Tracie Miles

Artist At Work

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (NLT)

It started out as a simple school assignment, but turned into something much more, in more ways than one.

My son Michael's 7th grade Social Studies teacher assigned her students the task of making a pyramid. There were no specific criteria given about how tall, how big, or what type of materials needed to be used. She simply encouraged the students to use their imagination.

When my son told me about the project, I immediately put on my crafty-mom hat, and started thinking about how much foam core board I would need to cut three triangles and hot glue them together in the form of a pyramid. But when Michael told his daddy about it, the project took on a whole new twist.

Before I knew it, we were all at Lowe's shopping for lumber and nails.

Lumber and nails? I said to my husband, as if he had forgotten, "Ummmm, honey, it's a 7th grade project." He smiled and simply replied, "I know."

You see, I only had a vision of how much sawdust was going to be strewn into my house during this new found project, and I certainly didn't understand how a few 2x4's could be turned into a pyramid.

But my husband had a clear mental vision of what could be, and we just had to trust him.

Being a builder at heart and by trade, his mind could see the amazing end result before the building process ever began, even though my mind could not grasp it.

He and my son spent hours in the cold garage, measuring and sawing boards, and nailing the wooden pieces together. Step by step, a pyramid began to evolve, as we anxiously awaited for my husband's vision to become visible to the rest of us - and when it did, I have to say, it was amazing.

Here is the finished product after my son painted it with spray paint.

Now that it was finished, I could see my husband's vision with great clarity, and we all celebrated the 'A' that was surely in my son's academic future. But then something else amazing happened.

You see, my heart had felt burdened lately with concerns about the future; questioning why God is allowing certain hardships, and wondering what good could possibly come out of them. So as I marveled at this work of art crafted by the hands of my husband and son, God softly whispered to my heart, and said "Tracie, this is exactly how I am working in your life right now."

This gentle whisper, which my heart so desperately needed to hear, helped me to remember that God has a vision for all of us - a vision that we may not be able to see, much less understand, but one that is more wonderful than we can even comprehend.

God can already see what the future holds for each of us. Since the beginning of time, He has had a plan, and His Word assures us, in Jeremiah 29:11 and numerous other verses, that those plans are wonderful.

Wonderful plans for a future, and a hope. Plans not to harm us, but to help us prosper. Plans to bring us joy and peace. Plans to draw us closer to Him, and increase our reliance on Him alone.

In the same way that my husband had a clear mental picture of what he planned to build, God has a clear vision of what He is building in our lives. We just have to trust that He knows best, and let Him work.

If you are struggling today, with people or circumstances or worry, will you trust that God has a plan? Will you trust that The Artist is at work in your life, even if you cannot imagine or "see" what He is building?

Although I may not always understand His ways, especially during times of trial, I can take comfort in knowing that God has a clear vision of each masterpiece He is creating. What peace it brings to know that even though I cannot see what is to come, our Creator and Builder of life, can.

And I have no doubt, that when it is finished, it will be amazing, in more ways than one.

Found, Healed, Delivered

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I had heard His voice loud and clear.

It happened as I was sitting in the sanctuary many years ago, head bowed in fervent prayer, basking in the glow of the forgiveness that God has just poured all over my heart.

I was just one woman in a crowd of many women attending the seminar that morning. One woman trying to keep my emotions intact as I felt God moving deeply in my soul through the words of the speaker.

Suddenly His voice echoed so loudly, that my eyes burst open and I glanced around to see if anyone else had heard it. Since I didn't see any commotion, and no other women were appearing confused, dismayed or frantically gazing upwards with a look of "who said that!?" on their face, I determined that I was, indeed, the only one who had heard Him. It was a divine message, meant for me alone.

He simply said, "Tracie, Go... and share". (interpretation: "tell your testimony") My immediate answer was "Of course, God! Whatever you say! When can I start?"

NOT! Instead, I quickly and adamantly said "No God. Absolutely, without a shadow of doubt... NO". In fact, I got into a bit of an argument with God, wondering if He was confused and just didn't realize who He was talking to. Not only did I have no intention of "going", I had less intention of "sharing". I was convinced that God had made a mistake in calling me, a broken soul, to serve Him, a holy Savior.

But of course, God does not make mistakes. He simply knew my future, and my purpose, long before I did. He knew that His mercy and grace could wash away my sin, but only my obedience could truly heal my soul.

That was the summer of 2000. It was a day that turned my life upside down, as I tried to grasp the reality that God not only forgave me for my sins, and loved me despite them, but that He had a plan to use my past for my purpose. His purpose.

My obedience did not happen overnight. But little by little, step by step, faith encounter by faith encounter, God softened my heart to see and believe that His ways, and His plans, were better than my own.

With each baby step, I learned to trust God more, and eventually let Him replace my shame, with His grace and healing, from the inside out. My obedience to follow Him, and be transparent with others about how He had changed my life, opened the door for my heart to finally be restored.

A few years later, at another seminar, I had another God encounter. The praise and worship leader was singing the song "It Is Well", and I could feel the Holy Spirit hovering all around us. Then God spoke again, loud and clear, yet more gentle and confident. This time, He simply said "Tracie... it is well."

And I smiled, with a tear of joy trickling from my eye, and said "Yes sweet Jesus, it is well with my soul."

Shame and guilt no longer had any power over me, because God's love had become the presiding power over my life. I was no longer that broken, throw away person as I mentioned in today's Proverbs 31 Devotion. I realized I was loved by a Holy God. And so are you.

Do you believe that you are loved by God, despite the sin in your past or present? Do you believe that all it takes to be forgiven, is to ask God for it? Are you willing to forgive yourself, and let go of your hurts?

Are you ready to be free from shame and guilt, and embrace a new you that is filled with the Holy Spirit instead? Are you ready for God to have power over your life?

Do you want to be healed from the inside out?

Dear Jesus, you know the sins of my past, and the things I struggle with right now. I ask for your forgiveness, for everything. Wash me clean, make me whole again. Restore my soul. I want to be found by you. Help me to forgive myself, and protect my heart when negative thoughts and emotions threaten to steal the peace that You provide. Speak to me Lord, in a way I will understand. I long for healing and restoration and to be delivered from shame and guilt. Help me to have an awareness of Your voice, and to listen intently when you are speaking. Show me how you can bring glory out of something that the devil meant for evil. I trust you Lord, and I surrender all to you. I commit to obeying You when you call, even if You call me to do something that seems beyond my capabilities, and out of my comfort zone. I believe that my obedience, even if it's hard at first, will lead to blessing. Today, Lord, I surrender my life to You. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer today, will you leave a comment, and share with us how God has touched your heart today? We are definitely not alone in our need for forgiveness, redemption and restoration, yet there is power in knowing that we are not alone in our insecurities and our struggles and our heartfelt need to be healed.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Allow it to be a day that turns your life upside down - for the glory of God. If you are willing, God will deliver you from your sin, and turn your past into your purpose too - a purpose that is uniquely yours and divinely orchestrated - intended to bring you freedom and joy that you never thought imaginable.

Then you can sing that old song with a new twist... "Found, healed, delivered... I'm Yours!"

*If you have not asked Jesus to be your personal Savior, click here for some information that can help you make that important decision and take the first step towards true healing. DO YOU KNOW JESUS?

Depleted

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:47:00 +0000

Have you ever felt depleted? For the past few weeks, that would describe me.

I have simply felt depleted... empty... alone... without direction... needing focus... tired of problems... tired of the same ol' stuff to face everyday... frustrated with waiting to see God's purpose in pain... wanting more.

Spiritually depleted. Emotionally depleted. Physically depleted. Can you relate?

To compound the problem, I have also been feeling guilty for feeling depleted. After all, hasn't God blessed me in so many ways? Shouldn't I maintain that unshakable joy that the Bible promises? Shouldn't I be stronger in my faith when adversity strikes? Is God ashamed of me for the way I am feeling, after everything He has done for me?

But despite how I should be feeling, I had to admit to myself, and to God, that my heart felt empty. I desperately longed for what I once had - a passion for Jesus that fueled my every thought, every action, and every behavior. But somewhere amidst the tsunami of problems that have flooded into my life lately, my unshakable joy and passion got swept out with the current.

So lately, I have been on a quest to find it, and God has been gently leading the way, pricking my heart with reminders of His love, and touching my soul with gentle reassurances that He is still there, with open arms.

For example, my sweet friend Wendy Pope wrote an article in the P31 Woman Magazine this month which discussed how she had recently experienced a down time in her faith, and one day God led her to the words of King David in Psalm 13:3, 'Restore the sparkle to my eye or I will die.' (NLT)

When my eyes fell upon this verse, my heart leapt. It was as if the light bulb came on in my head, and I realized that what had been missing, was my sparkle! I had allowed the problems of life to drown out the voice of my Savior, and as a result, my sparkle for Jesus and life had become dull, rusty and unnoticeable. I have been praying each day every since, that God would restore the sparkle to my eye.

Then last weekend, on a very last minute decision, I decided to start a new bible study at my church. I went with anticipation, hoping that God would have a word for me... and discovered that He actually had three.

Space. For. Grace

As I watched Beth Moore enthusiastically begin our study of James, her words pierced my soul. She explained that when problems were pounding our hearts, God's purpose was not to leave us broken and empty, but to create a space for His grace.

These three words sunk deep into my heart as I realized that while the devil was trying to create an emptiness in my heart through the circumstances of my life, God was creating a perfect space that could be filled up with holy grace that would bring back my sparkle.

Suddenly - I felt the feeling of depletion fade away. I felt full... of Him. I felt fidgety with enthusiasm. I even felt a little sparkle begin welling up in my heart, flickering with excitement at the thought of dancing in the dark again. Friends, it was the best feeling I have had in a long time. I felt fueled to begin again, with a fresh attitude, a new sparkle, an appreciation for how God works, and a zest to do all He is calling me to do. Even if it means swimming against the current with every ounce of my being.

As a smile crept across my face, I felt confident that God was smiling too.

A new year doesn't always bring a new attitude or great joy. These things only come through prayer, and a commitment to pray for God to keep us full, even in the middle of a tsunami.

If you have been feeling depleted lately, I encourage you to tuck Psalm 13:3 into your heart. Tape it on your fridge or bathroom mirror, or put it on your car dash, but no matter what you do, allow it to begin seeping into that space in your heart which has been left gaping open by hurt or adversity, and then ask God to fill that empty space, with His grace.

In the words of Beth Moore, the only thing that is supposed to be empty.... is the tomb.

Making Some New Year's "Adjustments"

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:09:00 +0000

The practice of new year's resolutions dates back over 3000 years to the Babylonians, and is still going strong today. When a new year rolls around, millions of people feel an obligation, if not pressure from society, to make a few resolutions, all the while knowing that they will probably be unsuccessful in the end - again.

If it's such a vicious cycle, why do we keep doing it year after year? Why do constantly make resolutions, only to fail the majority of the time? The truth is that making resolutions seems to bring hope and possibility for a change in certain areas of our lives that we feel is much needed and wanted. We feel a sense of empowerment about a fresh start and a new beginning..... until reality sinks in and meeting our goals gets harder and harder.

The definition of insanity is to continue doing the same things over and over, and expecting different results. If this is true, making resolutions every year could potentially make us all insane!

This can be the year to break the insanity cycle, by focusing on making positive adjustments one little step at a time, rather than life altering resolutions that may never be met.

resolution: a solution, accommodation, or settling of a problem, controversy, etc.

adjustment: harmony achieved by modification or change of a position

Hmmmm.. would you rather start out the year thinking about all your problems or shortcomings and what you must do to resolve them, or thinking about meaningful things that could benefit from a little tweaking to bring more harmony into your heart and life?

Anyone can make a resolution to lose weight, stop smoking, exercise daily or be more frugal or financially responsible; yet, only those who are willing to take an inward look at themselves will have the courage to tackle the challenge of making outward life "adjustments".

Adjustments, that if given the right focus, can have huge impact on our spiritual and physical well-being.

