Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I pray each of you embrace the wonder of Christmas this year. Regardless of how dysfunctional your family may be.  How overwhelming your circumstances may seem. How challenging the New Year is shaping up to be. Please remember this:

When you couldn't get to God, God came for you!

"Watch for this - a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us")." ~Matthew 1:23

As far as God is concerned, you're worth it! Ponder that this Christmas. Chew on that this Christmas. And if you can find the courage, embrace that this Christmas.  Jesus came for you.

Over this holiday, I plan to be resting. In His love. In His grace. In His peace. In His passion for you and for me. I hope you can take some time to do the same.

God's richest blessings upon you this Christmas. Our God is truly with us. See you next year.

 

RIP Sreeja Smith

So I just found out that a dear friend of mine had passed away on Oct. 4, 2011.  I met Sreeja Smith at the treatment center.  I had been at Decision Point for awhile and was having a rough time.  Sreeja had a bubbly personality who would either piss you off or penetrate your heart. You were such a brilliant, kind spirited individual who loved to share poetry, impromptu scenes, quotes, etc. She loved to laugh and make those around her laugh as well. Her illuminating smile brightened every room she walked into. She accepted everyone around her, loving them as herself. The spontaneous script/rap song you did in trauma will be forever etched in my mind.  I will miss you a lot.

"You’re in the arms of the angel

May you find some comfort here."

Born: January 23, 1984

Place of Birth: India

Death: October 4, 2011

Place of Death: St. Louis, Missouri

He Holds You

He Holds You

God never leaves you alone…

He never forgets about you…

He looks out for you and takes care of you.

You are more important than the birds

He feeds and provides for.

Trusting Him means to rest in Him

as your shield, your covering, your provider,

your defender and your friend.

It means freedom from worry, anxiety and fear.

It means peace to your mind and joy to your soul.

Come to Him; He is waiting…

Lean on Him; He is strong…

Talk to Him; He is listening…

Depend on Him; He will never let you down.

He holds you within the hollow of His hands

to keep you close…to keep you safe…

to deliver you from all your fears.

I'm a child of the King

Being a child of God is a big deal; some would say it's central to the Christian faith. Theologian J.I. Packer in his book Knowing God goes so far as to say, "Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption."

To understand our place in God's family is to understand our true identity, and it sets the tone for how we live our lives. All of the faithless striving, scheming and fretting we do is not merely irritating or unfortunate; it's a denial of our Father. It's sin, quite frankly.

There's a wonderful old hymn titled "A Child of the King." Some of the lyrics read:

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I've been adopted, my name's written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

I'm a child of the King,

A child of the King:

With Jesus my Savior,

I'm a child of the King. (Buell/Sumner, 1877)

Finding Life

I just finished reading I Married Adventure by Luci Swindoll. There is a excerpt/paragraph that reminds me of how I used to live, she writes, "The soul in each of us is imprisoned until it is set free by Jesus Christ. We all have shells around us, protecting us from being eaten alive by the pain of life. And when those shells break, we believe we are at grave risk of being hurt, depressed, or even dying on the spot. To prevent this pain & loss, we guard ourselves by retreating deeper and deeper into our shells; being available to what is pleasant, predictable, and safe." 
This is me or may I say this was me. I often thought of myself as a turtle who came out only to eat and to enjoy the 'safe' people around me. And when I feared trouble was in the air, which was quite often, I would retreat back into the safety of my shell.  I played a game of cat and mouse. I didn't come out very often for I was afraid of how people would treat me. I wore several different masks on the outside and hid the real me on the inside.  I wanted people to like me, but I thought I had to earn their love and respect. 
Luci goes on to say, "I have been willing to be vulnerable to the truth about myself, to admit selfishness, and behavior problems. Problems that I have created with other people; but destructive to my own soul. I have been penetrating and tearing the walls down and lifting/raising the roofs off my feelings. I must stay connected to my body, spirit, and soul; but yet stay out of the way; all the while paying complete attention to the present and NOT the past.  Living fully in the present must start deep within as we allow the self-protective shell to break open so the liberating Grace of God can flow in to heal and renew and establish genuine meaning in our lives."
I have had to relearn just about everything I had been taught when it came to dealing with people. I first had to relearn what it meant to "trust."  It took the longest to learn, but when it finally hit me, all the other pieces fell away. I am grateful for those people who took time out of their lives to help me find mine. Thank you.