Christmas Stocking Surprise

By Carin LeRoy –

“Come see what you have in your stocking!” My brother awakened me early one Christmas morning. Groggily sitting up in bed, I kicked off the covers and stood. “You’re going to love it,” he said as we tip-toed down the stairs to where they hung. I snuck a peek. This was my favorite part of Christmas as a child. This year was even better as I saw mine bursting with something special. Whispering on the stairs, we waited impatiently for our parents to awake.

Overflowing from my stocking, I saw doll furniture carefully crafted by my father for my Barbie dolls – a table with chairs, a bed with a cloth canopy, and a little wooden sofa. My father had spent time designing, cutting, and putting together my doll furniture to give me a special surprise for Christmas. All the small cuts and tiny detail took effort and time as he patiently crafted something he knew I would enjoy. I loved it and played with it for many years. Although my father has gone to Heaven, I still have that gift.

Christmas is a special time as we select gifts for others. We desire to please others with our gift-giving, yet before long most gifts will get worn out, used, outgrown or discarded. Let’s ponder for a moment some gifts that are lavished upon us by our heavenly Father.

• His son, Jesus. Without His birth, life, death and resurrection, we would not have the forgiveness of sins nor the hope of eternal life in heaven.
• Family. Placing people in families displays the wisdom and brilliance of the Father. From birth to death, we have a connection with others—somewhere to belong and be cared for and loved.
• His Presence. God’s love and presence with us is constant, faithful and unchanging. He walks beside us through all parts of life to give comfort, wisdom and direction.
• Nature. What is more soothing than a walk on the beach, more majestic than a mountain view or more exquisite than a delicate flower? As we enjoy the beauty of our surroundings, realize this is a gift for our enjoyment.
• His Word. God has sent a manual to lead us – the Bible. Passed down through the centuries, His word lives forever to give us hope, truth, comfort, rebuke and guidance.

This list cannot do justice to all that God has given, but today let’s remember these and think about others that He has bestowed on us. What are His gifts for you? Let’s praise Him today for all the wonderful things He lavishes on us.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for all the gifts You bestow on me. Help me to recognize Your hand in my life and keep me mindful to thank and praise You.

“He who did not spare His own son, but gave him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things,” (Romans 8: 32 NIV).

Let’s Bow and Worship

By Carin LeRoy –

During the Christmas season I do the traditional decorating, trimming the tree, baking all sorts of goodies, shop for gifts and spend too much. I also display a manger scene. When my husband and I were first married his aunt gave us a tiny manger with Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. Years later, I purchased a larger ceramic set which included three wise men, shepherd, barn animals and camels. I place that set out in a prominent place for others to see. I love to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas and want my family to remember, too. It’s easy to get distracted by the stress and commercialism of the month and lose sight of what we’re celebrating.

Since most mangers include wise men worshipping Jesus, we assume that they arrived at the time of Jesus’ birth. However there is evidence in scripture that they did not arrive until much later when Jesus was an older infant or toddler. Matthew 2:11 refers to them coming to a house and seeing a child. They traveled from a foreign country to find him—possibly hundreds of miles—so the journey was hard.

When I consider the long and difficult trip the wise men took to see Jesus and their determination to find him, I believe it was at great personal cost and sacrifice. Months of wandering through desert, storms, crossing rivers and unfamiliar territory, they possibly had enemies and wild animals trying to attack them. I’m sure they were exhausted. Yet they carried on until they “saw the child with his mother Mary.”

What did they do once they found Him? They bowed down and worshipped Him. They gave him gifts of great cost—gold, frankincense and myrrh. When we truly seek Jesus, we will find Him. He is waiting for us to discover who He is so we can have an intimate loving relationship with Him. The Magi discovered that day the real person of Christ, the son of the living God. When they returned to their country, they left Him and went home another way—signifying a changed life. They were never the same. It was worth the long arduous journey.

Let’s press ahead in our walk with Jesus and seek to know Him better. Let’s let the Holy Spirit create a deeper longing in our life for Him. Are we willing to sacrifice as the Magi did so that we might catch a glimpse of just how wondrous Jesus really is? As we celebrate this season, let’s remember to take time to bow and worship Him for who He is—Savior and King.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for sending Your son, Jesus, to earth. Give me a heart that seeks You and desires to worship You. Thank You that You alone are Savior and King.

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh,” (Matthew 2: 10, 11 NIV).

Was That Dumb Or What?

By Carin LeRoy –

Recently my husband and I were traveling to meet up in the same location for a conference. I was coming from our home in Florida, and he was coming in from the Midwest. En route, while on a layover my husband called and said, “Well, I missed my flight. I had the time of departure wrong and didn’t leave enough time for the bus ride to the airport.”

“Boy, my husband needs me around to take care of the details for him. How could he miss his flight,” I thought—although I refrained from saying too much to him on the phone. As I sat in the Philadelphia airport for my 4 hour lay-over at Gate 30 sipping coffee and reading a book, people start lining up to board. Walking over to stand in line, I notice the screen says “Phoenix.”