1 Timothy 4:8 "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (NIV)

This verse is not saying that we should not care about our physical state, but that we should care about our spiritual state more. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that our bodies are God's temples, and we should treat them accordingly. However, Timothy encourages us to find a balance between making physical goals which affect God's temple, and spiritual goals which affect our heart for God.

New Year's "adjustments" can be determined by simply asking ourselves a few questions about areas of our life that may be in need of an adjustment, and then being honest enough to admit the answers.

We can consider things such as our attitude, our faith walk, how we treat others, our willingness to forgive, how we handle conflict, and the setting of daily priorities. We may need to look at how much time we spend with God, and whether or not we typically seek God's wisdom and direction about decisions in our life, or if we turn to other people for advice instead.

Regardless of what type of goals we set - whether they are adjustments, or resolutions - we need to pray about them, making sure that the motivation behind every goal is fueled by knowing that the desired change will be pleasing and glorifying to God.

When we make positive adjustments on the inside, the adjustments we desire to see on the outside may become a reality as well. Inward change always drives outward change.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. (The Message)

So what "adjustments" might God be calling you to make in 2012?

Anticipating The Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

This weekend is Christmas, and there is no better way to wrap up our
movie series than with the birth of the Savior.

Happy Birthday Sweet Jesus.

(If you have never watched The Nativity, you should consider watching it this season.
It truly brings the Reason for the season - to life.)

Merry Christmas

Finding A Miracle On Your Street

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

Whether it is the old 1947 version, or the more recent 1994 remake version, Miracle on 34th Street is a classic.

There are two primary lessons that I pulled out of this movie, and neither of them have to do with believing in Santa Claus! Instead, both of them have to do with believing in Jesus as the foundation for finding joy at Christmas, and all year round.

The first lesson is forgiveness, and the second is faith.

The two main characters in the movie are a single parent named Doris, and her little girl named Susan.

Due to the breakup of her marriage, Doris's heart had hardened. She sincerely loved her daughter, but in her efforts to avoid ever being hurt again, she had become stoic, guarded, skeptical, and overly businesslike in all situations. Her attitude was curt, and she rarely showed genuine emotion.

The sad part is, that not only do these character deficiencies impact the mother's own heart, but she inherently teaches these to her daughter as well. As a result, Doris instills her lack of faith, hope and trust in others, and even in Santa, into her daughters heart and mind.

It appears that Doris has adopted a mentality of bitterness, and that unforgiveness and a lack of faith in people, and God, was holding her heart captive.

In fact, even after the new man in her life proposes with a beautiful diamond ring, the past hurts in her life bubble up to the surface. Instead of gleefully accepting his invitation to marriage, she tells him he is a fool for putting his trust in her. But a while later, she admitted to him, that she was simply afraid.

Afraid to forgive. Afraid to trust. Afraid to have hope. Afraid to have faith. Afraid to believe in others. Afraid to believe in magic. Afraid to love. Afraid of the future. Afraid to believe in the unknown.

Fortunately, Doris eventually embraces the importance of having faith in other people. Her relationship with the daughter she loved, the man she wanted to love, and the faith she longed to have, melted her heart.

I started thinking about how this movie would have ended differently, had Doris not regained her faith. Thinking hypothetically, of course, I have to wonder.....

What if Doris......

- had continued to have a fear of being disappointed, affecting all her relationships
- had held on to past hurts
- had not allowed her heart to love someone new
- had not found the strength to forgive her ex husband, releasing her to love again
- had not allowed herself to put faith in a new man
- had not given herself permission to let down her guard and open up
- stayed determined to hang on to bitterness,destroying her chance for future happiness
- had stuck to believing in only what she could see
- had held onto skepticism, instead of embracing joy
- had never allowed herself to have faith in others again
- had continued to instill in her negativity and doubt about life and people into her daughter's heart

If these things above had actually happened in the script of the movie, the ending would not have been happy at all.

Doris would have most likely ended up as a sour, lonely, grumpy old woman, and Susan would have been on a journey to that same fate. Neither of them would have found joy or happiness in life, because their hearts would have been too full of bitterness and resentment to let anything else fill them.

At one point in the movie, Susan’s mom stated that “faith is believing in things when common sense tells you otherwise”. If you ask me, that was a pretty profound statement, and based on biblical principle.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Sometimes it is hard to choose faith, in people, and in our God. That is why our walk with Christ is often called a "faith journey". Life is a journey, with ups and downs, disappointments and frustrations, heartbreaks and celebrations. It takes faith to get through it all.

More times than not, it is hard to choose to forgive and let it go. One of my favorite phrases, is that "unforgiveness is like ingesting poison, then waiting for the other person to perish". Unforgiveness slowly kills us, not our offenders. Forgiveness releases our hearts from bondage, and frees our souls to love others, have faith in others, and trust in the future that God holds for us.

A quote from the movie, straight from the mouth of Santa, but surely sparked by Jesus in his heart, said ... "if you cant accept anything by faith, then you are doomed for a life dominated by doubt."

Faith is something we choose to receive. Once we have it, then forgiveness is something we choose to give.

Both ingredients are necessary for a life of true joy, instead of a life dominated by doubt and pessimism.

Just maybe, if we choose to embrace faith and forgiveness with our whole heart, soul and mind, then we just might experience a miracle on our own street this Christmas. The miracle of CHRIStmas.

It Really Is A Wondeful Life

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

(If your time permits, watch the below movie clip before reading today's post, so you will better understand the points I make below. Email subscribers may need to click over to my blog to view the clip. Tip: The main point of this clip is around the 2 minute mark!)

At the beginning of the movie It’s A Wonderful Life, the first thing we see is a scene in outer space. We get a glimpse of an infinite galaxy filled with blinking stars and asteroids, but we soon realize that God and Joseph, who are being depicted as stars, begin to talk with one another.

God and Joseph have heard the dozens of prayers that were being sent up to heaven on George Bailey’s behalf. Although everyone did not know the severity of Georges problems, they did know he was in trouble. Family, friends, loved ones and mere acquaintances were all so worried about him and the strain he was under, that they were pleading for God to intervene in his life.

So out of love and compassion for one of His own, God decided to take action. He called in one of His angels - Clarence - and assigned him to be George’s guardian angel.

In this first movie clip above, we hear and see the three of them talking, and during the conversation, God said something very interesting that caught my attention.

As God was telling Clarence that a man named George needed his help, Clarence asked God if George was sick. God responded by saying: “No. Worse. He is discouraged.”

You see, God knew that discouragement could be much more damaging to a person’s heart, than any type of physical sickness could be.

George had experienced so much disappointment, heartache, regret, and frustration, that he was overwhelmed with emotions. He had countless unmet dreams and life goals that had not been met.

He was facing trials and great hardships. And as the movie progresses, we see that he was also facing jail time, due to evil Mr. Potter stealing the Bailey Building and Loan’s $8000 bank deposit on Christmas Eve, leaving George liable for financial fraud, theft and misuse of funds.

George had hit rock bottom. He was in the deepest pit of his life and saw no way out. He had no joy in his life at that moment, and fear crushed his soul and his desire to live.

George began to wonder if life was really wonderful. The enemy began to fill his head with lies, through a variety of means. One of those means, was when Mr. Potter told George that he was "worth more dead than alive", due to the value of his life insurance policy, which prompted George to wrestle with his thoughts about life and death.

The holidays are often a time of year when some people experience this same heightened level of discouragement with life. When our holidays, or our life, do not meet up to our desired expectations, we begin to see ourselves, and our lives, as flawed and broken. We listen to lies of the enemy, and wrestle with thoughts of unworthiness.

In fact, we may even feel a little like George Bailey, and wonder if life is really all it is cut out to be. We may find ourselves wondering if it really is a wonderful life, considering all our circumstances that are less than wonderful.

So how can we remember that life is a gift, despite life? How do we embrace the gift of life, and be thankful for it, when we get bitten by the bug of discouragement? How do we find joy, in the midst of heartache, fear and disappointment?

If you ask me, the answer can be found in one verse in the Bible. One verse that justifies and solidifies everything in Gods Word and clearly explains why Christmas is a time to remember to celebrate life. That verse is found in John 3:16.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

This verse reminds us that we are celebrating because of Gods gifts. The gifts of earthly life, our Saviors life, and the promise of eternal life with Him. It is a three-in-one gift.

If you have been struggling with situations in your life which make life seem less than wonderful, remember the three-in-one gift of life that we are celebrating this season.

Through Christ, we can begin to believe that things will work out to Gods glory, that He really is in charge of everything. We will learn to walk by faith, and not by sight. And we can begin to embrace the truth that God wants us to have a happy ending too, just like 'ol George Bailey.

During this movie clip above, God told Clarence that George is "getting ready to throw away Gods greatest gift - LIFE" - so they spring into action to help George see just how priceless, and wonderful, life really is.

If you are struggling today with situations in your life, try to begin focusing on why life is wonderful, instead of all the things that would fall in the 'not-so-wonderful' category. Ask God for a fresh does of spiritual encouragement, and to heal your heart if you are weighed down by discouragement. Pray for a glimpse of His intervention in your life and a new perspective on the situations you are dealing with. And then, wait in patient expectation that God hears your prayers, and believe that He will take action on your behalf.

George had an angel to help him see that life is wonderful, and thankfully, we have a Savior. Sometimes it takes looking at life from our Savior's perspective, to remember that it is really is a wonderful life after all.

(Email subscribers may need to visit my blog to view the movie clip. www.traciewmiles.com)

The Gift Of Family

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

(Email subscribers may need to go to my blog to see the first movie clip if it is not visible below)

Just in case you have not seen this movie, it is about a little boy named Kevin McCallister, who is the youngest child in a large family. His immediate and extended family members are all spending the night at his house, so they can all leave the next day to travel to Paris for the holidays.

His family was getting on his last nerve, to say the least. A house full of extended family, spouses and cousins is quite often a recipe for conflict, and this situation was no different. At the height of his frustration, Kevin accidentally created a mess with the pizza and drinks, and was sent to the attic bedroom as punishment. In his anger and aggravation, he wished that he would never see his family again.

Through a series of mishaps and oversights the next morning, and due to the chaos of oversleeping and the looming possibility of missing their flights, his parents forgot that he was sleeping upstairs - and Kevin was left behind, and left home alone.

Kevin and his family lived in an upper income area, which was being targeted by thieves, so he spends the remainder of the movie trying to protect his home from burglary, and regretting that he had wished his family would disappear.

Some of the borderline violent tactics that Kevin uses to protect his home makes my stomach lurch a little bit, but in the end, this movie has a wonderful lesson about the importance of family. In fact, for anyone who has ever felt as if they could not stand their family for one more millisecond, much less another holiday, this movie becomes great food for thought.

Let's be honest though....no matter how much we love our families, we would probably all have to admit to having at least one of those moments when we wished our family was different, or better, or like our friend's family, or maybe not around at all. Whether our families are blood relatives, or simply people that have become family by virtue of sharing life together, tensions and emotions can build over time, and nerves can get stepped on.

Just like Kevin, you may soon find yourself in the midst of chaotic holiday gatherings, secretly wishing that you were alone, and that everyone would "disappear". In fact, you may be dreading those pending family get-togethers already, for fear of feeling that way!

With that in mind, let's play a "what if" game for a moment....

- what if there were no more gatherings with family or friends?
- what if you could never look forward to getting together again with people you shared life with?
- what if the house was completely quiet for the entire holiday season?
- what if you were expecting no visitors, and had no plans to visit anyone?
- what if your family really did disappear?

When we consider how we would feel if those "what if's" came true, it might help us to hold a different perspective about being with those we love.

Even though the thought of being alone in peace and quiet for the holidays might seem appealing on the surface, what would life be like if it were really void of family? Would we run around the house in exuberant celebration like Kevin? Would it be all we imagined it to be? Would it be a time of joy and relief? Or....

Would our wish end up being something we quickly learned to regret? Would we long for what we once had, realizing how precious it really was? Would we wish we could go back in time, and treasure all those moments we once took for granted? Would we develop a new perspective about the value of family? Would we miss the people and circumstances who are in our life right now?

I think the most common answer would be a resounding yes. Certainly there may be exceptions, but the reality is that we often take people for granted, until they are gone.

