Ah! Christmas is in the air everywhere!! Walking through the living area of our home…. I’m overwhelmed by all of the sweet smells and sounds in the air… I immediately feel the warmth from the woodstove as the crackling, burning logs eminate heat, then the smell of the Christmas tree in all of it’s piney-ness, the smell of fudge being made… I know that technically doesn’t have a smell per se, but to a well trained nose one can find it from a good distance away. :) Then… there’s a sweet sound in the midst of this… the sound of my brother playing his guitar and singing worship songs… just inviting God’s sweet Presence into our home… *sigh* it’s just so sweet. This peacefulness doesn’t come terribly often; while there is always a God-given peace in our midst, there’s not often this kind of relaxedness.
Oh how I wish you all could be up here for at least a short time so you could feel this! But… I pray for you all- whoever it is who reads my posts. I know that not all of you have the opportunity of being in a soft environment like this at Christmas, or maybe even not at all! Those of you who are doing the work of God in foreign places, or in busy cities… or those of you who are trapped in a home with all sorts of fighting or abuse… or pain of all kinds… my heart goes out to you. I pray for you… and know.. that God is just a moment away from you. He is there at this moment with you- and yet, if you do not realize it, you cannot feel His abiding Presence and source of strength! But… if you call out to Him right now, if you ask Him to come and be with you- He will. No matter what your circumstance is at this very moment, no matter how sad you feel, or depressed, or distressed, or overwhelmed, please, please know! He will bring to you comfort. He will take you into the shelter of the Most High. He will bring a calm and a peace that is unexplainable except that it’s simply Him.
I say this because… we have been through so much. In fact, there aren’t to many things you could say that we haven’t been through. God has brought us through severe trials all of my life and they haven’t gotten easier! Yet, somehow, He has given us more peace than I’ve ever felt before! I want to offer you hope because I just know that whatever you’re going through, He can overcome the difficulty and give you strength and peace in the midst of it. It’s not the fireplace, or the baking or any of these things that bring peace… We’re in a precarious position (in the world) at all times, and at any moment we can receive terrible news and something that could shatter our worlds. And this has happened many times. Yet God is in the midst of it all and has brought us to the most secure position we could possibly be in- that of holding onto nothing in the world for our peace and comfort, and holding onto Jesus’ hand with both of ours.
So, my dear friend, I want you to know, that even though you may be in a totally different environment from where I am… and what I described, you can experience the same peace. Trust me, for I have not always been in this place. I’ve felt the same thing in the middle of New York City and that proves that God can bring peace anywhere! :) And those on their own trying to bring the gospel to all different places- be encouraged in the Lord! He will indeed bring you your reward in His due time and your sacrifices do not go unnoticed! He will bless everything you give up to Him.
God bless you! I love you and I know more than anything, that God loves you too; more than you could ever know. May He wrap you in His arms this Christmas. :)
Merry Christmas!
Your sister in Christ, Miriam
