Too many of us are working from a clear deficit of rest on a regular basis. We often lead with work and rest only when we feel we’ve earned it or, worse, when others feel it’s warranted. It would change the way we live if our mindset was to initially choose to rest, as we are able, before engaging in a substantial season of work. This would naturally set us up to engage from a stronger position, renewed strength, and fresh perspective.

Practicing unity in an age of diversity is never easy, yet we are called to be peacemakers in this fallen world to very imperfect people.

In and of itself, rightly dividing the Word of God is a weighty task that can take a substantial amount of time.

Let’s celebrate the fact that we are growing even when it may look as though we have stalled. If at some point you fail at a goal, remember your worth is not in your productivity or efforts. Your worldly successes and failures do not define who you are in the eyes of God. Rest in God’s grace and know you are wholly loved.

Thanksgiving, then, is an expression of worship, the natural outpouring of praise from a soul who realizes that while they deserve death-they have been given life. Thanksgiving helps us to remember our faith and protects us from wandering away from God. In view of the work of Christ on the cross, humility and thankfulness are the foundations for joy… and no amount of hardship, pain or suffering can steal from it. Our gratitude is pleasing to God because it is the proper response to His Mercy, our thankfulness shows our adoration.

The sin of slander is to be taken seriously in the life of a Christian because all people are created to be image bearers of God. When we tear down others we devalue them, and by proxy vandalize God’s reputation. Slander causes very real, sometimes long lasting damage to ourselves and others. It is stealing the good name of another. Slander destroys relationships with our neighbors and separates close friends. It is discouraging and confusing, and derails the mission of the church, it disrupts our worship, and makes our offering unacceptable.

Before there can be something beautiful, something has to die.

Jesus, of course, is our ultimate example. He raises from the dead in both a spiritual sense and a literal, bodily sense. Every part of our lives; our resources, talents, health, anything of which we have authority, and everything that we have cultivated, ALL, are to be used for the glory of God and the transmission of the gospel. To die, we must deal honestly with ourselves. But the idea of dying to ourselves does not need to be complicated or scary. We die to ourselves every time we simply say, “yes,” to the Lord. How would our lives change if we resolved in our hearts to say “yes”, the next time the Holy Spirit gave unction? What would happen if we were to remain available and look for the places we were being called to serve? What is the next, “yes” you will say to the Lord?

Part of our problem is, we don’t think of Jesus as a man with piercings. No, Jesus bears the ultimate body piercings, and they have a richer and more meaningful message to broadcast; they show the depths of God’s love for us and provision for our sin. Jesus, with his piercings honors his Father. It is his statement of love and the consequences of sin- his message rings loud and clear. How far was he willing to go? He followed completely willing, even to the point of death. His marks are the proof of how much pain and discomfort he was willing to endure, not just his physical sufferings, but the weight of all the world’s sin, and the entire wrath of God the Father. This, all, to reconcile us to himself. We who are unworthy and unfaithful, who, too often trample under foot that which is holy.

If we find our hearts are wavering, our trust incomplete, our confidence diminished, we must cling to the Word, specifically the character and promises of God, until they are solidified in our hearts and minds—an impenetrable fortress against the devil.

Yet, we cannot rest in what we feel. We rest in what we are sure of from the word of God. We cannot trust in what we see. We can only rest in what we know from the Word of God. I cannot trust in my own vain works. I can only rest in the works of a perfect Savior. It is a blessing to rest in this way because my trust is in someone I have access to, someone I know—Jesus. And His Friendship is worth it all.

However, we must be careful that while we tell others about OUR love for them, we are not negating the fact that, really, it’s about how much God loves them. He loves them more than we can even fathom. Is it not true for ourselves? We love others because Christ first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Christ came and showed us what it means to love. God proved His love by sacrificing His son on the cross.

I believe one of the misnomers about depression is that we anticipate a depressed person to always be in a sad or anxious mood. But it is more or less that seasons of depression are woven throughout one’s life; that to the level one might feel happiness, in a moment, they can feel the same in sorrow. So the depressed person can seem like the life of the party, just not perpetually. There are bouts of depression and anxiety caused by circumstances beyond our control. Sometimes it comes after great milestones, even joyous ones, like the birth of a baby. Other times it may come from the grief and loss of a beloved, the death of a dream or aspiration, the loss of ability. What seems small to one can paralyze another for there is intimately more going on than meets the eye.