In this movie, when Kevin first realizes that he really is all alone, and that his family really has disappeared, he is ecstatic! He has an awesome time jumping up and down on the bed, eating popcorn and rubbish, watching violent movies, and having the house all to himself - all the things his parents would never allow him to do.

But it does not take Kevin long to realize that loneliness, fear, despair, regrets and new wishes are filling his heart. Although a lot of things about his family made him frustrated and upset, he soon began to miss all the good things his family brought him, such as security, protection, companionship, affection, friendship and love.

He realizes that although his family was not perfect, he still needed them, wanted them and loved them... and most of all - he missed them.

Even though we see quite the opposite of a sweet, gentle, loving family in the movie (such as belligerent kids, sibling rivalry, the bullying brother, the nagging sister and the mean old uncle) there is genuine love for each other underneath all of that. And in the end - they miss Kevin too and regret not treating him kindly, or loving him like they should have.

As the movie progresses, and while Kevin's mother is desperately trying to get back home to him, Kevin learns a valuable lesson that we can tuck into our hearts for this Christmas, and all the holiday celebrations to come.

He learns that family can sometimes be a mess - but that mess is a precious gift from God.

Kevin thought he wanted his family gone - but when they were - his heart ached for them to return.

The Bible has much to say about the importance of families. God provides countless verses and stories about the value of the husband and wife relationship, the relationship between parents and children, and even relationships among extended family members.

His Word teaches us that the institution of family is of divine origin, and meaningful purpose. All these things lead us to the understanding that family is valuable in Gods eyes, and therefore it should be valuable in our eyes as well.

Family - with all their quirky ways, inadequacies, craziness, difficulties, habits, mistakes, faults, differences in personalities and perspectives on life - is a gift.

A gift that may seem a little crazy, off the wall, broken, chipped, cracked, dented, imperfect and slightly used - but a precious gift nonetheless, and one that can never be replaced.

Kevin teaches us, and the Bible reiterates to us, that family really is a gift that we should treasure, even when they are getting on our last and final nerve.

Hug the ones you love this Christmas season, and love the ones you are with.

(Bonus clip: I found this hilarious, and perfectly relevant short music video about Home Alone, and I just had to share it! Watch it below and enjoy.)

Avoiding A Kranky Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

Christmas is supposed to be a time that brings out the best in people. A time where we feel that extra urge to be compassionate, giving, and help those in need. A time when we should be filled with love, patience and gentleness, and all those sweet things that the birth of Jesus stands for.

But let's face it - sometimes it seems like Christmas does just the opposite, often bringing out the worst in people instead. Stress, frustration, hurting hearts and holiday chaos can cause people to react in not-so-nice ways.

It seems as if rudeness has become an epidemic of great proportion. An epidemic that is harmful and damaging to the person being rude, and the person who is the recipient of the rudeness, yet it is highly tolerated and accepted in our society - by believers and non-believers alike. In fact lately, it has seemed like there are Grinches around every corner!

A few weeks ago, I was leaving a store and opening the glass doors to walk out, and a young woman right behind me put her hands on my lower back and literally pushed me out the door, ranting and raving that I was walking too slowy. As she quickly shuffled off, I said God bless you too. She turned around and gave me "the look", and walked away murmering under her breath. I was simply amazed at her rudeness.

And just last week, I was on my cell phone on a business call as I drove to the grocery store to pick up a few groceries. I had been put on hold for a lengthy period of time, so although I had arrived at my destination, I didn't want to hang up the phone and start all over at a later time. So after pulling into the parking lot, I put my car into 'park', and sat there for a few moments, hoping to finish my call before I went inside to shop.

I happened to glance over at the car beside me, and noticed that an elderly woman, who had her windows down and was reading a newspaper, was giving me a very ugly look. I looked away, a bit perplexed, and continued to sit there minding my own business, waiting on my caller to return to the conversation. After a few more minutes, I felt as if someone was staring at me (you know how you get that feeling?), so I side-glanced over at the woman in the car again.

Just as before, she was looking at me with a painful grimace on her face, and shaking her head angrily. Out of sheer confusion, I finally rolled down my window and asked if something was wrong. She threw her hands up in the air, and said "Yes!! Your motor is TOO LOUD and it's bothering me!".

What??!! My motor? I am in the parking lot.......you know, that place where cars are supposed to be, and where cars run their motors. ?

I was so shocked at her response, that all I could do was stare back in utter disbelief with my mouth hanging open. I then rolled my window back up, while biting my tongue so that no words would slip out that I might later regret. Fortunately, I had decided that silence was the golden choice of the moment.

These are not the only times I have experienced extreme rudeness this year, and I am sure you have experienced your fair share too. It seems rudeness has become so commonplace, that people have no qualms about being rude, and have actually come to consider it a normal, acceptable behavior. It is almost as if the value of politeness and common courtesy for others has become a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, Christmas time is no longer a remedy for this widespread disease of the heart, but instead, often makes matters worse.

Christmas With The Kranks is another one of my favorite Christmas movies. I always laugh at all the scenes, even though a thread of extreme rudeness is rampant.

The storyline is that Christmas has always been a big deal for the Krank family, characterized by lots of holiday festivities, decorating and hosting an annual neighborhood Christmas Eve party.

But when their daughter Blair joins the Peace Corps and goes to Peru, the idea of a big Christmas doesn't seem so appealing anymore. So Luther (Tim Allen) proposes to his wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) that they skip Christmas, and go on cruise instead.

At first, they feel liberated from the expenses and hassles of Christmas, and trying to keep everyone happy. But when their friends and neighbors start to put pressure on them to conform, Luther is defiant, Nora gets upset, and the neighbors are furious, causing them to exhibit extreme rudeness and lack of consideration.

The Kranks spend all month fighting off the expectations that society and their neighbors have placed on them to conform to the traditional Christmas celebrations, but at the last minute, Blair calls to say she IS coming home for Christmas - and she will be home in just a few hours. Thus the craziness begins.

They frantically begin decorating and shopping, trying to keep their 'skipping-Christmas' plan a secret from Blair. One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Nora is trying to get a Hickory Honey Ham because it is her daughter's favorite meal, and a part of their traditional Christmas dinner. Nora does not realize, as she innocently sets out to buy a ham, that she is about to experience some serious holiday rudeness. Take a look at this short clip below:

Poor Nora. First, a very rude woman races her to the deli counter in a fight to get the last ham, leaving her sprawled out on the floor amidst a pile of fallen groceries. Second, a car nearly runs over her in the parking lot and just beeps the horn at her, as if she didn't have the right of way. And thirdly, a man bumps into her, knocking her ham out of her hands, and then just walks off, as her poor little ham rolls down a hill only to be crushed by an eighteen wheeler. In the movie, all this rudeness is quite funny, but in real life, it is not very comical at all.

Sadly as it is, this extreme rudeness does not only happen in movies. Case in point: rude lady in parking lot who got mad because my car was running; and getting shoved out a door by a hurried shopper.

Rudeness has become an epidemic. But we do not have to catch it. We can immunize ourselves by using God's Word as our reference for how to treat others.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NLT) tells us that nothing else matters, if we do not treat people with love:

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

So it doesn't matter how nice we are to people we like, or how much we serve at church, or how often we read our bible - if we are rude a stranger, the sales clerk or the unfriendly neighbor.

And 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 addresses how to treat the disease of rudeness:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Most of us encounter rudeness every day, and if we fail to immunize ourselves from it, by committing to showing love to people even if they are not very lovable, then we will most likely be infected by it instead.

The Christmas season has become known for harboring an epidemic of rudeness ---- long lines of traffic... road rage.... massive crowds carelessly bumping into one another... fights over bargains... fights over parking spaces... theft of gifts... theft of outdoor yard decorations... family feuds.... yelling at cashiers...

But we can go against the current, and mirror the One who set the example we should follow. Rudeness does not have to beget rudeness, if we are in Christ.

I'll leave you with this thought. I had another example of rudeness the other day. Again, I was in my car and was pulling out of the mall parking lot. Apparently, I got in the way of a woman who was trying to turn into the mall, and I could see her spewing hatred, screaming harsh words at me as if I could hear her. I just smiled and waved at her - she looked stunned, then angered, and ended our encounter with a not-so-nice gesture.

But that's okay, at least I know that I did not allow her rudeness to infect my heart.

I challenge you today to go out of your way to be kind and loving to someone who has not been that way to you.

We may live in a cranky world, but we do not have to become a cranky soul.

Through the strength of Christ within us, we can fight this epidemic of rudeness, one heart and one encounter at a time.

James 4:17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Get On Board

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

COCOA Winner Announcement!

Thanks to all of you for sharing the various ways that you and your family keep Christ in Christmas. I wish I could give everyone a COCOA cup but that would not quite fit into our Christmas budget!

But I do want to wish all of you a very Merry in-focus Christmas!

The winner of the COCOA giveaway from last Friday is Courtney, who left her comment on December 16, 2011 8:43 PM. Please email your address to me asap and I'll get your gift in the mail!

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Now back to our regularly scheduled program in the Reel Christmas series:

Last Thursday, I talked about The Polar Express - a wonderful movie which draws us in with it's graphics but quickly engages us in the emotions of the characters, helping us to embrace the truth that believing is seeing.

Another great lesson which can be derived from this movie, is that sometimes spiritual believing and seeing, requires a personal encounter of faith.

At the end of the movie, when the train has stopped at the little boy's house to drop him off after an eventful evening at the North Pole, the conductor steps off the train, and stands in front of the boy. As they stood there in the snow, with cold breath on their faces, the conductor gazed down at him with eyes filled with wonder, and said something very profound.

He said: "It doesn’t matter where you’re going; what matters is deciding to get on.”

Sometimes we think where we are going in life is what is most important. We focus on building careers, raising families, making money, gaining financial success, recovering from losses, relocating to a new city or home, and just getting through to the end of each day.

But even though we are all living in the same world, we all have different paths in life, different careers, different families, different struggles, different sins - our lives all go in different directions. The tricky part, is determining if we are on the path God prepared for us, or if we are trying to figure out if we want to get on board with His plan. Or maybe, we are still unsure what His plan is for our life.

Our unique differences are exactly what God uses to route our journey, making it completely different from someone else's journey. The important thing is whether or not we are trying to drive the train ourselves, or allowing God to be the conductor. Whether or not we have faith, and a trusting heart to believe in the unseen, instead of making and following our own plans.

It takes a lot of faith to trust that God is orchestrating our lives in a predestined way that He ordained. It takes a lot of faith to believe that God can use our past mistakes and sins to glorify Him. It takes a lot of faith to trust God enough to trust His plans, even when we don't understand them, feel qualified for them, or even like them.

Yet, it is imperative that we embrace unshakable faith if we want to possess the confidence to believe in a God that we cannot see, and the courage to embark on a journey we may not understand.

The little boy in Polar Express could not believe in Santa, until he had a personal encounter with him. After this encounter, he believed with his whole heart. Just as the little boy's faith in Santa Claus soared after his personal encounter with him, our faith in Jesus will also soar when we experience a personal encounter with Him. We cannot see Him with our physical eyes, but we can encounter Him spiritually - through prayer, quiet time, worshipping, hearing His voice, answered prayers, and seeing His activity in our lives.

A jingle bell held a special meaning in this film. In the beginning, the boy thought the bell was broken because he couldn't hear it jingle. But after his faith in Santa was renewed and his enthusiasm for Christmas was awakened, he could hear the bell jingling loud and clear.

If you think about it, faith works in the same way. Some people do not believe in Jesus, because they cannot hear or see Him - but the truth is, it takes believing, before seeing and hearing can occur. That is what is faith is all about. When we believe with our whole heart, then our spiritual eyes and ears are open, and it then we can begin to see and hear Jesus loud and clear. His faith opened his ears.

Believing is seeing, not the other way around, and personal encounters with Jesus reawaken our faith, and renew our enthusiasm for Him as we get excited about 'seeing' Him all around us. Faith brings life, to life.

Are you ready to believe, so you can see? Are you willing to allow God to be the conductor of your journey?

