Today, I'd like to show you a picture that could have been ...

On a hillside he sits, alone in a crowd,

his tears sketch a picture of gloom.

On his heart there’s an old heavy burden

‘cause his mind is forever replaying

the words he remembers saying

those terrible words, “There’s no room.”

Yes, he offered his stable, the manger and hay,

but he gave not his best to the Savior that day,

and he fears that the Father in heaven will say

those same awful words

“There’s no room.”

On that hillside he sits, still alone, still remembering

The crowd is silent and still - the Master is speaking

of the love of the Father and the hope He can give.

Christ knows of the man’s heavy burden,

the crippling fear and the heartache,

so He  looks at that man as He utters

those beautiful words

“I forgive.”

I’m the one who was born in your stable that day

when my mother and Joseph had nowhere to stay.

You gave safety and warmth with the shelter and hay.

Without knowing the outcome 

“You made room.”

You made room in your stable and room in your heart.

Small acts can have great value too.

Go home and be comforted - cast guilt aside,

and remember how much I love you.

There are rooms in God’s mansion and room in his heart,

in a place to refresh and renew.

God offered that room

when He gave his own Son

to be born and to die just for you.

Peace and forgiveness, comfort and love, are yours 

because

Jesus was born 2000 years ago

and He lives eternally. 

Peace and Forgiveness are such beautiful words.  I can’t begin to think about Christmas without thinking about the forgiveness and love that Jesus brought to the world.  It’s so personal to me.

Of course, if you read the Bible's account of the birth of Jesus, you won't find this story there.  You won't even find a reference to the innkeeper.  But I found this story in my heart, in my imagination.  Most likely because it could have been.  

The innkeeper is a person who, in my imagination, carries with him all of the worry and guilt that so many of us harbor in our minds and hearts.  He tells himself all of the things he thinks he should have known - he should have done.  

We do that sometimes – the “should haves” hold us captive.  We know that the good that we do is not good enough.  We spend our time in gloom.  Our minds are continually replaying our past and believing that even the small good things we have done are not pleasing to God.  

The innkeeper in this story did something good.  Maybe his heart wasn’t totally in it.  Maybe he knew that he really should have been more caring.  So he continually beat himself up over the fact that it was such a small thing to do.

We forget that we don’t have a right to harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, for other people but also for ourselves.  If God can forgive us, can we believe our standards are higher than his?  

We can be comforted by the fact that there is room in God’s heart for us.  God will never say, “no room.”  

Jesus said; 

“ In my Father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you…. I will come back and take you with me.”

(John 14:2)

 

I was once asked this question, “If you had been there in Bethlehem,  would you have known the Christ child when you saw Him?”

Consider this story of the watcher.

I watch there in the stable yard and see not far away,

a gentle mother kiss her child and place Him on the hay.

I see the father touch her face.  I see his look of pride

in the woman's strength and tenderness, 

his wife, his love, his bride.

I see the love shine in his eyes, for the baby lying there, 

his face, a mask of wonder, as he touches silky hair.

And I wonder at that young man’s smile, 

and I wonder 

what God had planned, 

for the little family staying there –

the child,

the woman, 

the man. 

But, I wander down the road again.  A hillside comes in view, 

I see shepherds, watching quiet sheep.  I’m the watcher,  watching too.

Then as I stand there at the scene, 

the heavens burst with light.

Mighty beings with wings of gold 

illuminate the night.

And the chieftain of this angel band roars out across the skies,

“Fear not!” he says, “Be not afraid!” 

Trembling, I close my eyes.

“Behold I bring glad tidings! 

Behold the time has come!  

For unto you is born this night, your Savior, 

God’s own Son.”

And then he spoke about the child and where He could be found 

 in a stable back in Bethlehem - 

and then

I looked 

down 

at 

the 

ground.

‘Cause then I knew the answer to the 

question asked of me.  

For I had been a watcher at his birth, 

and didn’t see.

As we celebrate this Christmas - as we gather round the tree, may we never be the watcher who looks, but doesn’t see. 

Consider the watcher – looking around, walking the road, observant?   We’re all watchers at times.  We walk through our lives watching the world around us.  But do we actually see?  Do we look beneath the “scene” and see what is really there?

In the poem, the watcher saw Jesus and Mary and Joseph, but she didn’t really see.  It wasn’t until the angels pointed out what was happening in Bethlehem that her eyes were opened.

Let's look for God’s hand in the events, the “scenes”, of our lives.  Let's look into the faces of the people that we meet.  God expects us to be his hands to his people.  We cannot help if we do not see the need.

If we look beneath the surface of the Christmas story; we'll see there the mighty love of God.  Look for Him, and you will find Him.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”  (Hebrews 12:2)

In The fullness of Time

 From a formless void - the words of God
thundered creation in!

The universe split,

the stars blinked alive,
and time was about to begin.

From a timeless place
the works of God
became constrained by time and by space.
The seasons, the years,
and the minutes and days were then given to us by God’s grace.

From the mind of God, a world came alive,
designed and controlled by the King.
The land, and the sea, and the bird, and the beast,
are born,
and the world starts to sing.

But
from this sinless world, the man, made by God,
who was formed with a touch of God’s hand,
walked away from his God at a moment in time,
and caused sin to enter the land.

Then
From His gracious heart
the God of love determined there would be a way
to bring back mankind,
so He set forth a plan,
and He scheduled the hour and the day.

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem those that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.”  (Galatians 4:4 KJV) 

Joy! Where does it come from?

