Winter Thoughts

Good Eventide to you all! I hope you are all keeping warm. It is snowing and frightfully cold here. I have taken Sir dog out and am now settled in with a nice cuppa. The choice for today is a mix of Pumpkin Spice and Ginger...with a little splash of something to warm me bones. There is nothing quite like tea in a pretty cup, I say! I believe I will try and make this a habit. After all, it is 4:30pm... which translates into tea time. Unfortunately I do not have any scones or biscuits to have with my tea. Perhaps tomorrow. 

We are 10 days away from Christmas. For most it is a festive time. All the wonderful decorations, visits with friends and family, and much more. But then, there are others, who are alone this time of year. It can be a terrible time. For them, it is looking at what they don't have, be it family or even a warm place to live. For others, it means painful memories of a time long passed. And still others, who fight addictions and mental illness. This time of year can be a real trigger. Add to that the cold weather, the snow, days of shorter sunshine and much more gloom. Holiday time has one of the highest rates of suicide and violence. 

I am the afore mentioned.. one who suffers from depression. Holidays have never been a favorite of mine. In a previous life, it meant stress and arguments and loneliness. In this life it means going without...without money, without friends and without family. The mister and I will not be participating in Christmas this year. 

However, for those of faith, particularly that of the Christian one, it is a time of joyous anticipation! The long journey of Joseph and Mary back to the village of Bethlehem as they await the birth of what will be our Savior. But, so many people seem to look past that. It's not about the gifts, the decorations, the parties.... it's about an anticipation of the future. My all time favorite story has always been Linus' soliloquy of the story of the "true" meaning of Christmas......

As you go about your shopping, your celebrating, your decorating, keep in mind those who are without. Perhaps say a little prayer. Or make a special ornament for your tree. Donate or volunteer your time at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Throw your pennies in the kettle for the Salvation Army. Light a candle at church. Whatever it is you choose to do, remember how blessed you are for all the things you have. And remember the reason WHY we celebrate Christmas.....

Some links for donation sites:

**for some reason they don't show up as active. However, if you copy and paste, you will be taken right to the site.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/christmas-assistance

http://soldiersangels.org

http://toysfortots.org/default.aspx

http://www.coats-for-kids.org

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 3 "Why Easter Matters"

Here is our reading for Tuesday, 4/15/14.

1 Corinthians 15:55-58 O death, where then your victory? Where then your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge. How we thank God for all of this! It is He who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord! 
 
So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection.

S: 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 
How we thank God for all of this! It is He who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection.

O: I work for a very difficult person. She talks down to me, she thinks she is perfect and everything I do is wrong. This is quite disheartening to me because it just adds more stress to my life. My boss, a physician, is not a Christian. She serves a different god... money. To her it's all about the money. A frequent response to things is "And who's going to pay me for this?" 

I remember recently a patient had called for a refill of her medication. Doctors' response was "Well that would imply I made a mistake and I don't make mistakes." Umm hmm... she doesn't make mistakes. I suppose in her world perfection exists. Personally, I don't know anyone who is perfect. God didn't design us to be perfect. 

It often makes my job very difficult and stressful. There are days I really hate going to work. It makes life so much harder when your job is full of stress. And it's hard to remember that we work and toil for Jesus' glory. But Jesus puts us in difficult situations for a reason. And as my pastors' wife reminded me, when doctor become irritated and impossible to be around, I need to pray for her. I also need to pray for peace. I saw something recently that made me chuckle. It said "Lord grant me peace, because if you give me strength I'm going to need bail money!" Exactly. Peace. Inner peace that can only come from Jesus Christ Himself.  

We are to do our work as if we were working for Jesus. His resurrection brought great joy to all! If there were no resurrection, we would have no hope. It would not assure us of anything. If Christ was killed and that was the end of things, how different things would be! Be joyous in all you do. Do it for the glory of our Lord!

A: I need to remind myself when my work day becomes more than I can handle, take a deep breath. Pray. And remember that my work should glorify Christ, not mankind. 

P: Lord Jesus, help us to stay centered on You. Remind us that whatever we do, we should do it all for Your glory. When people become difficult remind us that we need to stop and focus on You and Your peace. We need to pray for those who annoy, irritate and harass us. We need to remember to treat others as we wish to be treated. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.