God knows exactly where you are going - He is simply waiting for you to get on board.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, and allowed Him to be the conductor of your life, will you make that commitment today? If so, visit this page for more information. Proverbs 31 Ministries would be honored and blessed to pray for you, and celebrate your salvation and new faith commitment.

10 Ways To Decorate Your Heart For Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

I am taking a break today from my December "Reel Christmas" series to focus on the devotion I have running over at P31 Encouragement For Today, called A Cup of Christmas COCOA.

If you are visiting my blog today, then welcome! At the bottom of the post, find out how to win today's COCOA giveaway which was mentioned in the devotion.
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It is hard to believe that Christmas is only nine days away. It seems that it takes forever for the holidays to begin, then the whole season flies by way too quickly! So quickly, it often comes around before we have all the gifts bought, decorations put up, and cards mailed. There is just too much to do in too little time!

Unfortunately we often use this excuse of "busyness" to secretly justify that it's okay to focus all our time and energies on all those Christmassy-type things that are screaming for our attention. But deep in our hearts, we know Jesus should be our focus, and we may even feel a twinge of guilt for having an out-of-focus Christmas. So how do we change that habit? How do we get in-focus, in the midst of the holiday whirlwind?

Today's devotion talked about using the acrostic C.O.C.O.A. to help us stay focused on Christ - because COCOA is synonymous with Christmas, right?!

Aside from drinking hot cocoa, and to insure that I stay focused despite all my crazy-Christmas-to-do's, I made a list of ways to decorate our hearts for Christmas. Even though there are only 9 days left until Jesus' birthday, it is never too late to get in-focus on the reason we are celebrating!

1. Display a nativity scene in a prominent place. If you don't have one, consider getting one. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and range from very expensive at specialty stores, to very inexpensive at dollar stores and thrift stores. Regardless of the monetary value, any nativity scene is beautiful. You can even make your own if you are a crafty type of gal, by doing an Internet search with the words "homemade nativity".

2. Read scripture each day of the month, including the Christmas story found in the gospels.

3. Attend a Christmas program, or a Christmas Eve service at a local church. If you do not have a home church, attend at a friend's church, or check your local listings. This year you can also attend church on Christmas Day, since most churches will offer regular Sunday worship.

4. Listen to Christmas music that is focused on Jesus, not just jingle bells.

5. Spending more time in prayer this month than you usually do - thanking God for the blessings of the past year, and seeking His peace and blessings for the coming year.

6. Keep a Christmas journal. Record your thoughts about the Christmas season, how God is working in your life this month, or meaningful Christmas poems or articles that you come across. You could also jot down Christ-centered ideas or activities that you have heard about from others, and consider doing them this year or next.

7. Share Christ with someone who needs to know that there really is "Something more" to Christmas, just like the Grinch discovers.

8. Step outside of your comfort zone to serve someone in a way that you would not normally do. Put aside convenience, and put on compassion.

9. Give the gift of scripture. A special way to share God's Word is through a blessing box, or a treasure box as I have often referred to it. It's a little box full of bible verses, with your friend or loved one's name inserted into the verses. This is a priceless gift, which can minister to someones heart all year round. Click here to see a previous blog post for more information and a list of verses.

10. Give a gift to Jesus. Give each family member a red note card, and ask them to write down one gift they want to give Jesus this year. It could be forgiving someone who has hurt you, surrendering a negative attitude, committing to serving others, stepping out in faith to embrace a special calling, or spending more time in His Word. It is simply a promise from our heart to God's heart. Hang the completed note cards on your tree, or wrap them up and put them under the tree, and open them on Christmas morning and pray over them.

Today's COCOA giveaway is a festive Christmas coffee cup with Romans 6:23 on it, filled with chocolate, and the acrostic C.O.C.O.A from the devotion attached with curly ribbon. It would make a great Christmas gift for a friend, or keep it for yourself!

To enter the drawing, just leave a comment stating how you keep Christ in your Christmas!

**Drawing will be held on Monday, December 19th, and will be shipped the same day,

or as soon as the winner emails their shipping address. **

Do You Really Believe?

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

When the Polar Express movie was released a few years ago, the first thing that caught my attention was the amazing graphics and life-like portrayal of the characters. The scenery was beautiful, and almost breathtaking.

However, after I watched the movie, I realized that there was so much more to it than what first meets the eye. The underlying kindness and genuine meaning of the story captivated my attention, and my heart.

You see, it is much more than just a magical story about a train ride to the North Pole, or even a story about Santa Claus.

It is really a story about faith that is lost, reawakened, and renewed.

This movie contains no religious imagery as we saw in The Grinch or Charlie Brown. It does not have any highly comical scenes like Elf.

It quotes no Scriptures, and never once does it mention the words God or Jesus. Yet, it is a movie that touches the spirits of young and old, and has a lesson in faith for all of us.

It is not only a journey to find the magic of Christmas, but a journey of faith, and the faith it takes to believe in the unseen.

At the beginning of the story, we see a little boy, struggling with letting go of his belief in Santa, and trying to force himself to believe that he does not exist.

He is torn between two truths: "Seeing is believing", or "Believing is seeing."

In the movie, when the Polar Express pulls up in front of the boys house, he wonders if what he is seeing is really true.

He sees the train in the snow as plain and vivid as the nose on his face. He sees and hears the conductor inviting him to board the train, and he plainly sees the other children peering through the windows, beckoning for him to get on.

But still, his heart doubts. Through influences from the media, parents and friends, his innocence had been stolen. His faith had been crushed. And the doubts in his mind were stronger than the deepest longings of his heart.

As a result, the little boy had all but convinced himself that Santa did not exist, so he struggled with what he thinks he sees, and wonders whether or not he should step outside of his comfort zone, and take that first step onto the train.

The little boy found himself in a place where many people find themselves every day -in a struggle between the seen, and the unseen; a struggle between doubt and faith; a struggle between believing, and not believing.

As the little boy weighs the "evidence" he can see, versus the lack of evidence in his mind, he hesitates on boarding the train. His own inhibitions, doubts, and lack of faith are standing in the way of him moving forward.

I found it so interesting that the conductor did not force the boy to get on - he merely extended the invitation - and then - he waited. He waited for the boy to determine whether or not he would let himself believe.
The boy had to choose for himself whether he would join the conductor on the journey, and he finally did decide to board the train. However, he really only boarded with his physical being, because in his spirit, he still was overcome with doubt.

Throughout his journey that snowy night, he continually questioned the existence of Santa and the North pole. He asked the other kids; he asked the 'ghost' on top of the train; he asked the conductor. Despite all the evidence he could see and everything he was told, he still doubted.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot in real life. There are many people who claim to believe in the unseen Savior, but who do not truly believe with their heart, mind and soul. Wonderful people, who carry out the motions of being a good Christian - attending and serving in church, helping others, trying to be a good person - but who secretly, maybe even unknowingly, do not truly believe with child-like faith that the Christ is all He claims to be.

People who have professed faith with their lips, but not their hearts. People who just simply cannot find the courage to push aside their doubts, and believe in what they have not seen. People just like the little boy in this movie.

I wonder if the reason that some people have a hard time truly believing is that they have not encountered Christ for themselves, in their own lives, consumed with always trying to weigh the evidence.

The little boy boarded the train, with unbelief and doubts, and he continued to doubt despite the evidence. However, once he experienced Santa for himself - then - he truly believed.

It was not until the boy encountered Santa first hand, for himself, that he could honestly say "I believe".

He finally accepted what he felt in his heart was true - despite what anyone else thought, how old he was, who agreed, or what the world had to say about it.

At the end of the movie, the conductor said something very meaningful to the boy. He said, “The most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”

Being a Christian means believing in Christ - not because we see Him with our physical eyes, but because we feel Him in our hearts and see evidence of Him in our lives. Once we encounter Christ, our attitude is changed, and our faith renewed.

Once the little boy believed, his attitude changed, and he could even "hear" things that he had not heard before - like the sound of a jingle bell.

Our faith is exactly the same way. When we are doubting the true existence of Christ, or doubt whether He is involved in our lives, then we have a hard time seeing or hearing Him at all.

Believing comes first. Seeing is the reward for believing.

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (NIV)

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

(Email subscribers need to link over to my blog to view the movie clips)

Where are you, Christmas spirit?

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

The Charlie Brown Christmas special is a traditional family show watched in households across the country for years and years, and my kids and I always look forward to it. It is a fun cartoon to watch, but also a great reminder about how we can all lose our Christmas spirit, yet remembering the reason for the season will help us to find it again.

When Charlie Brown was walking with Linus through the snow to go ice skating, Charlie aired his feelings about the holidays to Linus:

"I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel . I just don't understand Christmas I guess. I like getting presents, and sending Christmas cards, and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed."

Have you ever felt like Charlie Brown? Wondering why you used to love the holidays, but now they seem more of a duty than a delight? Do you ever feel like something is missing? Like maybe Christmas is just not what it used to be?

Or maybe you know why your Christmas spirit has waned, but you do not know how to change it or get it back. Maybe it does not look the same as it once did, due to children growing up, families changing, divorces, remarriages, or the loss of loved ones, and as a result, you just do not have the same feelings about Christmas anymore. The passion is gone.

One of my favorite songs during the holidays is Where Are You Christmas, sung by Faith Hill. It fits in perfect with the feelings that Charlie Brown was feeling as he struggled with his emotions about Christmas. Here are some of the lyrics to that song:

Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play

My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go

Just like is described in this song, Charlie Brown knew in his heart that something was missing- he just didn't know what.

All he knew, was that he longed for the joy and enthusiastic feelings that other people seemed to feel around the holidays. He wanted to know what had changed and where his Christmas spirit had gone. He just wanted to enjoy Christmas again.

The other day my teenage daughter said with a sullen look on her face, "Mom, it just doesn't 'feel' like Christmas. It feels different than in the past." It was as if Charlie Brown's statement above was spilling from her lips. Although she could not quite put her emotions into words, I understood completely what she was saying. I remember being her age, when Christmas began to "feel" different, seem less exciting, and more "ordinary". When the magic of childhood innocence is gone, and the wisdom of adolescence kicks in.

Her comment gave me an opportunity to remind her that life changes as we grow up, but Jesus remains the same. The thrill of celebrating His birth has to come from our hearts, not from our traditional practices. Her comment opened the door for us to both to refocus on Christ, not just Christmas.

Linus reminded Charlie Brown of this truth as well, and helped him to see that what was missing from his Christmas, was the fact that they were celebrating the birth of the Savior, not the holiday season. He reminded Charlie, that Christmas was about Jesus - nothing less and nothing more. Just Jesus. Glory to God on the highest, and peace on earth. Let's take a look at his speech:

(email subscribers will need to visit my homepage to view the movie clip)

Linus is a shining example of how the faith of one person can help other people rediscover true Christmas spirit. His passion about Christmas, made other people feel passionate about Christmas too.

In today's society, Christmas is under attack from every angle. We are universally discouraged from keeping Christ in Christmas. That is why we are told in 1 Corinthians 16:13, Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. (NIV)

As long as we carry the real reason for the season in our hearts and minds, nobody can ever take it away. Growing up, changing families, problems of life and the influences of a fallen world will always be a reality - but Jesus Was, and Is, and Always Will Be - and He is the reason we celebrate.

Through standing up for our faith, and sharing the reason we celebrate, we can give the gift of Christmas spirit to someone who knows that something is missing, but just needs someone to help them find it.

I KNOW HIM!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, I love Buddy the Elf's attitude and his sense of Christmas spirit. I love his hilarious smile and his innocent perspective on life. I love his outlook on innocence and love.

But most of all - above all else - I love his enthusiasm.

If I had to pick one scene from the movie as my very most favorite - it would have to be when the department store boss announces that Santa is coming to the store. Watch that clip below:

(email subscribers may need to visit my homepage to view the movie clip)

Hahaha! Okay, maybe something is wrong with me. I just love that clip so much! And not only because it is funny and makes a huge grin sweep across my face uncontrollably (because smiling is my favorite), but also because I long for that kind of enthusiasm - for Jesus.

