Merry Thanksmas

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6

Today is a day of rejoicing and thanksgiving. Today as we take down the tree and put away the Christmas ornaments and nativities, I will be shedding tears of joy, not only for the beauty of Christ’s birth, but for family and friends. I rejoice in traveling mercies as we drove over a thousand miles to be with children, grandchildren and best friends (not an easy feat for us mature-over 70 folks)! Lots of stops and prayers, but God answered our prayers. We watched all three grandkids participate in worship and heard a wonderful word from God delivered by my son-in-law, and witnessed my daughter ministering to the children We rejoiced in Jesus’ birth, opened gifts, laughed, and gave and received lots of hugs. We ate too much, exercised too little and drank in the warmth of family and friends.

A lot of prayer went into this trip, for safety, encouraging words, understanding hearts, and leaving behind the fragrance of the Christ of Christmas. We prayed for everything and now it is time to rejoice and thank Him for all He has done! Time to reflect on His sovereignty, His humility and desire to bless us and answer our prayers. He truly gave us “our daily bread,” and I pray we hallowed His name.

Father God, thank You for Advent, for leaving your throne in heaven to become like one of us. Thank You for loving us so much to offer redemption and the awesome opportunity to leave this earth and join You in heaven. You came to us so we could come to You. Such love is beyond our comprehension, but not beyond our experience. May our lives reflect that love as we in turn have been called to love others as You love us. Love us, forgive us and glorify Your Name through us, we pray!