Day 37: There is a Gift for You.

Yesterday afternoon I decided I needed to go buy myself a little treat. I had been wanting a new candle to bring a fresh, new scent to our home, so I headed to my candle mecca, otherwise known as Pier One. As I approached the glass doors from the sidewalk, I began to notice a beautiful twinkle shining like a beacon and calling me in to the sparkly wonderland. Upon entering the store, the door let out a "bing" as it closed behind me, as if to make everyone shopping aware that there was a new victim entering the glittered crime scene. The Ghost of Christmas Decor had stopped in to this store, and apparently, she had lost her lunch all over the place. It was mesmerizingly beautiful, and then, in the next instant, sickening and depressing.

THERE IS A GIFT FOR YOU.

The topic of my Divorce Care meeting tonight was, "Surviving the Holidays." I realized during my shopping nightmare yesterday that I have been completely avoiding the fact that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. I know they will be hard, and I know that there is no activity or attitude that will keep me from being lonely. This fact makes me wish I could crawl up into my bed, with Ben and Jerry as my company, then burrow into my plush new bedding and hibernate until Spring. Once again, I am thankful that I have two small children to take care of who would find that behavior completely unacceptable. So, I will get down the tree, eat the turkey, decorate the cookies and hang the stockings. I will soak up all the love I can from my amazing family and friends as they come from far and near to celebrate together, and I will try to find a way to do a little celebrating myself.

On the video we watched at the meeting tonight, they hit one point about Christmas that gives me reason to hope. The idea was, essentially, that Christmas is a holiday for sufferers. Our suffering, this fallen world, and our deep need for rescue were the reasons that Jesus came to earth. This present sadness could only be overcome by the baby in that manger, and He has, and will again, overcome the world. This is my chance to take Him at His word. This is my time to believe in miracles. Not the ones that slide down our chimneys in red, furry suits, but the One that became like us, and hung on a cross with red, bloody wounds and made a way for me to move forward and make something good of this all-too-often wasted life. What a gift!

"This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it--the LORD is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3
--This God has the big-picture view, and He's willing to share some of His secrets with anyone who calls out to Him with a genuine heart. What a gift, indeed.

Lord, I pray that you will humble _______________, and show him/her that when he/she calls on You, You have to power to answer him/her and tell him/her great and unsearchable things that he/she doesn't know in his/her present condition. (Jer. 33:3)