I cannot help but wonder how I would react if someone told me that Jesus was coming tomorrow at 10:00am.

Even though I feel sure that a flood of thoughts would race through my mind in a flurry of emotions, I can also envision myself jumping up and down with excitement, bellowing out and screaming "Jeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuusssssssssss!!! I know him! I know him! Yeah!".

Several years ago, I kind of experienced a situation like that, when I had a dream about Jesus. I typically dream in vivid color and detail, and usually remember my dreams, and this one was no different.

On this particular night, I dreamed that I was standing alone in a field full of swaying, tall grasses and beautiful flowers, with a cool breeze blowing on my face. Off in the distance, my eyes caught a glimpse of a large Greek-style amphitheatre, like the ones that existed in biblical times.

Then suddenly, I was surrounded by hundreds of people who were slowly walking towards this venue. I began to walk with the crowd, as I meandered along, not knowing exactly where we were all going, the wind began to grow stronger, and clouds began morphing into various shapes and forms in the sky.

As I looked up into the bright blue sky, squinting and shading my eyes with my hand, I saw a cloud slowly transform into the shape of a shepherds staff. Then, it appeared that the staff was gently bobbing up and down as it grew closer, as if an invisible hand were grasping it, raising it up each time they took a step forward.

As the staff grew closer and larger than life, I heard people around me begin to yell out with excited voices, "It's Jesus! It's Jesus! Jesus is coming!" Everyone was overjoyed and in awe that Jesus was about to arrive.

Even though it was merely a dream, I can vividly remember the overwhelming enthusiasm and excitement that bubbled up in my entire body, causing my heart to feel as if it were overflowing with uncontrollable joy. I even remember my face feeling red and hot, and my heart beating fast, thumping hard in my chest.

I felt so overcome with the joy and anticipation of seeing Jesus, that I could barely breathe. I had the urge to spastically jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs, just like Elf did in the scene about Santa, and chant "I know Him! I know Him!", but in my dream state, I felt speechless.

Then suddenly, and way too abruptly, I woke up. The dream was over. But my heart was still beating rapidly, and the experience seemed acutely real.

For a few solemn seconds, as I lay there in the quietness of a dark house before daylight, I tried desperately to go back to sleep; to transport my brain waves back into a deep slumber, in the hopes that I would see the beautiful vision of Jesus right in front of me. Yet, I was wide awake.

My heart felt heavy. Jesus was coming - I was almost close enough to touch Him, but I didn't even get to see His face. I longed for the experience that I missed, even though it was only a dream.

This dream had such an impact on my heart, that I will never forget it. And every time I watch this comical movie clip from Elf, I am reminded about how exciting it will be when Jesus really does return, or when I meet Him face to face in heaven. I cannot wait to exclaim that "I know Him!"and hear Him say, that He knows me too.

Knowing how wonderful it will be makes my heart ache even more for all those who do not know Jesus; all the people who do not believe that they will one day meet Jesus face to face.

I feel sad for people who celebrate empty Christmases, filled only with presents and decorations and parties - without ever acknowledging why tthere is a celebration in the first place.

Yesterday I focused on the positive attitude of Elf, and today my focus is on his enthusiasm, and how our spiritual enthusiasm for Jesus should be inward and outward.

Inward enthusiasm for Jesus is necessary, before we can display an outward enthusiasm that is contagious to others, just like our attitude. After all, what does it matter if we put on a fake smile every day, but miss out on the true joy that Christ offers? Will people "catch" our spiritual enthusiasm, if we don't live out loud for Jesus?

This is a wonderful time of year to contemplate how important our faith really is in our life. A time to do a self assessment, and rate our own spiritual enthusiasm.

In the spirit of Christmas, and the spirit of enhancing our walk with Christ as we celebrate our relationship, lets put ourselves to the test:

- Am I really, genuinely enthusiastic about my spiritual journey?
- Am I still overwhelmed with gratitude for Gods gift of life, or have I begun to take it for granted?
- Do I really make Christ the center of my Christmas, or have I inadvertently become more focused on the commercialization about Christmas?
- Have I become so caught up in dealing with life, that I have buried the enthusiasm that I once held for Christ in my heart?
- Is my spiritual enthusiasm being fueled by ALL of my heart, soul and mind?
- Do I really KNOW HIM, or just know about Him?
- Does He really know me?
- How would I feel and react if I met Jesus face to face tomorrow?

Matthew 22:37 says “Jesus replied:‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment." (NIV)

If we truly love Jesus with ALL of our being.... seriously.... we would not be able to contain our enthusiasm! We would be jumping up and down with the same level of excitement as the Elf was about Santa! We might get a few stares and smirks, but who really cares!

At the very end of this movie, the narrator says this: "So Buddy managed to save Christmas. And his spirit saves a lot of other people too."

His enthusiasm for Christmas was contagious to the people around him, and he 'saved' them from themselves. Only Jesus can truly save in real life, but our enthusiasm for Him can open to the door to the hearts that need the saving.

Christ is coming!!!! Are you excited?! Are you showing it?!

Make smiling your favorite this Christmas!! :)

Is Smiling Your Favorite?

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:14:00 +0000

I know this movie is not a classic, especially since it was only released a few years ago, but honestly, it is my all time favorite movie ever!

My husband always gives me a confused side glance as I laugh hysterically at this movie, considering that I have watched it dozens of times. For some reason, he just fails to see the amazing humor in it that I do, but that is okay - to each her own, right?

So I admit it -I love the movie Elf, starring Will Farrell. I kid you not, I could watch it a thousand times and never get tired of it (maybe that says something about my intelligence, or sense of humor, but what-everrrrrr). Smiles.

The truth is that I just love to have a good laugh, and this is a sure recipe for that every time. But if I had to choose one thing I love most about this movie, it would be the attitude of Buddy the Elf.

Of course I realize that Buddy grew up at the North Pole, where life revolved around happy elves, sweet candy canes, friendly penguins, hot cocoa, toy making, and song singing. Anybody could learn to have a good attitude in that environment.

But even in the real/reel world, when Buddy treks out to find his real dad in New York City, he does not let the negativity, rudeness from others, and overall bad attitudes of society, affect his own joyful attitude and positive outlook about life.

It all started after Buddy journeyed through the Candy Cane Forest, which somehow miraculously landed him in Times Square, where he sought out his father in a high rise building.

At first glance, Buddy's father (who had no knowledge of his existence) and everyone else, for that matter, found Buddy to be extremely odd.

After all, his green elf outfit, cotton-ball eating, loud singing, and crazy smiling was a little out of the ordinary, to say the least. But it was not only his appearance that people found bizarre - it was his optimism and joyful attitude.

Because of his outgoing personality and positive perspective about life, people were not only extremely rude, but actually pushed him away. People were simply not accustomed to such joy.

Although Buddy's feelings were hurt, it did not change his attitude. He pushed forward, continuing to exude joy, despite how people were treating him, or the disappointments that he encountered.

Eventually, everyone came to realize that there was something special about Buddy....on the inside. They began to look past the odd outward appearance and different mannerisms, and see the joy and happiness in Buddy's heart.

His joyful attitude became contagious to all those who knew him.

Have you ever been around someone who was always negative, discouraged, pessimistic, unhappy and constantly complaining? If so, you may have you noticed how easy it is to be infected with that person's negativity, and maybe even start becoming negative and pessimistic as well. Have you ever noticed their bad attitude can be contagious?

I have certainly experienced this, and I remember working hard to ward off becoming infecting with their negativity, once I realized how contagious it was.

In fact, pessimism is one of the most highly contagious airborne germs that exist. The good news is = is that optimism is just as contagious!

Buddy's attitude, although a little off the chart when it comes to enthusiasm, was warm, optimistic and positive. He constantly saw the good in people and situations. He found joy in the little things, and was always filled with love. It appears he did not have a negative or unkind germ in his body. So when his optimism, and Christmas spirit, began spreading, people were changed for the good.

Is it possible to be like Buddy, in the real world we live in? A world packed full of attitude stumbling blocks from sunrise to sunset? The answer is yes... IF.... we choose not to let the attitudes of others affect our own, and, because we have that "something more". Remember? :)

At the end of this movie, Santa's sleigh can barely get off the ground because the hearts of the people of New York have lost their Christmas spirit. They have become consumed with the holiday activities, and lost sight of the holy-day attitudes.

But when Buddy's girlfriend, Jovie, begins to sing holiday songs, her Christmas spirit becomes contagious to everyone around her - even complete strangers. Soon, everyone in the crowd begins singing, and the Christmas spirit engine on Santa's sleigh is re-energized, helping it soar through the sky for all to see. She had caught Buddy's contagious joy.

Sadly, the real world is lacking in Christmas spirit - not merely holiday spirit, but The Spirit. Our world is full of lost people, refusing to believe that Christ is the reason for Christmas. Refusing to catch the joy in their hearts.

Although the Christmas spirit in this movie was focused on helping others believe that Santa is real - our Christmas Spirit should compel us to want to help others believe in Jesus. To show others, through our own attitudes, that Jesus is real, and alive.

We can never have a problem-free life, filled with candy canes and sugar plums every day, however, we can still have an attitude worth catching. An attitude that can change lives and impact hearts. An attitude that exudes joy, even when circumstances of life are not joyful.

An attitude that is focused on smiling, simply because of Jesus.

One of my favorite lines in the movie Elf, is when Buddy's boss at the department store inquires as to why he keeps smiling, and Buddy answers "I like to smile. Smiling is my favorite!"

Buddy's Christmas spirit was off the charts. Where would you rank your Christmas spirit today?

Consider these three questions:

1 - What attitude you have chosen today/this Christmas - do you want it to be contagious?
2 - Are you an angry elf (as Buddy calls the grumpy midget in this movie clip) or are you a joyful elf?
3 - Is smiling your favorite? :)

In the words of Jovie, "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear"... or... is it living loud for all to hear? Hmmm.

The movie clip for this post could not be embedded: CLICK HERE to watch a video clip from the end of the Elf movie where Jovie sings loud and clear, spreading the Christmas spirit for all to hear.

I just love this movie. Did I say that yet? Hee Hee. As a result, I am going to talk about more lessons from Buddy again tomorrow. Keeping smiling!

The Real Grinch Who Tried To Steal Christmas.....But God....

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:01:00 +0000

"Every Who down in Who-Ville liked Christmas a lot... But The Grinch,

Who lived just north of Who-ville, Did NOT! "

The Grinch's story explains how much the Grinch hated Christmas, so much so, that he wanted it to disappear. In fact, he wanted to stop it from coming altogether. So as was mentioned in Tuesday's post, he devised an evil plan and carried it out, stealing all the presents, decorations and even the baked ham.

He thought that stealing the things they possessed, would also steal the emotions they felt - but oh, was he wrong. While he was basking in the aftermath of his sinister thievery, and standing amongst all the presents he had stolen, he heard something low and faint in the distance.

The Grinch heard the sweet sounds of peaceful singing permeating the air, floating up to the mountaintops from all the way down in the quaint valley of Whoville. He thought he had won - but he soon realized that he was wrong about that too.

In the same way, Satan wanted Christmas stopped too. However, just as the Grinch heard the songs of the people, Satan heard the news about Jesus. He tried and tried to steal Christmas away, but all of his attempts fell short. Let's take a look at attempts the real mean one tried to carry out:

First attempt: In biblical times, adulterers, especially women who were pregnant out of wedlock, were to be stoned. So the first attempt of Satan to prevent the birth of Jesus, was done through rumors in the community of Mary and Joseph.

As we read in the Christmas story, Joseph struggled with worry about whether or not Mary had been unfaithful to him. He wondered if he should allow her to be punished, and if he should abandon her to protect his own reputation. He surely felt taunted emotionally by thoughts of doing what was right in the eyes of the world, versus what was right in his heart.

But God... sent an angel to visit Joseph and tell him of His holy plan.

If Joseph had believed the rumors and been influenced by the opinions of others, instead of focusing on his faith and his love for Mary, he could have fallen prey to Satans attempts to steal Christ-mas, before it ever started (Matthew 1:18-25). Josephs heart was set on obeying and trusting in God, even when things looked bleak.

