“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Well we have made it folks. After the most uncertain and at times heartbreaking year, We have made it to the almost end of 2020.
We made it through the ups and downs, the smiles and frowns, the good, the bad, and most certainly the ugly that this year showed us.
We are about to embark on Christmas day while social distancing but not distancing ourselves from God. Amen!
I, for one am so excited to not only see family and friends(via Google Meets) while eating yummy treats, celebrating all that the holiday brings(God is a miracle worker) and having some serious downtime with the most important people in my life.
Believe it or not, this time we have been in, was a wake up call to appreciate the true meaning of what living is supposed to be about….loving one another.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Can you think back to last Christmas, do you see a change in yourself, your environment, or your outlook?
Any change for the better is worth celebrating. And I for one am proud of the growth I have witnessed in myself and my loved ones. Despite COVID, God has truly shown favor upon His children this year.
It is the most wonderful time of the year.
I remember as a kid, being so full of anticipation for this time of year. Growing up in New York was always a magical time during Christmas because the city really came alive back then.
All the houses were decorated with those huge Christmas lights, that burned up everything because they were so hot. Can I get a witness?
The holiday parties at school that involved so much junk food, I always had a tummy ache by the end of the day. Good times right?
My grandfather always cut down the Christmas tree, and the house would always have that beautiful evergreen smell that filled every nook and cranny of the house.
Even as a child I knew that this time a year was busy. But, as I got older, I found that people were not enjoying the “Christmas busy” like I was.
Many were hateful around this time of year and the funny thing is, instead of getting upset with them, the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” would pop in my head.
So, I would just sing it to them. You could imagine the looks I would get. Heh Heh…
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and steadfast. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,” Hebrews 6:19
During this COVID Christmas, I ask that you have hope. And before you think it…Yes, the death toll is rising. Yes many of us are facing employment insecurity. Yes, things are not the way we envisioned for this year.
But if we look back at Mary and Joseph, they also faced uncertain and tragic times. They were traveling to an unfamiliar land to face an unbelievable destiny. How many of us can see how our lives today can parallel the hardships that were faced before?
Christmas is what YOU make it.
You can get wrapped up in the woulda, shoulda, coulda’s, or you can stand and fight another day.
Just think, how you felt as a kid, not knowing all that your parents were going through to make the day special, and all the stress behind it.
All you knew then, was that on Christmas morning, something magical happened.
What was unseen suddenly became seen. Hmm..sounds like Faith to me…..
And the great thing about Christ, is that even though we have unseen faith in Him, His blessings are seen by us.
Jesus is Christmas all by himself. And He comes every day of the year. This time of year, allows us to gather all that knowledge we gained throughout the year to celebrate making it to its end.
Our hope will always carry us into the next year.
Lastly, I wish you all not just a happy Christmas but a truly loving yourself Holiday.
I wish you to love your families, love your friends, love your homes, love your God-purposed jobs and most importantly love who you are.
Just take the time to really appreciate all the blessings that God has given you, big and small.
Just being alive is a gift, and that gift was given to us with a price.
Christ loved us enough to celebrate with us, so we must do the same by celebrating Him.
Have a Merry Christmas and a miracle filled new year. May God continue to bless you all.
Just like my first post of this year and now the last for 2020…You know you got this!
Sincerely,
Terryn
MODERN FAITHERELLA 