What? I’m not going to Phoenix. I’m going to Rochester!

I realize in a panic that I’m in the wrong terminal. With a bus ride in between, I start heading to Terminal F pulling my luggage and racing through the airport. I had less than 30 minutes before the plane departed. Praying as I ran, I threw my shoes off, grabbed them and ran barefoot down the halls.

Lady sprinting barefoot in a panic through airport = she’s in danger of missing her flight.

Out of breath, I arrive at the gate exhausted and hand the agent my boarding pass.

“Ma’am, the flight just departed.”

I realized too late there was a BIG difference between C30 and F30. While I chided my husband in missing the details of his flight, I had done worse. I had more than enough time to figure out where I was supposed to be, but was blinded by my own stupidity and lack of attention to detail. Texting him my dilemma he wrote back, “Wow, that was dumber than me!”

How many times do we have a self-righteous attitude? We judge others for their actions and think we have it right when we are blind to our own mistakes. That’s why God reminds us in Matthew to take the beam out of our eye before we try to take the speck out of our brother’s. God knows our human nature will scrutinize the faults of others, but neglect to see our own. Let’s remember to let encouragement trump judgment. Maybe there are times for constructive criticism, but scripture is clear that grace and mercy are far better.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to check my own actions before I find fault with others. Keep me mindful that a self-righteous attitude does not honor you, but showing others grace and mercy does.

“Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7: 3-4 NET).

The Blame Game

By Carin LeRoy –

I like to play the blame game in my marriage. My husband tells me I always find a way to fault him for something.

“Are you coming? We’re going to be late,” he’ll say.

“I’m coming, but since you didn’t show me how to work the alarm clock, I got up late” (not that I should have read the directions).

“When can you sew the button on my pants?”

“I can’t find the button, where did you put it?” (even though he gave it to me when he asked me to sew it).

After over 30 years of marriage it’s now become a joke between us. I can always find a way to blame him for something—as ridiculous as it may be. With a roll of his eyes he’ll say, “Well I knew it had to be my fault.”

Well, if I’m full of blame, then he’s full of excuses. He can find an excuse for anything.

“Is there a reason you threw the paper and wrappings all over the garage floor instead of just putting it in the garbage right here,” I’ll ask.

“The lawn mower was in front of the trash can. (Really? Why not push the mower over?)

“How come you didn’t ask if I wanted a little rice pudding, too?”

“Well, you looked pretty content.” (But why not ask?)

I think our little traits go way back to the Garden of Eden when we read God’s questions to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

“Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat?”

Excuse from the man: “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (Where was your responsibility in putting your own mouth around that fruit?)

Then the Lord said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

Fault-finding from the woman: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Excuse me, but didn’t you pick the fruit and disobey what God said?)
It’s an age-old problem – laying blame and giving excuses. It started the day man and woman chose to sin. We see how mankind has been affected by those beginning days in the garden. In part, my husband and I joke about it in our marriage. But in serious situations, assigning blame or making excuses can have grave consequences. Learning to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand by admitting our mistakes and wrong behavior will bring healing and peace in our relationships. God will be pleased, too.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to take responsibility for my actions. Excusing my sin or blaming others is not pleasing to You. Give me humility and help me to recognize and admit my mistakes in order to create harmony and peace in my relationships.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV).

Be a Stand-out Believer

Carin LeRoy –

While in a college, I had a friend that caused a stir every time she would sneeze. Rather than let loose like the rest of us with a big hearty “Ah-Choo,” she’d suppress hers so that it stopped before it made it past her lips. All you’d hear was a squeaky sound cut short in the back of her throat. We’d all stop and take notice when my friend would sneeze. I worried she was going to burst some blood vessel in her head, but she assured us everything was fine.

Sometimes people just stand out. Have you ever been in the room with someone with a recognizable laugh? You’d know the laugh anywhere and with your eyes closed. How about the guy driving the new sports car? I’ve seen the males in my family stop and take a second look as they drive by. We’ve all run into people that grab our attention.

As Christians, we should be someone who people notice, too. But rather than being drawn to our unusual sneeze, recognizable laugh or new sports car, they should be drawn to our actions and spirit. If we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, people should see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5). Instead of reacting with impatience, we respond with politeness. Rather than rudeness, we show kindness. Love, gentleness and faith in God are evident as we interact with others.

Who stood out in the crowd more than Noah? In Genesis 6, God describes the people during Noah’s day as “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” Wickedness ruled the earth. “But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.” Noah stood out to God as a blameless and righteous contemporary of his day. I’m sure others noticed he didn’t live the life they did.

How does God see us? What is noticeable to others when they encounter us? Let’s be that person that is “different” in a good way. Our actions and attitude cause other to be drawn to the Christ-like spirit that our lives display. Not only will we stand out in a crowd, but we will gain God’s favor.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be the person that lives a consistent and exemplary life before others. Help my attitude and actions to reflect who You are, and help my life to be an example to those who do not know You.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 14-16 NIV).

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