The Presence Of Love

From "The Shack" - 'He is especially fond of you'.

We don't choose the gifts that we have been given,

Any more than we want those we love to choose the gifts we give them,  We hope that we know that person well enough to choose something that they will appreciate.

It is up to us to choose to say thank you for those gifts,

And we do that as we hope our loved ones will do:

by welcoming them with joy, opening them up excitedly, and finding out how to use them; Then, with a huge smile,  in  sharing them with others.

And that's what our Father rejoices in;  Don't rain on God's parade!

When life presses down hard,

When your spirit's been scarred,

And you're left feeling scared and alone ,

Just leave it all there,

Leave that weight to His care,

For He's only one teardrop away;

There's a hand on your shoulder,

A kiss on your forehead;

You are held in the grip of His love;

He raises you up,

And enfolds you so dearly,

Touches your heart,

And lets you know clearly

That you are totally precious today.

There's a tiny child in each of us,

Feeling lost and incomplete,

Though our original hearts  are still intact,

Irreplaceable pulses  in God's heartbeat,

We still keep trying way too hard

To be all that we can be,

Not realizing that we already are;

And that God is especially fond of us!

This Christmas - I Don't Want Much!

I Don't Want Much!

Christmas is not something that just happens,

It is built out of priceless gifts - our gifts to the Christ Child whose coming brought hope into the world.

Who and where are the wise ones who come to the manger today?

Take a deep look into the eyes of children when we think we have wisdom;

They have a way of unmasking us and revealing our unsure inner child.

The wisest responses are those spoken by our actions -

 A reassuring, love-filled hug is often the immediate answer that they are seeking, even if they don't realize it right away.

 They may hear our words, but  they will remember our actions, our kindnesses - no fancy wrapping needed -  there is enough beauty  in that gift.

I only want

A Christmas tree

With tiny bells that play,

And underneath, a little water

To give it life each day.

 

I only want

A song of joy,

Like tinkling bells that play,

To fill me up, like living water,

And lift my life each day.

 

I only want

A little hope

And happy bells to play,

When I get up on Christmas morning,

To ring in Christmas Day!

 

I only want

A little peace

And bells that ring and say:

"For all the world - the gift of water

For everyone each day!"

 

A  little joy, a little hope,

A little peace to help us cope,

That's water to my little tree,

The one that grows

Inside of me!

 

Christmas comes but once a year, but let's invite the Christmas Spirit to dwell in our hearts all year long, and promise to give it a top-up each December 25th.  In the meantime, let's keep building!