    Dear friends, the Bible study I've been attending focused on joy this past week.  I thought I'd reflect on that.

    Psalm16:11

You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

True Joy only in His presence
True Joy on our earthly path.

True Joy we can reach and hold, eternally. 
 
When we wake in the morning and begin every day
by counting our blessings and kneeling to pray,
and giving up thoughts that breed discontent,
and accepting what comes as a gift – heaven sent;
then giving up wishing for things we have not
and making the most of whatever we’ve got
 
It’s only by knowing life’s pathways displayed
by our heavenly Father.  The map has been made.

Our Joy rains from heaven, it’s sent from above
then we bask in God’s presence and rest in His love.
And there’s joy in the reading of His ancient bard’s song
As we hear crystal melodies break with the dawn.
 
Yes, there’s real joy in God’s presence,
true joy on the way,
Holy joy we can hold
When God unwraps our day.

 

There is a Light Behind Those Clouds

Clouds  - They might be ominous rolling black clouds, heavy, air-filling grey clouds, or small white ones that blot out just a little bit of the sun.  All of them can hover over our lives and make us uncomfortable, worried, sad, or angry.

I  am sometimes overwhelmed by the power of the pain, the loss, the worries that others face – and I  want to fix it!  I expect that's true for you as well.

We want to fix things, but mostly we can’t.  

When it’s me, and I hurt, or when it’s you, and I see you hurt, I want to do something.  When our daughter was very young, she would always say “Suzy do it” and stamp her foot. Sometimes I'm like that, but  most of the time I can't do anything about the hurt.

So what do I do?  I need to remember that I'm not seeing what is behind other people's clouds either.  I'm not seeing the sun that God is shining just beyond or above these dear people - not seeing the  sunshine, because often my focus in just on the cloud.  

I will continue to care.  I’ll continue to want to fix it, but I can’t do it alone and neither can anyone else.  Even with us all together, loving each other, helping each other, we can’t erase the clouds.

But,

What if we were to take that pack of troubles, our troubles, and the things that trouble our loved ones, and each day, each minute, leave one piece in the care of God, our Father?  How would it be if we were to, each day, talk to Him about the pain and the worry, and leave one piece there in His hands.  

What then?  Maybe we would be able to peek around those clouds and see the sun, see the light.

Jesus is that light.

In John 8:12 Jesus said, I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

We can rest.

In Deuteronomy 31:8 we read "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Rest 

In the arms of the only one who CAN do all things

 

 Oh what a beautiful season.  

Today we woke to a light blanket of snow covering the fallen Autumn leaves.  The beautiful mums were still startling us with their vibrant colors of yellow, white and fuchsia.  Two tall oaks across the way brought bright orange and red to the canvas that was being spotlighted with the morning sun.  God is quite the artist, isn’t he?

He made it all.  Do you wonder why God gives us the eyes to see His creation and the hearts to appreciate it?  Maybe because He loves us?

God spoke His love to me today
in fluffy clouds and new mown hay,
in mountain's towering peaks that rise
from gentle plains to ice blue skies.
 
In flowers shouting loud and clear
their colors bright with dew drops tear,
in tall green trees that wave, and sway,
in the gentle breeze they softly say
"God's showing love to you today."
 
Glowing coals from evening's fire
Red flames leaping ever higher
Sparkling snow on winter night
The old moon casting icy light
Crystal streams that leap and roar
and soothe a throat that's dry and sore 

In all these things my heart can say
"God's showing love to me today."
 
But you also show His love – because He gave you a heart of love.
 
In gentle hands that help and bear
and tears that come from eyes that care,
in family's love and loyalty
God shows his mighty Love to me.
 
In words that come from deep within
the loving heart of a dear friend,
a pat, a hug, a tender touch
that says, "I love you, oh so much."
Dear ones, in what you do and say,
God shows HIS precious love today. 

Thank you, friends.

 

And Thank YOU Almighty, Holy Father for loving us so well.

 

^{"God shows" - By Diane 1995}

 Dear friends

Somedays I find myself wondering about whether to keep writing at this stage of my life.  But I expect that I'll continue as long as the Lord gives me the strength and the will to express the love I have for Him and the gratitude that overwhelms me when I remember His love. 

As long as the memories come - memories of times that He answered prayers, I will write of God's love.  Those remembered times, those specific prayers cannot be counted.  God heard the prayers for my husband's life, for assurance that a tiny bit of faith is enough for a particular season of great doubt, for comfort and strength for my children on many terribly painful occasions, and for the dream that I would one day know a special one has claimed Jesus as his Lord.  I prayed for peace when there seemed to be nothing but chaos, and for easing of pain for dear friends.  Many things big and small come to mind, yes, even our son's lost dog - found at a time of his life when it made a difference.  

These are memories of God hearing, answering, comforting, and changing situations and sometimes even changing my heart and my prayer.

The gratitude I have for my Savior goes beyond specific answers to prayer, but gratitude for His love and care brings  a feeling almost of pain to my heart.  The knowledge that He would even know or care for us, for all these flawed, sinful children of His, is overwhelming.  And the thought that He would care enough to become a man and live in our shoes, in our world, to endure all of the happenings that affect us day by day, and to know us as our brother as well as our Savior and our God, is nothing less than amazing.

And He did it all because He is the author of love.

To remember

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  Lamentations 3:22

 His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

From Anne J. Flint's song about God's  Love and grace.

Copyright Public Domain