Second attempt: Satan tried to prevent Jesus from having a safe haven for birth. There was no room in the inn in Bethlehem. No shelter from the cold. No protection from the wild.

But God... provided a stable, which offered warmth, shelter and hay for the manger.

Third attempt: A couple years later, Satan (the grinch) tried to use Herod to steal Christ-mas, by prompting him to kill all boy toddlers who might be a threat to his authority. Herod was not a follower of Jesus, therefore, in essence, he was a follower of the grinch. He was influenced by the lies of the enemy.

But God... told Joseph to leave the city, and provided an escape for them, which allowed Christ to grow into a strong young man who would eventually calm the storm with His hand, and save generations and generations of people.

There were many other failed grinch attempts, where satan tried to alter history by causing Jesus and his followers to stumble. In fact, there are too many attempts to list.
All throughout the life of Jesus, Satan tried to steal Christ-mas. He tempted Him, tormented Him, turned people against Him. He tried every trick in the book to pull off the ultimate heist, but failed time and time again.

But God... never failed.

Even for three days, after Jesus was crucified and buried, Satan thought he had finally won the battle. He probably had an evil smirk on his face, as he twisted his pointed fingers together in delight.

But God... called Jesus from the grave on the third day, restored Him to life, and set Him at His right hand side in the heavens.

No matter how hard he tried, Satan, the grinch, could not steal Christ-mas! God always won, and He still does today. Victory is already His.

Yet, unfortunately, until the final victory is claimed, the grinch will continue to lurk in our lives, attempting to trip us up, striving to steal, kill and destroy, without ever giving up.

He tempts people with pleasure and sin. He turns families against each other. He prods us into holding onto unforgiveness and selfishness. He makes us long for worldly pleasures, even if means sacrificing family or going into debt as he revels in our desires for more. He takes pride in our country's strides to be "politically correct" and "tolerant", at the expense of having freedom of speech about our God. He pours busyness and chaos into our lives so that our lives are too full for church and prayer. He fills our heads with doubts and tries to confuse us with science and theology and logic. He fills us with pride so that we begin to believe that we really don't need God at all.

He has worked diligently for thousands of years to take Christ out of Christmas, and Christ out of our hearts, and in some ways, he has experienced some success. He stole Christ from our governments, schools and communities. He stole Christ from our laws. He is trying to steal Christ from our television screens and publications. He has stolen the sanctity of purity and marriage. He has been hard at work, with glee.

But God... calls us to trust Him and not to worry; and to remember that the battle is already won.

Satan could not stop Christ-mas from coming, so now his mission is to do everything possible to steal Christmas from our hearts, and to prevent people who do not know Jesus from ever believing in Him. We must be on guard, and be aware, at all times, and put on the full armor of God to fight this battle.

Unless we allow it, Satan cannot steal Christ from our hearts, or Christ from our Christmas.

That gift is ours to keep.

The gift of "something more" that can never be taken away.

*** If you have been feeling distant from Christ this Christmas, and unable to really tap into a reason to celebrate, check out my feature article in this month's P31 Woman magazine. The enemy has hard at work, waging war against my family this past year, BUT GOD has made Himself known. I pray this article will encourage you to remember that although the battle exists, we have the power within us to fight. And in Christ, we can also have a reason to celebrate.

Who Really Stole Christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:21:00 +0000

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel. You are as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel. Mr Grinch. Your a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

We all know the Grinch stole Christmas, right? But who first stole Christmas from the Grinch?

In the remake movie version with Jim Carrey, we get a better glimpse at how the story began than we do from the old animated Dr Seuss version. You see, it all started out when the Grinch was just a boy. He was different, unique, even green and hairy.

At Christmas time, his teacher told all the students to bring in a special gift for the person they cared about, so he set about his task of diligently making a homemade gift for the little girl he had a crush on.

When the other kids laughed at him and his gift, he threw his gift across the room, and was so overcome with anger and humiliation, that he vowed to never celebrate Christmas again - and to never love again either. Due to hiding away alone in his mountain cave for years ,without giving or receiving love - his heart simply shrunk.

He allowed the memories of Christmases past, to determine how he would feel about Christmases of the future, and life in general. He adopted a permanent mindset laced with bitterness and negativity. If I were to describe how the Grinch may have felt inside, I would have to say:

He felt betrayed - and vowed to never trust anyone again.

He felt disappointed - and vowed to never expect good things to happen to him again.

He felt hurt - and vowed to never love anyone again.

He felt rejected - and vowed to never let other people get too close.

He felt embarrassed - and vowed to alienate himself from others so that he would never feel that way again.

He felt unloved - and vowed to believe that being unloved was better than the risk of sharing your heart.

Welcome to a peek into the mind of the Grinch - before he decided to steal Christmas from others, and allowed it to be stolen from himself.

The trials, difficulties and painful emotions of life had stolen Christmas from his heart, and sadly, this mentality is not that far from reality.

All too often, we too allow past or present circumstances to define our attitudes about holidays, but also life in general. There are many lessons we could pull from The Grinch, and although the movie does not overtly specify a Christian theme, it has a lot of biblical imagery.

For example, in both the cartoon and remake versions, we see the Grinch with an evil grin, with crooked fingertips poised together for a sinister plan. He exhibits a coldness of heart and is distanced and estranged from other people. In the same way, the real devil possesses these qualities too. Before he was tossed out of heaven, the devil's heart had become sinister and cold due to pride and rebellion against God.

The Grinch had a goal to deceive the people of Whoville and rob them in more ways than one. He didn't just want their presents and decorations, he wanted their hearts to become angry. The real devil has that same goal, and is hard at work every day, striving to cause us to sin in the hopes that our hearts will turn bitter.

Another commonality is that The Grinch was the master deceiver, adept at lying, even to the most innocent of innocent, like little Cindy Lu. The devil deceived the innocent couple Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, convincing them that God didn't really mean what He said when he told them not to eat from the fruit of the tree of life. He caused them to doubt the real meaning of God's Words, and to develop their own self-serving interpretation.

The Grinch's final deception was assuming the disguise of Santa - a symbol of joy and giving; a character that most people love, embrace and trust. The Grinch disguised himself as something pleasurable and good, when in fact he was evil and bad. He tricked Cindy Lu into thinking she could trust him, and that he was doing her a favor. In the same way, satan is the master deceiver today - often disguising himself as something good, so that we will want what he has, only to discover that we have given up much more than we gained.

In the same way that the Grinch walked around in broad daylight, in plain view of all the Who's in Whoville, the thief is in our midst too, disguised as something good or pleasurable.

He tempts us with sin, causes us to stumble in our faith, orchestrates trials in our lives, and longs to steal our joy. He fills our heads with lies that nobody cares about us, that we are worthless, that we are unlovable - just like the Grinch. He encourages us to hold onto bitterness, regret, and unforgiveness so that we will feel separated and alone.

The Grinch proceeded to carry out his evil plans to steal Christmas from Whoville, and to make matters worse, he took great pleasure in his evil thievery. In fact, the narrator in the movie says that the Grinch "steals Christmas with glee".

In the animated version, the Grinch even slithers through the living room to steal the Christmas trees, holiday decorations and presents.. Hmmmm... sounds a little bit like a serpent --- the symbol of satan himself.

The root problem is not that the Grinch hates Christmas, but that he envies the joy and happiness that the Whos have in their hearts, Then he experiences anger and aggression because of this envy. He wants to hurt them, as he has been hurt, and he wants to have control over their emotions and their happiness.

The lyrics of the song summarize this analogy between the Grinch and the real enemy:

"a heart with an empty hole; garlic in his soul; no tenderness or sweetness; the king of sin; filled with poison; crooked and dirty; an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots; a soul full of gunk."

King of sin... coldness... deceit... evil.... theft.... sour.... an empty heart...poisonous....crooked... disgraced.... all words found in the movie, that are also found when we read about the character of satan. The ultimate mean one.

John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, and that is exactly what the Grinch had in mind when he came up with his plan to steal Christmas from Whoville.

He wanted to steal their joy; kill their happiness; destroy their holiday.

He wanted to ruin their lives and dampen their future.

He wanted to crush relationships. He wanted to carry out his evil schemes in the hopes that he could steal so many precious things from them, that they would never celebrate or sing again.

He not only wants to steal the joy of Christmas from our holiday, but the joy of Christ from our heart.

On the surface, this movie could be interpreted as nothing more than an outcry against the commercialization of Christmas, but oh, how it really is about "something more".

John 10:10 also tells us that Jesus came to give us abundant life.

Now for the good part!!! I actually really enjoy watching this movie and laugh all throughout it, despite its' underlying evil plot, and my favorite part is when we witness the total transformation of the Grinch.

I especially love the scene in the remake version, where the Grinch is crying for the first time ever, and thinks he is "leaking". Then in that same moment, the clouds in the sky part, beautiful orange sunshine streaks burst through the clouds and fill the sky with a glowing light. (Click HERE if you would like to watch this scene)

Then.. something from the skies touches The Grinch's heart. He begins to feel all "toasty" inside - the warmth of love that has been absent for far too long - and his heart is changed forever.

Through the support and joy of his community, and a little heavenly intervention if I may, the Grinch transforms into something good, from something bad. He realizes that his total self absorption, lack of forgiveness, and bitterness has kept him captive in a world of complete alienation, filled with loneliness, discouragement and feelings of worthlessness.

Even though we know that the real-world grinch will never embrace redemption, what a wonderful scene it is, when the fictional Grinch finally comes to understand that Christmas really doesn't come from a store.....that Christmas truly is "something more".

Although the movie does not specify what that "something more" is - I think we all know. That "something more" is Jesus.

Only the love of Christ can cause someones hearts to grow three sizes and beat out of their chest. Only the love of Christ can cause us to "leak" tears of joy.

That "something more" is found in the realization that Christmas is not a holiday, but a feeling of absolute peace, stemming from the assurance that we are dearly loved by the Creator of the universe and that love is a gift. It is "Something More" that we cannot see with our eyes, but feel in our hearts.

Christmas is a state of heart and mind, which can never be stolen away - unless - we give the grinch permission to take it. Let's vow to never let the grinch steal Christmas again.

(Email subscribers may need to visit my blog to see the movie clips)

On Thursday, we'll take a deeper look at how the first grinch (Satan) tried and failed at stealing Christmas too.

Longing To Be Like Rudolph

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

If I were to ask you about a Christmas movie you remembered from childhood, I bet a lot of you would immediately say Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

For some reason, Rudolph just seems to stick in our minds forever! How silly that one little rigid, clay reindeer can prick the hearts of children and adults for more than forty years. And how amazing, that no matter how many years pass, we always remember the words to the song!

If you ask me, there is a lot more to love about Rudolph than just a red nose, including his raspy voice, sweet personality, and selfless attitude. In fact, when I think about Rudolph, his shiny nose is not really what comes to mind at all.

You see, Rudolph lived a pretty hard life. He was born into a family that loved him, but desperately wished he were different. As a result his father Donner being ashamed of Rudolph's physical attributes, and because he did not look "normal" like all the other reindeer, he caused Rudolph to feel ashamed as well. Unfortunately, Rudolph bought into the lie that he needed to try to fit in at any cost - even if it meant hiding who he really was (by covering his nose with black mud).

After a year of masking his flaws, Rudolph went out to flying practice. A little tussle with his friend Fireball caused his nose mud to fall off, and it all went downhill from there.

When everyone realized that Rudolph was different, he was ridiculed by peers and adults, and was eventually excluded and cast out, causing him to feel so humiliated that he ran away.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? Especially in today's society. Just like the real world - people (kids and adults) can be mean, and their hurtful words and exclusionary tactics can cause permanent emotional damage.

So Rudolph ran away because he was ashamed of his imperfections, but it was exactly those imperfections, which caused him to meet up with Hermey -an elf who wanted to be dentist, and was who was feeling like an outcast as well.

