my new master bedroom and right into my kitchen does help. I have fixed myself coffee and read or pulled out a journal or written scripture.

In the quiet of the morning, before any of my family has risen from their beds, I find myself craving this time more. Why did I stop doing this? To be honest, I do not know.

Life.

Moving.

Children.

Tiredness.

Sickness.

Apathy.

Laziness.

All of this led me to forget all the many verses that state that we are to start our mornings with the Lord. Even if that means reading a quick scripture passage before our feet hit the floor.

I prayed last night that the Lord would give me an insight for this morning. I have found that when I pray expectantly that the Lord normally answers my prayers.

This Christmas season has been an odd one for me. We have been in the process of moving and I have been very sick. It just seemed like there were a lot of things that occurred to take my focus off Christ. The Reason for the Season.

It was my own fault. I had a lot of down time when I was sick, but I chose to spend that time in a lot of worthless pursuits. I watched a lot of TV. TV is not a bad thing. It can be used to spread the gospel message. I just was convicted that I did nothing else. I could have been reading a book or writing. But I did not.

I do have to say I ended up spending a lot of time with my children as they would come into room and lie on the bed next to me to give hugs or talk or watch a show with me. I have discovered that all of my children love cooking shows. Funny, huh?

All of that to say, I have felt a disconnect from Christmas a little bit this year. And that is my own doing. Yes, I have been so grateful for the blessing of this house. I have been praising God every day for how he brought everything about.

But, Christmas.

I have really been purposing in my heart since last Friday to really focus my heart of the season at hand. I truly have enjoyed where the Lord has had me. The first day I walked over to my reading area I set up in the family room. I pulled out The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp to start reading. This is a book I have had for many years but enjoy every season. I also pulled out my journal from 2016 and 2017. What a joy to go back and read where the Lord had me those years. The prayers that I wrote those years were a balm for my soul. The scripture and quotes that I had written were so encouraging to me.

I had made my journal for December 2018 but to be honest it is mostly empty.

I have been reading all the scripture from this month the past few days to try and catch up, but I know that it is okay if this month’s journal is a little empty. I have spent that time with family and friends preparing this house to be a blessing to others. I have spent that time resting from a weary body full of inflammation from being in a fibro flare up. I have spent that time snuggling with my littles.

Yes, I did waste some of the month of December. But, yes, I poured love into my husband and family.

God gives me grace when I fall.

God gives me forgiveness when I confess.

God gives me strength when I desire to do more.

God gives me answered prayers when I seek Him.

An empty December journal is a reflection of where He has taken me this December.

On a journey that I never thought. Or could even imagine. A journey to a new home.

I am sure as Mary and Joseph held Jesus in the manger that they considered the same thing. Theirs was a journey that they could never have imagined. Where God led them was probably so far from where they thought they would be.

I stand back and am amazed at how God works. His story is one that no author could ever pen. The magnitude of how He is working all of the earth history, past, present, and future, astounds me every day. I am in awe.

I stand quiet and still this morning reflecting on how it has all come together.

The most magnificent thing is that He loves me. He orchestrated the events of that Christmas morning for me. If it had just been me, He still would have sent Jesus. But it was not just for me. It was for all the world.

The sad thing that breaks my heart is that the world has rejected him. The animosity towards God is growing. All over the world, this very Christmas morning, there are people being persecuted for claiming the name of Christ.

My prayer this morning is for them. That they would remain strong. That God would comfort them and send them peace in the midst of pain and tribulation. That they would be delivered from their chains to be able to worship and praise the Lord freely.

I am amazed at the stories that I have heard of people who have been persecuted for the sake of Christ. All of them speak of a supernatural peace that exudes from them. A peace that cannot be ignored.

This time of year, we hear a lot about peace. Many Christmas songs sing of how the angels proclaimed, “Peace of Earth.” You see that word everywhere this time of year. Peace and Joy.

I think there is a misconception about peace and joy. When you go back and read the account of the angels coming to the shepherds and proclaiming peace you realize that they said more that just peace on earth.

Luke 2:13-14

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

I have read this passage so many times in my life that I think I just glossed right over that last part. The fact that the ones who are being persecuted this very morning can awake to another day of torture and fear with hope and peace and joy is because they are pleasing God and God is blessing them with a heavy dose of His strength and peace.

What an amazing thought. Peace on earth begins with pleasing God. His peace is promised to those who please Him.

My thought for this blessed Christmas morning is Am I pleasing God?

Am I doing the things that bring Him joy?

If not, what do I need to do to remedy this?

How can I please God more and get more of His peace on earth?

My prayer this morning is that God would grant those in persecution this morning His peace and comfort. Let them know that there are Christians all over the world praying for them. Let us not forget that except for a little geography, it could be any one of us in persecution. That geography is changing as our own country is growing further away from God. Not just further away from God but there is a growing animosity and hatred towards all things that relate to God.  

Let us say a prayer this morning for all those around the world standing up for the name of Jesus Christ.

Let us say a prayer this morning for our country. That we would turn back to Christ.

Let us say a prayer this morning for all our friends and families. That each one of us would ask the question, “Am I pleasing God?”

This Christmas day I ask that question of myself and examine my heart.

I will end with a quote from the devotional I read this morning by Ann Voskamp.

“Christ came into the world for you – and you came into the world for Him.”