December 24, 2011

Joy, joy, and joy - what a great season and reason to be filled with JOY this day.  We remember and celebrate the birth of OUR savior.  We recognize various days on our calendar when celebrations occur and "we remember."   I love all the parties, all the fun activities, and the feeling of JOY at remembering.  I always try to stop and really focus, even for a brief few minutes, on WHY I celebrate holidays throughout the year.   But this holiday - prompts special remembering and special JOY.   Regardless of our circumstances this day, we are chosen.   Regardless of our perspective on the "worldly" side of Christmas, the fact is that the greatest gift to mankind was offered to each one of us - that is a reason for celebration.   

We have talked a lot about choices this year (in our morning blogs) and I so believe that our attitude during this holiday is a choice.   We often see our size, our shape, our income, our undisciplined life, our failures, our "inadequate" lives and determine "everyone else is better off than me," or "my life will never be any better than this."  We allow what we determine as our failures in life to influence our attitude.  Stop, please.  I lived in that world for many years, and it is such a LIE.  Every Christmas Eve was filled with misery as I tried to find as many layers of clothes as possible to HIDE the fact that I had consumed a year's worth of calories in four weeks and blamed it on genetics.   YUCK!     Not this Christmas Eve.   :)     Seasons in our lives come and go - times change, some years are better than others - but in the grand scheme of life, we have so much to rejoice over.  My weight and the way I "saw" myself controlled my outlook.  Double YUCK!  

My spiritual son in Africa, sent pictures of a family that he and a friend helped this Christmas.   It was FAR from the extravagance that we sometimes use as our measuring rod of "it's a "good" Christmas."   These people were excessively poor, poorly clothed, mud floors, and yet smiling ear to eat as Justus took photos of fruit, a pair of used shoes, and a few other small items given to this family.  I looked and looked at that picture last night and "remembered," I am SOOOO blessed.  This family had JOY that I don't see on the faces of many this Christmas. In my opinion there are fewer lights, not many saying "Merry Christmas," and a solemn cloak over this year.  Those feelings have been in my heart for weeks, but seeing the pics last night confirmed that JOY and happiness are really different emotions.  One is a choice and one is not.  :)

If I never loose another pound, never change another size, never buy another article of clothing - touching lives in a sacrificial way is the real JOY.  It's not about me.   I got my gift (Jesus), have made my choice to serve him, take care of the Holy Spirit's house (my body) and now I turn my attention to bringing the gift of JOY to as many as I can.  It's not about MY understanding, MY feelings, or MY desires - the greatest JOY for me is knowing God is using me to be a blessing to someone else.   That brings me JOY.

So, Merry Christmas sweet fam - I am PROUD of you, I look forward to exploring new things with you this year, and encourage you - let your attitude and countenance say JOY to those around you.  Bring Jesus into every situation and allow HIS STAR (Numbers 24:17) to remind you that he shatters yokes, destroys the lies and excuses we choose to believe, and came to set us free.  (Galatians 5:1)

Eat your veggies and fruits and say "JOY" 100 x today - unspeakable, uncontainable JOY.   Thanks for helping me through Christmas!   Whew!   PK

PS - no blog until this coming Friday, 12/30.   Kisses   (headed to Nashville - Opry Land Hotel - here we come)