The Homemaker's Christmas Creed

 

Just a semi-humorous, but mostly serious series of things I've been thinking about lately. :)

Though I sing all the Christmas carols with the sweetest voice at church, and do not choose to speak gently and with charity to my children and husband, I am become as an off-key piano, or a harsh, grating trumpet blast.

And though I give the perfect gifts, and choose the most fancy stocking stuffers for everyone on my list, and wrap everything with gorgeous bows and paper, and give not the gift of charity, I am nothing.

And though I cook the best holiday foods, invite all the people over, attend all the gatherings dressed to the nines, and have the most Pinterest-worthy decor and cozy aesthetic all throughout my house, and have not the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity chooses to be still when a relative says something insensitive at Christmas dinner. Wipes the child's nose for the umpteenth time without complaint. Charity doesn't look at the gift someone else received with envy and discontent. Nor at her own gifts with pride and entitlement.

Charity does not speak loud and brashly at the Christmas party, giving others no chance to get a word in edgewise. Does not focus on her own desires and refuse to notice when her family needs to take a step back and rest. Does not explode in anger when the child causes her to run late for choir practice. Gives her husband loving grace and the benefit of the doubt if he speaks shortly.

Rejoices not in the selfish consumerist mindset so common in our world, but rejoices in the simple joys and blessings God has poured out upon her.

Bears all the inconveniences and heartaches that can sometimes mingle with the joy of the holiday season. Believes the best about her loved ones, instead of assuming evil motives. Hopes in the soon coming of her Saviour, and rejoices in His precious birth. Endures with patience the thousands of questions from her children, "Is it Christmas yet??". 

Charity never faileth. But whether there be lovely decorations, they shall be messed up by little ones. Whether there be delicious baked goodies, they shall be burnt accidentally. Whether there be fun plans, they shall be unexpectedly interrupted. 

For nothing is ever "perfect" in our fallen world...but with God's peace, joy, and charity in our hearts from His Spirit within us, we can make this holiday season special in many simple, beautiful ways. We can shower Christ's love on those around us, and remind them of the Babe that came to Bethlehem, to save His people from their sins. Emmanuel. Love Incarnate. Charity personified. The reason we celebrate this beautiful season, despite imperfect circumstances. He is worthy of all the worship and praise.

Mykaela

Merry Christmas!

I am alive and remain, you guys! ;)

I wanted my next post to be about my trip, which was amazing, but as of yet I have not had time to write that one. It will inevitably be a very long one, just so you know. :)

For now, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas! What an incredible gift our God gave us in sending His perfect Son to be born in human flesh! I am so deeply grateful for the love He has shown me throughout this year. I can't believe 2017 is almost over?! Wow. The picture at the top of this post was taken this past week, and I really love the way it turned out. For those of you that are interested, here are the names and ages of us all. ;) 
Back row:
Miriam (Papa is holding her)--nearly 3.
My dad, Michael
Malachi--15
Micah--18
Me--21
Front:
My mom, Kami
Mercy--13
Kourage--11
Kayson--9
Kebron--7

The last three boys go by their middle names. ;)

This Christmas and New Year's season, let's not forget to take the time to meditate on the things God has done. I know things can get busy, and houses need to be cleaned, and guests are coming...but don't let that crowd out the beauty of just being still. I think one of the best things you can do this time of year is to get alone for at least a few moments, and just breathe, pray, and meditate on God's Word. I don't know about you, but my personal devotions tend to slip when there is a lot going on in my life. How wrong of me! If anything, my time with The Lord should INcrease, not DEcrease! 

When Christ was born in that tiny stable many years ago, and the shepherds came to witness the advent of their Messiah, the Bible says that Mary "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19). May each of us take the time to ponder and be grateful for the precious gifts God has given us!

May you have a blessed holiday season and a happy New Year! Love,
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Merry Christmas!!

Matthew 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Here I am again, apologizing for a late post. ;) This time I had a really good excuse though...I spent Christmas Eve in the hospital. :/ Not so fun. Don't worry, it's nothing too serious, and I am on the upward road, but let's just say yesterday was a bit of a long day. :) Praise The Lord I was able to make it to church this morning, which was such a blessing and an answer to prayer!!

I just want to take this Sunday Snippet to think about the incredible truth of what happened as God became man. Over 2000 years ago, The God of the universe became a man, and came to this planet that He created. Just think about that for a minute. 