I didn’t realize it, but I was in need of a great humbling. After a difficult week, I did what any average American women would do, and loaded my kids up for McDonald’s. I wouldn’t have to prepare at least one meal, and I completely planned on, and relished the thought of, sitting in my booth alone and mindlessly taking the time to breathe. McDonald’s was a fairly busy place. As I watched the kids play, I couldn’t help but also watch the coming and going of others. I’m pretty sure I was privy to someone’s blind date gone wrong, or maybe the worst job interview I’ve ever seen. Who knows?

And then there was Abigail.

It’s acceptable to grieve the loss of my well laid plans or my hopes and dreams for the future. But we must never forget that, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Jesus was the first-fruits, He is our guarantee of salvation and a bodily resurrection. He went first–conquering the grave! I think too often we live with the understanding that, to live is gain, to die is Christ. This is what we focus our hearts on the here and now as if it will last forever and trust that what lies beyond the grave Christ has taken care of. To live and live well, is to live Christ.

A lot of us take these festivities to a whole other level, spending on credit and feasting on novelties, we strive to make something for everyone, whether that be to bring something from nothing or to make something out of EVERYTHING. And this brings us to another cultural holiday anomaly- the Hallmark Movie. Who hasn’t seen the quintessential Christmas-loving, odd couple played out by two incredibly pretty people, who have come together only after one’s homecoming from the big city to find they have a shared inheritance *gasp* but only after exchanging some embarrassing or intimate moment, all to hate-and then love one another before finding out that one of them is actually a royal and the other a secret reporter, so that they can come together in the end and make the perfect family!

Dwelling on Scripture in this way helps us to understand the ideas and concepts of character and virtue found in the Bible and cements God’s Truth within our heart. Until the words are hidden in the heart, they will likely be unable to be used by the mouth. The Church today, too often, lacks power because it lacks USABLE WORDS. We are Scripturally illiterate–babies who are being spoon fed milk because the effort of feeding ourselves seems too strenuous. If you have not yet discovered the delight of God’s own words to us, pray and ask that it be made known to you, open your Bible, and read.

Maybe you have a literal pile of socks in your home or maybe your socks are proverbial. Surely, you can relate even if your clutter is of a different variety. What are you avoiding because it’s difficult to manage or hard to have discernment about? It’s likely your procrastination is causing you additional grief as mine was. It’s ok to allow things to be left undone for a season, particularly a strained one. In such cases it’s only natural that what’s important come to the fore-front, but it should only last for a season, and therein lies the rub. When our slow-of-heart procrastination comes from laziness or indecision it will wreak havoc on our lives. So, what can we do to bring about change?

Philippians 2:14 says. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”

Affectionately dubbed the, “Suck It up cupcake” verse by my childhood youth leader, this verse became the mantra for our immature hearts to do all things that seemed hard with patience and endurance.

Parenting is the training ground and crucible where you grow into the person that your child needs. It’s an apprenticeship of sorts with God as the Master Carpenter.

Becoming a parent won’t automatically make you a better person. But parenting under the submission of Christ will produce a greater selflessness than you can imagine. So, if your desire is to have children, but you feel as though there is a long list of prerequisites before you can proceed, be encouraged. That’s not how parenting works.

When you look at your child now, they might not be your mini-me, you might be so different you have trouble relating, or so similar you repel. But it’s all in the parenting curriculum. It’s all wrapped up in relationship, the working through of each difficulty, the discipline and transfer of values, the cultivation of a soul.

Regardless of their age, if wisdom rings true; for as much as you teach them, they will have grown you.

Perhaps writing letters is not your thing, it’s ok if, to you, it seems antiquated or laborious. Maybe you can’t help but hear the words of Little Women, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, or your bosom buddy, Anne from Green Gables as you write. Whatever the case is for you, let us love each other well, in word and deed, and seek to do {well} all that God has ordained for us, making much of God in our worship as well as the everyday ways we live our lives. 

What places are familiar to you? What things do you allow in your life, not because they are “good,” but because they are comfortable? How are you afraid to step out in faith?

Sometimes we may find ourselves wanting to minimize the difficulty of where we’ve been and sugarcoat our past. We may find ourselves exaggerating our current trials, focusing on the wrong things, and making mountains out of molehills. We remember the past with rose-colored glasses, diminishing the severity of it’s consequences, and even neglect to appreciate the new, God given, blessings in our life.