Hermey and Rudolph were both desperate for acceptance. They were searching for someone, some place, some situation, where they would fit in and be accepted. They longed to be loved and accepted. Their hearts needed to know that they mattered, and that they had a purpose. And they found all those things in each other, and the journey that they embarked upon together.

I bet most of us would admit that there have been times when we felt a lot like Rudolph or Hermey.

Unaccepted. Criticized. Flawed. Different. Unloved. Cast out. Imperfect. Excluded. Sad. Lonely.Wandering.

In fact, sometimes the holidays can bring on more of these feelings than any other time of the year.

How unfortunate that a season of the year which is supposed to bring inclusiveness and love, can sometimes leave us feeling excluded and unloved more than any other time of the year..... and that is exactly why Rudolph is such a great example at the holidays.

You see, although Rudolph intially felt defeated, he pulled himself together and went on a search for his purpose and meaning. And what he thought was a flaw about himself, is the exact attribute that allowed him to find new friends, and new meaning in life.
With each other's support, their eyes were opened to see that even if they were 'misfits', that didn't have to stop them from pursuing something great. Yet the real change came when they stopped focusing on themselves, and started focusing on the needs of others instead.

They helped the prospector, who was driven by greed of silver and gold, to see the importance of friendship. They saved all the misfit toys and helped them find good homes. They made personal sacrifices so they could search and rescue their loved ones. Then they changed the heart of the abominable snowman.

Last but not least, Rudolph went down in history, because he led Santa's sleigh through the dense fog and Christmas was saved. He enlightened Christmas for many children. He gained respect and adoration from all who knew him. He shed his light, and made a difference.

Okay, okay. I promise, I really do know that Rudolph is a fictional character. Really. But still, dont you just love what he teaches us?

We all feel flawed, insecure, less than perfect, and sometimes, may even like a full blown misfit.

But God loves misfits - and all of us misfits are accepted by Him, and created for a unique purpose. We can either allow our insecurities and imperfections to keep us bound in shame or lack of confidence, or we can turn them over to God and ask how He wants to use them in a special way.

Rudolph, Hermey, all the misfits, the prospector, the abominable snowmen - they all thought they didn't fit in for one reason or another - but when they believed in themselves, and began to focus on impacting the lives of others, their lives were permanently changed.

About eleven years ago, I adopted Jeremiah 29:11 as my life theme verse. In fact, I have often said that God stalked with me that verse for several years. It kept popping up everywhere, all around me, in the least expected places and in the most unusual of ways.

God continued to put Jeremiah 29:11 in my face, until I finally tucked it into my heart.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (NLT)

God sees our imperfections - in fact, He created them - and he has a predestined plan to use them to His glory - if we take our eyes off of ourselves, and place our eyes on Him instead.

There came a time in Rudolphs life, that he became immensely proud of his red nose - his light. He realized that his imperfection had a purpose, and it was good. He quit worrying about what others were thinking, and pursued the calling that he had been equipped to pursue.

John 1:4-5 says, "The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.The light shine in the darkness,and the darkness can never extinguish it." (NLT)

If we embrace what God calls us to do, then just like Rudolph, we can shed light in the darkness too - His light.

(email subscribers may need to visit my blog to view the movie clip if you do not see it below)

The 'Reel' Side of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

No matter how old I get, I always look forward to watching all the classic Christmas movies as soon as December rolls around. If a new Christmas movie is hitting the theatres, I am the first one to buy tickets.

I always get a twinge of excitement about plopping onto the couch, popping popcorn, grabbing some hot cocoa, and snuggling with the kids, as we fall back in time and watch the same Christmas movies that we have watched dozens, if not hundreds, of times before.

Whether the movies include real people or animated characters - I love them. Whether they are in black and white, or fully colorized, I love them. Whether they are old or new - I love them! My husband finds that strange and does not really share my enthusiasm for holiday flicks, but to each her own, right?

As a result of my movie-loving self, I thought it would be so fun to reminisce about some of my favorite Christmas classics, and yours, and talk about the life lessons we can pull from them. So often we enjoy a good holiday movie, but neglect to dig into the real meaning, and miss out on a teachable moment for our kids, or for ourselves.

So for the next few weeks, I am going to focus on the REEL (as in movie reel) side of Christmas, so that we can gleam some REAL spiritual truths.

Believe it or not, from Rudolph's red nose to the Grinch's green puckered face to Its a Wonderful Life - there are some important and reel truths that line up with Gods Word and hold biblical significance.

I have a few ideas about which movies I want to highlight this month, but before we kick off this holiday movie series on Friday, I would love to know what some of your favorite classic movies are, and if you have any suggestions of movies for me to dig for truths in.

Will you consider these questions and share your thoughts and ideas?

(Email subscribers, please be sure to click back to my blog and leave your comment in the comment section, instead of replying to this email, so that we can all see the ideas!)

Here are the questions:

** Which holiday movies or cartoons bring back the fondest memories for you?

** Do you have a favorite holiday movie?

** Which movies have you been able to pull nuggets of truth out of?

** Were there any movies that impacted your heart over time or as a child?

** Which movies have impacted your family in years gone by, or changed your perspective about Christmas?

** Which movies help foster a family night over the holidays?

Come on now, be reel! Smiles.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:01:00 +0000

Hi friends! Can you believe that tomorrow is December 1st? My how time flies when you are having fun. :) As far as I am concerned, I am thrilled that the holiday season is officially underway!

To get the season rolling, my sweet P31 sister, Karen Ehman, is hosting her 4th annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway which started this week. Each day, one of our Proverbs 31 speakers will be highlighted, and will share something special about the holidays, in addition to offering a special giveaway item. And today, Wednesday, is my day to guest post on Karen's blog.

So hop over to Karen's blog to check out my giveaway and learn how to put your name in the hat to win. Also, make a note to visit her blog every day for a chance to win a special Christmas prize, and to be entered for the grand prize drawing.

Tomorrow, I will kick off my holiday series "The Reel Side of Christmas", and spend the month of December focusing on various modern and old holiday movies, and the spiritual lessons we can gleam from them. If you love Christmas movies as much as I do, you will love this series!

Be on the lookout for the first Reel post tomorrow!

Staying Filled Up After Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is a day full of "fillers". We get filled with family, filled with thanks, filled with blessing, and most of all, filled with food. Too bad that feeling of "full" doesn't last!

Throughout this sweet day where we overindulge in good food and homemade goodies, we feel full. We feel satisfied for the moment, yet we know that in just a few hours, that familiar feeling of emptiness will return, and the stomach will growl once again.

That's the thing about filling up with food - it only temporarily meets our need to feel full. Wouldn't it be great if our spirits could 'growl' like our stomachs, when the feeling of emptiness sneaks in, letting us know that we need to indulge in a little spiritual food?

Ephesians 5:18-20 says this, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

This is a popular verse, often interpreted differently among differing denominations. Some churches see this verse as proof that Christians should refrain from drinking alcohol at all, while others view it as a verse that encourages self control when consuming alcoholic beverages so as not to negatively affect a person's witness for Christ.

However, regardless of personal opinions about drinking, the real truth tucked in between the lines here holds a much broader purpose than beverage consumption.

This verse encourages us to think about anything that we are filling ourselves up with that is not only temporarily satisfying, but results in leaving no room for the Holy Spirit to reside.

Apparently, some pagan worshipers in Paul's time would intentionally get drunk as a form of their worship. They filled themselves with the affects of wine before and during worship, rather than seeking the affects of the Holy Spirit. They sought after the physical feelings that the wine caused, instead of the spiritual feelings that the Holy Spirit could fill them with.

Paul is mainly concerned here with the fact that their drunkenness not only led to reckless actions, but that they were purposely filling up with wine, instead of filling up with the Holy Spirit. They were choosing a temporary substitute of fulfillment, instead of seeking a permanent fullness of heart through God.

Most of us would agree that being overly filled with any alcoholic beverage is not pleasing to God, however we often overlook or justify the act of over-indulging in other sinful ways.

For example, have you ever considered how "filling up" with powerful emotions in our hearts and minds - such as as jealousy, lust, anger, hurt, bitterness, temptation, worry - can result in leaving little room in our heart for the Holy Spirit?

If we are filled up with negative emotions, the the Holy Spirit is slowly pushed out. Leaving us empty. Full of something that is not of God.

This week, we may get filled up with food, but what will fill us up next week? Will we be focused on only on our physical needs and feelings, or our spiritual needs and feelings as well?

Staying spiritually filled up is a choice we all must make. A choice to spend time in prayer, reading God's Word, attending church, serving His kingdom, and fellowshipping with other believers. These things take time, but are always time well spent.

Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in our hearts. However, to stay filled up with Him, we have to continue to overindulge in what He has to offer, and take no substitutes.

Thanksgiving day comes and goes, sometimes all too quickly it seems, but the desire to be full in heart and soul can continue all year round.

What has been filling you up lately? How will you stay spiritually filled up now that all the Thanksgiving dishes are put away?

My Gratitude List

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Out of habit (not because it is the right way or only way to pray), I typically start out my prayers by thanking God for the day at hand, and any other things that I am feeling especially thankful for. Then I proceed to ask for forgiveness for my sins, and progress through my conversation with God. When praying with my children, I have always followed this pattern as well.

Now, when I listen to my children pray out loud, it is obvious that they have picked up on my prayer habits, and usually begin and end with thankfulness.

In the mind of a child, it is easy to thank God for the small things, and the obvious things - such as this day, the sunshine, the rain, food, friends, etc. After all, God created us with a heart of gratitude for His goodness. It is His will that we practice being thankful, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (NASB)

But as we grow up and life gets busy, we often lose that innate desire and ability to be thankful. We tend to look at all the problems, instead of the blessings, and focus on all the things we wish were different, instead of all the things that are good.

So in light of the season, I thought it would be nice to return to that child-like mentality, and focus my prayers on nothing but thankfulness. I created a gratitude list and poured my heart into thanking God for each thing that came to mind. It was refreshing, and thought provoking, and reminded me of many God-given blessings that I take for granted every day.

I want to encourage you today, to put aside your 'normal' way of praying, making your only focus be one of thanksgiving, and create your own gratitude list. If you are like me, as you focus specifically on your gratitude to God over everything else, you may have lots of things come to mind that you would ordinarily not even pause to think about. To help get your thoughts rolling, I will share with you my own gratitude list.

My 2011 Gratitude List:

1. My relationship with Jesus Christ and knowing that I am whole because of Him
2. The privilege of being allowed to worship Him freely in this country
3. My faith, and knowing that He is always with me
4. The possession of many Bibles for me and my family to read
5. My husband Michael, and the 21 1/2 years we have been together
6. Having a loving husband that provides for our family & loves our children
7. Having a husband who is my best friend
8. Two beautiful daughters and one handsome son, and the joy of watching them grow up
9. A husband and 3 children who all love the Lord, & that all our extended family members love the Lord
10. The incredible church we belong to, and all the people who attend there that are so dear to our hearts
11. Our Youth Pastor, Kasey, who has helped foster my children's walk with God
12. The re-dedication of faith, and baptism, of my two teenage daughters this year
13. Seeing my son go down to the altar at church and pray a few weeks ago when God spoke to his heart
14. The happiness in our home and the heart of God that makes it a wonderful place to live
15. The precious laughter of my family and the fun times we enjoy together
16. Good health
17. Being blessed with the best mother in the world, who I also call 'best friend'
18. My Dad, sister and brother and their spouses and all the little nieces and nephews that we love
19. My husbands parents, sister and her husband, of whom love us as dearly as we love them
20. Having cars to drive to get us where we need to go
21. Good schools and education systems for our kids
22. Feeling safe and secure in our home and neighborhood
23. Knowing that we have enough to food to eat each day
24. The joy of being a speaker and a writer
25. The blessing of being a part of the Godly group of women at Proverbs 31 Ministries
26. The privilege of working at a local Pregnancy Resource Center and witnessing to women in need
27. Clothes to wear, shoes for my feet, and a warm coat for the winter
28. Clean air to breathe
29. Peace in my heart even when life is not peaceful
30. Cell phones, so I can always reach my loved ones, especially my teenagers
31. Clean water to drink
32. A computer, and access to the Internet so I can share what God lays on my heart with others; be encouraged by reading how others experience God in their lives; stay connected with everyone, and more.
33. Apple Butter & Starbucks coffee
34. The beach
35. A soft bed to sleep in every night, and my contour foam pillow
36. Sweet friendships with my girlfriends
37. The problems that we have encountered this year, because they have brought us back to a greater dependence on God
38. How God has used some difficult circumstances in my marriage to bring my husband and I closer together
39. Christmas, my favorite time of the year, and all the sights, sounds, and smells that it brings
40. The smell and feel of a fresh, crisp morning which revitalizes my spirit

What will be on your gratitude list today?