Wow.

It never ceases to blow me away how God chooses to work out His plans. If you had asked any good Jew around the time of Christ what they thought the Messiah would be, I'm sure they would have answered something along these lines: "Oh, the Messiah will be a great King! He will come with ceremony, majesty, and power. He will sweep down on our enemies, and quickly destroy them off the face of the earth. Immediately after that He will set up His kingdom and reign over us!" 

Well...was that how it happened? Not exactly. While Messiah was a great and powerful King, He didn't appear from the clouds and rush down on the earth with the sound of a trumpet. That's going to be how His second coming is! No, God chose a humble young woman, most likely younger than I am now, who was submitted to His will. Mary was not sinless, and neither was Joseph. They were both simply seeking to serve God with their lives. When Jesus was born in the Bethlehem stable, there was no pomp and circumstance. 

And whom did God choose to alert first to the coming of His Son? Some of the poorest class of society. A group of shepherds. Farm hands. Don't you think that when the Shepherds left the stable from worshipping at Christ's feet, and went to blaze abroad their story, that they probably raised some eyebrows?? I should certainly think so! My mom put it like this: These people had a choice to make. Many of them probably turned up their noses at the message that the Shepherds brought, saying, "IF the Messiah actually did come, you would most definitely not be the first to know!" It must have been difficult for those men, trying to spread the wonderful, amazing news that they had heard and seen, and having people ignore or disbelieve them! (Hmm, sounds familiar.)

Lastly, I love the way God's Word tells us so many different prophecies that were fulfilled through this one night in history. The Messiah will be born in the city of David. Check. He will be conceived in a virgin's womb. Check. He will save His people from their sins! Praise God, that one was fulfilled too!! 

This evening, as we close out the beautiful and holy day of celebration, let's not let our hearts let go of the beauty of what Christ did for us. We should celebrate the love God showed us that night, all year round!! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with memories, fun, and most of all, praise to God. I am so thankful for each of you! Merry Christmas,
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: 5 Ways You Can be a Godly Giver

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Sorry about the late post this week...the last few days have been a bit crazy with work, etc. :)

I can't believe that Christmas is less than a week away!! I'm always a bit sad when the Christmas season draws to a close; it's my favorite time of year. (As if I haven't already said that. ;)

In this season of giving, so many have a really wrong idea of what it truly means to give in a Godly way. We as Christians need to have our focus on the right things, at Christmas time just as any other time! So what does this mean in practice? Here are five characteristics of a Godly giver. (Note: this verse is usually applied to the aspect of giving to the church in tithes and offerings. However, today I'm going to broaden the application out to include giving in general. :)

• Godly givers purpose in their heart beforehand what they can give. They do not go into debt in order to give extravagant gifts that are beyond their current means. They also put thought into what they do get. Whether they make homemade gifts, or buy them, they consider what they are doing and think about what the recipient of the gift would like or need.

• Godly givers do not give grudgingly. Someone with a Christlike attitude is not going to be saying, "Ugh, I guess. Here. You owe me." They give without expectation or demands for a return gift.

• Going hand in hand with the last one, Godly givers do not give of necessity. They don't only give to someone when that person has done something nice for them, or to "pay off a debt". They give because they truly want to be a blessing to another person!

• Godly givers are cheerful in their sharing. They understand that there is a very specific blessing reserved for those who give in the right way. They give with a joyful heart, knowing that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

• Godly givers do not just give at Christmas or other holidays, nor do they give only to those who are nice to them. They give unselfishly, no matter the person or the circumstances.

Think for a moment about the greatest gift of all time, given by the Father to the world. God did not give His only Son with a sour attitude, but with a love that we can never fathom. Jesus did not give His life grudgingly or of necessity. He owed us nothing. Less than nothing. In fact, we all deserve to perish anyway. And yet He still gave His all in order to rescue us. With such an example before us, how can we not give in the same way? 

This Christmas, I want to challenge you to strive to be a Godly giver. The THINGS you are giving do not matter! If all you can give is a smile, or a hug, or a listening ear...do it with a cheerful heart. God loves and blesses those who give as He did.

I have a four day weekend for Christmas, so I am really excited about that! I look forward to spending time with my family. I hope all of you have a blessed week! What are some of your favorite things about Christmas? <3

Mykaela