Are you ever disappointed?  This season of Covid has caused a lot of disappointments for many of us: holidays that we have missed with family, get togethers with friends, going to concerts, traveling, eating out, having to watch church on live stream.  The lack of connectedness can be very sad and disappointing.

I was just pondering what disappointments Christmas eve brought for Mary.  She was not in her own home with family around to celebrate the birth of her first baby.  She was in a smelly stable/cave with no heat or comfortable bed.  She couldn’t have Joseph call the midwives that all of her family used.  She must have felt very isolated and alone in a strange town.  I doubt that this is what she had planned for the birth of her baby.  It must have been very disappointing to her.

But then – God showed up in an amazing way.  Shepherds appeared at the door with a most incredible story of how a host of angels showed up to announce the birth of her son in and amazing display of glory!  I think it must have comforted her heart to know that God was very there in the midst of her disappointment.

God has a way of doing that. Sometimes when we least expect it, He brings us a little encouragement:  a note or phone call from a friend, just the right song on the radio, a thought that God drops into our hearts that lifts our spirits, or a verse in the Bible.

Here’s an example.  Jer. 17:7-8  “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

This may be a season of “drought” for you and disappointments can be overwhelming, but they are not bigger than our God.  We can always turn to Him and know that we will be blessed when we trust in Him. Dry seasons cause our roots to grow deep, and that is growth that God is accomplishing in times of disappointment. Are you looking to Him for strength and comfort, or are you looking to your circumstances to satisfy you?  Watch to see how God will show up.

Have a Blessed Christmas as you trust in Jesus, whose birth we celebrate!

I’m reflecting today on the wonder of fall colors.  I was pondering the idea that all of the trees that change colors, all start out green at the beginning of August.  But as autumn begins to creep in, a miraculous thing occurs, the colors of the leaves begin to change – gradually at first, with a little yellow here and a little orange there.

But in a short while, the trees are ablaze with an amazing range of colors from sun-drenched yellows to bright oranges, crimson reds, deep burgundy wine colors, and warm browns.  How can all of this come from just green?

I’m sure some scientists could explain some of the chemistry, but they could never explain the amazing design behind it – how God created the tree so that it responds to the changes in daylight hours and temperature, and each tree is equip with it’s own DNA to produce it’s very distinctive brilliant colors.  And each knows when it’s time to drop those leaves and go into a season of rest.

So many magnificent intricate things have to take place in order for God to present us with the majesty of His amazing display of glorious colors.  Aren’t you grateful today that God didn’t leave us in a black and white world?  He has blessed us with a little taste of what heaven will be like.  Thank you, Father!

I woke up this morning and looked out my second-story window down on my flower garden.  The bright yellow primroses that border the edge just pop like little splashes of sunshine. And there are yellow daffodils bobbing their heads along with the pink tulips. The cute. little, pink English daisies are springing up and there are patches of purple grape hyacinths here and there adding lots of color.  It brightens my soul!  I love to garden, if you can’t tell.

Sufficient Grace
You are probably familiar with this verse:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV.  But what does it mean that His grace is sufficient?  Does it always feel sufficient to you?  Many times it doesn’t to me.

But God’s word is true regardless of how I feel.  So the question is, am I going to accept what is being provided for me or not?

Thirst Quencher
 It’s like a man hiking in the desert on a hot day.  He has been provided all the water that he needs for the journey, but he is dehydrated and desperately thirsty.  The provision is there, but he has to open the bottle and drink.

It’s the same way with us.  God’s grace is waiting there in the bottle, waiting for us to take a drink, but we may not open the bottle and access what is ours for the taking.  So, you may ask, but how do I do that?

Faith for Grace
Everything in the Kingdom of God is appropriated by faith.  You must first recognize and believe that God has grace for you.  Then, by faith, you must believe Him and reach out and accept it.  “Father, you have promised me grace for today and I am going to accept that it is mine and let You prove yourself faithful.”

His grace comes to us in many ways, but if we are not opening the bottle, we may be missing the drink.  Like this morning when I looked out on my flower garden, the joy it brought my heart and the lift it gave my spirit was a grace gift from God.  A nice way to start the day.  Thank you, Papa!

Appropriating God’s grace is, first of all, a decision of our will.  We decide that we are going to receive what God has promised, because, by faith, we believe He tells the truth.

Now I can begin to look for and expect His grace in my day.  But what are some ways that I might see it manifest?  It’s probably not going to be in the form of all of your problems suddenly disappearing.

Grace is not a cure-all to wipe all of the problems in your life away, so that you experience nothing but delightful peace and joy.  God gives us trials to train and grow us.  But He gives us a special provision to endure through them – it’s called grace.

Grace might look like a reassuring smile from your spouse or a warm hug,  a word of encouragement that you hear on the radio or a song that lifts your spirit, a text from your friend saying that they are thinking of you or praying for you, a few minutes outside enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, the perfect thought for today in your devotional reading, a cool breeze on a warm day, seeing your children or grandchildren playing and laughing, or a good nap.

There are hundreds of ways every day that God can deliver the grace that we need to make it thru whatever is going on in our lives.  Learn to look for them.  His grace is sufficient.

How have you found God’s grace this week.  Feel free to share a comment.