A Thanksgiving Lesson From Peppermint Patti

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I love all the old Charlie Brown cartoons. Despite the fact that they are obviously outdated and painfully inferior to the animated graphics of today, there are always moral lessons to be learned.

In the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving cartoon, we are reminded to make sure that we approach Thanksgiving with our hearts, and not just with our words. Peppermint Patti, Charlie Browns tom-boyish friend and wanna-be girlfriend, shows us what TO DO, and what NOT TO DO, during this special holiday.

You see, Peppermint Patti, upon sitting down at their Thanksgiving meal, brought up the subject of prayer, or saying grace, before they began eating. Her reason for praying was because "its thanksgiving, you know." In other words, "we are supposed to be thankful on Thanksgiving, so let's say a prayer of thanks." She had head knowledge of thankfulness, but not heart knowledge.

Here is a little clip of Peppermint Patti initiating the prayer, and the incredible prayer of Linus that followed:

(email subscribers can click here to watch this video)

This is an example of what TO DO: Pray and give thanks for everything.

Saying 'grace' before we eat is something we should all do, not only at Thanksgiving, but every meal of every day of every year. Yet often we neglect to do so because we are busy and pressed for time; we simply forget; or we just fail to see its importance.

In fact, even at Thanksgiving - the primary day of the year for giving thanks to God in prayer - we can easily dive into the holiday and all the yummy food, and forget to give thanks to the One who provided all that we enjoy. Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks from the heart, for food, but also for everything that God has provided.

Although Peppermint Patti gets a gold star for iniating the call to prayer, her actions that followed left a lot to be desired. Take a look at this quick clip, proving that Patti's heart was not in tune with her words:

(email subscribers can click here to watch this video)

This is an example of what NOT TO DO: Pray because you think it is expected, but then forget to actually be thankful.

Based on Patti's actions, it appears that although her mind thought that praying was the "right" thing to do, her heart did not embrace true thankfulness, which resulted in her not acting the "right" way towards others.

You see, when her expectations of the holiday did not match up with her reality, Patti got upset. She got irritated. She began to verbally express her dissatisfaction. She was annoyed at the guest (Snoopy) at her table. She was agitated that the food did not meet her traditional requirements. She complained and yelled.

She quickly forgot all about the prayer of thankfulness as she focused on her surroundings and her perceived shortcomings in their celebration. Her mind was distracted from prayer and thanksgiving, whem she became focused on people and circumstances.

Unfortunately this scene is all too familiar in households across the country. We want Thanksgiving to look like glamorized holiday commercials, but our reality may not match up to our expectation.

It is rare that families sit down at the Thanksgiving dinner table.....with perfect white tablecloths, exquisite China and matching lacy napkins.....glistening, brown turkeys that are perfectly cooked.... twelve elegant side dishes... and a buffet of desserts that look like Paula Deen stopped by.

Rarely do families get through Thanksgiving dinner.....with children who exhibit pristine manners.... with babies who do not cry and hold off on bowel movements... with siblings who dont argue... with spouses who dont quarrel.... with drinks that are not spilled....with extended family who actually agree on which ballgame to watch or when to cut the pumpkin pie... with perfection in every way.

When emotions are high and expectations are unmet, we can immediately morph into a Peppermint Patti if we are not careful - a person who gives thanks with their mouths, but not with their hearts and actions.

I want to leave you with two challenges as you wake up on Thanksgiving morning this year:

(1) Commit to prayer. Not just before you eat, but all day long, thanking God for all the things that you are blessed with, big and small. Take nothing for granted and pray from the heart.

(2) Commit to carry that mindset of prayer thoughout the day as your foundation for unshakable gratitude. When the day does not go exactly as desired, focus on exhibiting a heart of love, in all situations -- even if popcorn is the main side dish. Smiles.

Thanksgiving is not a holiday, but a holy attitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful For Undeserved Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has rolled around again. Next week, millions of people will focus on being thankful for their blessings, because of the designated day that prompts us all to exhibit gratitude.

But is one day really enough? Did God orchestrate a day of Thanksgiving through the picnic of the Pilgrims long ago, so that we would remember to be thankful for at least one day?

I think not. Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate God's goodness, but it should not be the only day we intentionally do so.

True gratitude is a lifestyle, not a holiday.

Recently as I was making out my grocery list and preparing for our family gatherings next week, I felt God nudge my spirit, and had this overwhelming desire to stop what I was doing, and simply say thank you.

I laid down my pen, and took a moment to chat with God, thanking Him for all the people and blessings in my life that were far too many to count. Yet, as I made my mental gratitude list, a question began to plague my thoughts.

Why has God blessed me so? What have I done to deserve His goodness? What did I ever do to warrant any mercy or grace from God? Not that I don't have problems in my life or issues to resolve, but overall, I am truly blessed...... why?

As I pondered these questions, I was reminded of how undeserving I really am. My thoughts began to wander to all the not-so-pretty parts of 'me' and my life overall.

I am not always a patient mom. I am not always a loving wife. I am not always the best daughter, sister, friend, or neighbor. I have sins in my past, and my present, as I fail daily in big and little ways, falling so short of the glory of God. Sometimes bitterness, resentment, discontentment, and jealousy reside in my heart. I do not always make God a priority as I run through my busy days.

I became acutely aware that I definitely deserved nothing from God. And that thought compelled me to pour out love and gratitude for my Lord even more.

This moment with God was prompted by something I had done a few weeks earlier. I had entered "Thanksgiving" as a recurring daily appointment into the calendar on my cell phone, so that each day, the calendar reminder would pop up on my screen as a visual reminder.

I didn't need a reminder about when Thanksgiving was going to occur, but about what Thanksgiving was to be about.

You see, in that recurring calendar reminder, I had not only typed in the word "Thanksgiving", but also included the verse Hebrews 12:28a.

Hebrews 12:28 says this from The Message Bible, "Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God."

The New Living Translation says it this way: "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe."

Sometimes in the busyness of life, I lose sight of what I am supposed to be seeing. I forget what I have and what God has really given me, when I become distracted by problems, worry or negative feelings.

I tend to focus on being thankful for the tangible blessings I enjoy, but inadvertently forget to be thankful for all the intangible blessings that God has offered, like peace, hope, grace, mercy, forgiveness and eternal life.

All of which are much undeserved.

We have a kingdom and a God that cannot be shaken, no matter how much our life seems to be shaken up. We have a God whose blessings pour out every day, even when we fall short of His glory in more than ways than one.

If you ask me, those are certainly reasons to be thankful all year long.

Recently I read a blog post about a man who keeps a small rock in his pocket every where he goes. Each time he puts his hands in his pocket and feels the rock, he is reminded to thank God for at least one thing.

What do you do, or what can you begin doing, to help you remember to be thankful for undeserved blessings?

Sitting in God's Waiting Room

noreply@blogger.com (Tracie Miles) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been forced to wait a long time in a doctor's office, maybe even an hour or more past your appointment time? I have endured this torture many times, and I'll be honest I am not a good "waiter".

As I sit in the waiting room with all the other patients, tapping my foot on the floor, and watching the clock tick away the seconds on the wall, I become increasingly agitated.

Then after reading every outdated magazine available on the tables, my thoughts begin to focus more and more on the fact that I am, in essence, being held there against my will. The more time that passes, the more my impatience begins to fester, and eventually my mind begins to wander to an ugly place.

I wonder if the doctor is overbooked and simply has more patients than he can actually handle.

I wonder why the doctor is not being considerate of my time at all. I guess he thinks his time is more precious than mine.

I wonder why other patients, who came in after me, are being seen before me. Why are they more important than I am? Life is so unfair. Hmmppphh.

In fact, I begin to wonder if the doctor is even in the office?! Maybe he is not really there, and the nurses are just implementing stall tactics to keep the patients from leaving. Wow. How dare they do that.

Eventually I start to wonder if maybe I should just go home and try to fix the problem myself with over-the-counter medications, or just wait out the issue, hoping it will get better on its own.

I'm sure I am not the only one whose mind 'wonders' in the midst of an impatient tirade. But the funny thing is, that this same line of thinking is what many of us do when we are waiting on God.

When we don't see God intervening to fix our problems or answer our prayers in a timely manner, we begin to wonder if He is just too busy.

We wonder if He is 'overbooked', with too many people with bigger, more important problems.

We begin to wonder if maybe He cares about other people more than us, because it appears He is answering their prayers before ours, and that doesn't seem fair.

We begin to wonder if God is even in, because if He were, wouldn't we have seen a glimpse of Him by now?

We may even begin to wonder if we should try to handle or fix the problems on our own.

Unfortunately this game of idle spiritual waiting can lead to a lot of wondering. Wondering that can lead us away from God, as we focus on our expectations of timeliness, instead of His implementation of perfect timing.

Whether in the doctor's waiting room, or Gods waiting room, waiting is simply not something any of us want, or like, to do. In fact, our minds are not even programmed to wait on anything anymore, due to living in this land of immediate gratification.

We expect fast food to be fast, and when it isn't, we get irritated at the people who work there. We expect the ATM to instantly spit out money, to eliminate waiting in line inside. We pop food in the microwave and stand there staring at it until it's done. We use the self-checkout at the grocery store, so we don't have to wait on someone else to do it.

We have instant access to information through the Internet, and feel like eternity is passing as we watch the hourglass blink and 'think'.

We have instant messaging, emails, Skype and facebook so that we can enjoy instant communication and feedback. We send a text message to someone, and if they haven't responded in one minute or less, we assume they did not receive it and send it again.

Living in this age of instant gratification makes waiting on anything hard to do - especially waiting on God. As we pace around in God's waiting room, waiting on Him to call our name, we can easily become frustrated with His perceived inactivity and silence, and His seemingly unhurried pace.

Maybe you find yourself in Gods waiting room today. Maybe it is a new place for you, or maybe it is a room you have spent a lot of time in, just waiting. Waiting to see the One who has the authority and the power to fix your problems, grant your wishes, answer your prayers, heal your hurts, ease your heartaches, fill you with peace and make your dreams come true.

And that waiting - is hard - yet, during the wait, we can choose whether our minds wander to a happy place, or an ugly place.

We can choose to wonder about Gods will and His timing, or we can choose to wonder whether or not His will and His timing matters.

We can choose to wonder about how we can stand strong in our faith, or we can choose to wonder if faith is all its cracked up to be.

We can choose to wonder about which verses in God's Word may apply to our situation, or we can choose to wonder if Gods Word is really applicable anymore.

We can choose to wonder about how God is going to act, or we can choose to wonder about whether or not He will act at all.

Waiting is not a matter of time, it is a matter of faith and trust.

It is an opportunity for us to lay everything at the foot of the cross, and trust God, or to turn our backs on Him and walk away, assuming that since we do not see Him working, He is not really there.

These periods of waiting are often exactly what our Doctor, the real Great Physician, ordered.
Waiting is at the core of the Christian life, as we expectantly wait to see how He will carry out His will in our lives. It can be an opportunity to build our faith, trust and hope in Him, as we obey His commandment to wait on His timing, and His will for our lives.

Waiting requires trusting that God knows, even when we are feeling impatient.

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. (NKJV)

Are you in Gods waiting room today?

If so, let your mind wander.....about the hope that can be found through Him; the trust that you can place in Him because He holds the answers to all things; the peace that surpasses understanding; the excitement that you will feel once you can see how God has been sitting right beside you in the waiting room all along; and most importantly, to the perfect timing of His answer when it does finally come.