The Gift of Contentment

As Christmas quickly approaches, stress levels tend to rise.   You spend your time trying to find the perfect gifts for people who have everything they need.  You wait in long lines and attend one function after another in the spirit of Christmas.  But what exactly was the spirit of Christmas on the first Christmas?  I can't help but picture the scene.  Mary is very pregnant and probably very uncomfortable after making a long journey on the back of a donkey.  When I was very pregnant with my youngest son, I visited an exotic animal park with my family.  My five year old son desperately wanted to ride a camel, but needed someone to ride it with him.  My husband didn't meet the weight requirements, and my parents were too old.  Guess who was left?  I have a picture of Trenton grinning from ear to ear on the camel with me bouncing behind him.  Yes, camels bounce.  It was not the most comfortable moment of my pregnancy, but it did make for an awesome picture.  Mary had been on a donkey for a very long time.  She was desperate to get off her feet, and probably started feeling some mild labor pain.  By the time, they realized a room was not going to happen, she probably had a good indication that the baby was on the way.  We see stories on social media all the time about babies being born in odd places- the bathroom of a store, the back of a taxi, or a tree.  You heard me right.  A woman in Africa was escaping flood waters and climbed a tree, only to give birth a short time later.  None of these women dreamed of delivering their babies in unusual places.  It just happened.  I'm sure that Mary had no plans of giving birth in a stable, but she did.  As she labored, did she complain about the lack of amenities?  Maybe.  Did she grumble over the poor quality of the swaddling clothes or manger?  It doesn't say.  But the Bible does mention that after the shepherds had their encounter with the angel in the fields and heard the heavenly hosts singing, they found Jesus where the angel said He would be.  They began telling everyone what they had seen and heard.  They mentioned that the angel told them that a Savior was come, and they sang that peace had come to earth.  (Luke 2).  In verse 19, it mentions that Mary treasured all these things they said and pondered them.  Having a baby is painful.  I've had four, so I have some experience.  But after the birth is over, you forget about the environment, the pain, and the circumstances because you are caught up in the wonder of life being born.  Imagine hearing that the life you brought forth will save the world.  So did Mary complain?  No.  She thought about the amazing work God was going to do through her son in order to bring peace.  She experienced the contentment and peace that comes with a relationship with Jesus.  I desire that kind of contentment and peace.  Whether I clean toilets or entertain thousands I can experience contentment and peace knowing that I am doing what God wants.  So the most sought after gift this Christmas is not something you can buy, but instead something you simply receive.  The true spirit of Christmas is contentment, love, and peace.


 Have a great week high-heeled warriors!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Is Love? Loving When It's Hard.

Image
  I want to start by saying this has been one of the most straining weeks my husband and I have experienced in a while. As many know, my husband's father nearly passed away this week. He has been sick for a few weeks. My husband had a feeling, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that he needed to get his dad to the hospital on Sunday evening. His dad had a doctor's appointment for Tuesday, but he felt like it needed to be right away. He was admitted into the hospital, and by Wednesday, his dad had sepsis. The doctors gave his dad eight hours to live. We watched his pulse and blood pressure plummet and waited for the inevitable. Meanwhile, we prayed that God would move. A miracle occurred, and he began to improve. He has been taken off the ventilator and is breathing on his own with a steady blood pressure. During all of this, my husband and I celebrated our 27th anniversary. Neither of us had hardly any sleep the first 24 hours. My husband only had 3 hours of sleep for 72 hours, so ...
Read more

Update: My Daughter's Latest EEG Six Years This Week After Brain Surgery

Image
  A couple of weeks ago, I went with my daughter to her yearly neurologist appointment. They have slowly been lowering her seizure medication. It's easy to worry after all that we've been through, but as we visited the bathroom in the waiting room, we had a little reminder to trust God. There on the paper towel dispenser was a little Jesus. It reminded us He's always with us, even in hard times. The neurologist wanted to do a new EEG. The last one was a couple of years ago and was inconclusive. We scheduled the new EEG for last week. After prayer and remembering Jesus is with us, we went. She received the results the next day. No seizure or abnormal activity! Every year that passes is good news. We are so thankful that God is faithful, and Jesus is always with us! Have a great week high-heeled warriors!
Read more

Ready to Die?

Image
  We celebrated the home coming of one of the longest-attending members of our church. I've been to funerals that were extremely sad, and I've found that I'm an empathetic cryer. I attended a funeral with a friend. I didn't know the deceased, but as we walked by the casket at the end of the funeral, I messy cried. As I heard and saw the family crying, I couldn't help it. I've been asked to sing in a lot of funerals. This empathetic crying has made it difficult to sing. A few years ago, I mentioned to a couple of friends about my messy crying and worried about losing my composure during the song. The husband had shoulder surgery the day before and was on some really strong pain killers. As I sat behind the piano and looked out at the crowd, he smiled extremely big in his painkiller-induced state and gave me a very visible thumbs up sign. At that point, I struggled not to laugh. Crying was forgotten. I say all of this because this weekend, I was preparing for cry...
Read more