The Little Purple Bike

Last week at church Pastor Paul taught about The Word Made Flesh.  He was teaching us that love is an action word, that we cannot just say we love Jesus we have to show that we love Jesus in the things we do; Jesus loved people and we need to love people as well!  During his sermon (you can watch it here if you would like: https://www.victory.com/watch/word-made-flesh) he used the story of the Good Samaritan to explain what really loving people looks like.  You know the story of Good Samaritan right?  If not here it is in Luke 10:25-37 (The Message Bible):

25Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"

26He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"

27He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."

28"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."

29Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"

30-32Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. 

33-35"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.' 

36"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" 

37"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

 Pastor Paul shared a story about a young girl at the Tulsa Dream Center who was walking away from the toy giveaway with her mother.  Her mother was telling her the reason that they didn't have a bike for her was because she was too dark skinned and that is why they didn't give her a bike.  (My heart just broke, I immediately started to cry hearing the cruel words spoken to this innocent girl).  Pastor Paul said he had to intervene.  He walked up to the mom and the little girl and said, "Excuse me ma'am but your daughter is beautiful, her skin is just the right color and God loves her and you very much."  Turning to the little girl Pastor Paul told her, "In fact we do have a bike just for you."  Her excitement can only be imagined!  "YOU DO!", she said to Pastor Paul.  "Yes we do, that one right over there" and he pointed to a little purple bike.  "THE PURPLE ONE?", the little girl asked.  "Yes the purple one" replied Pastor Paul.  "PURPLE IS MY FAVORITE COLOR!" she exclaimed.  Right then, in that single, simple, beautiful moment I believe Pastor Paul was used by God to touch and change that little girl's life and hopefully her mother's life as well.

My heart has been touched by his message and this story all week.  In the hustle and bustle of life I find myself looking past people instead of looking at them to see if there is a need I can meet for them.  Pastor Paul said something I have heard before but it has resonated in my heart since he said it, "Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone."  So often we are kept from doing something because we feel we will have to do the same thing for everyone.  We don't bless one because the thought of having to bless everyone is so overwhelming.  But we miss out on the opportunity to be a blessing to one very important person and they miss the opportunity to be blessed by you or by me.  How sad to think of the missed opportunities we have all had to help, to stop and pray, to assist, to comfort, to simply make someone feel noticed.  So I am on alert for the one; the one person I can bless today, the one person I can love, the one person I can be a neighbor to, the one person I can love as I love myself.  Whether it is a little purple bike, holding the door open for someone, paying off their layaway (have you been hearing about those stories..so awesome!), or sharing a gift with someone, a meal, a prayer, my time, or encouragement; whatever it is I don't want to miss the opportunity to bless someone like the girl who got her little purple bike and the affirmation that God loves her just the way she is and so do other people!

Merry Christmas my friends!  And remember...Love God & Love People...that is what life is all about!

What Christmas Means to Me

This weekend in church as we sang Christmas carols and worshipped our Lord, I began to reflect on what Christmas really means to me.  I LOVE this time of year, I love the lights, the tree, the stockings, the gifts, the smell of scotch tape, the food, the fellowship, the merriment, the bell ringers at stores, the excitement of my kids, I love it all.  But most of all I love the fact that we are celebrating Jesus. 

"Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!"  As we sang this at church my eyes filled with tears which spilled down my cheeks.  What a privilege, what an honor, how exciting to be able to celebrate and adore the Lord of lords!  To think about all the responsibility placed on that little baby all those years ago in Bethlehem is astounding.  To think about Mary and Joseph not really grasping fully what they were apart of but knowing it was special nonetheless.  To think that when He entered the world that day, the entire world changed, our world changed.  To know that even as a baby, a toddler, a sweet boy, a teenager, a young man, a man fulfilling His purpose, He was thinking about you and thinking about me; about our lives, our redemption, our healing, our forgiveness, our purpose, our eternity.  We never escaped His vision, He was and still is ever fixed on us.

I feel sometimes I am like Mary and Joseph; I know I am a part of something spectacular, I know it has changed my life, given me purpose, healed me in all areas, given me peace, provided me joy, made me who I am but I still am unable to fully grasp all He is really capable of doing in my life.  Perhaps we are all like that; we know He is awesome, we know He is loving beyond compare, we know He is beginning and ending of all things but then when think of our own lives, our finite minds cannot truly grasp the sheer magnitude of His goodness applied to our everyday situations.  But it is; He is an intimate, relationship driven, personable Lord.  He wants our fellowship and to sit on the throne of our hearts.  Is there room for Him there?   Or have we filled our hearts up with other occupants, crowding Him out to the outer stables of our hearts?  Is He around our lives but not really IN our lives. 

Everyday we are given the chance, the opportunity to allow Him entrance into our lives.  In Revelations 3:20 it says, "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends."  It is our choice to have Him a part of our lives or not, He is knocking...we just have to let Him in.  This is Christmas to me, letting Him in!  Answering the door to Him, sitting down with Him and having a meal together, talking together over good food, laughing at funny stories, spending time together.  Doesn't that sound like a beautiful Christmas celebration to you?  It does to me; it sounds like what we all want our Christmas' to be like and Jesus is wanting that Christmas experience with us each and every day.  As we wrap presents, catch flights, drive to grandparent's houses, cook turkeys, bake hams, and put together toys, let's remember to always open the door of our hearts to the gentle knocking of Him who we are celebrating to begin with. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday...I'm 36 years old today and I am so grateful for this wonderful life I have.  I don't believe I'm alone in having opportunities to work through frustrations and little petty annoyances but even those little things add up to make a beautiful life.

I just got back to work after having lunch with my dad, my step-mom, my mom, my husband, and my brother.  It was wonderful.  We celebrated together my birthday and told stories and laughed all together.  What a fun mix of people.  Tonight I am throwing myself a birthday party.  A ladies only event with some of favorite girls.  We are going to eat, play games, and fellowship together as we celebrate my special day.  I am super excited!!

Birthdays are a big deal.  We don't  have to make it a super lavish affair but I think birthdays should always be celebrated.  It is a time to be grateful for the life we have lived so far and to eagerly expect good things for the life left to live.  I never worry about growing older, I am thankful for each season as it comes and I relish experiencing all God is doing in my life right where I am at.  The incredible thing about serving God is that it never gets old.  It never gets stagnant if you put the effort, attention, and time into it that a relationship with the Creator of the universe deserves:)! 

So I relish the season I am in.  I try to learn what I need to learn in this season so I am prepared for the learning that is going to take place in the next one.  I try not to take for granted the blessing of right now while planning for future ahead of me.  I strive to listen to my kids, to make an eternal impact with them everyday in all their various situations.  I focus to learn from my husband, to prefer him above myself, to do my part to create the type of relationship He would be pleased with.  I work to be a blessing at my job, to answer the phone cheerfully, to keep my attitude right in tough situations, or just hectic ones, to facilitate peace, to bring joy, and to love the people God brings to my window everyday.  I cherish my family relationships they are critically important to me and I protect them vehemently.  I never want to be at strife with my family and although we seldom have issues, when they do come up I work hard to forgive quickly so that nothing comes between those relationships.  I love my friends, I have a small circle of friends outside my family and I truly love them and am grateful for them.  We all seem to accept each other where we are at and I find encouragement in their support of my growth as a person.

Thank you Lord for 36 years, thank you for every triumph, for every victory, for every healing, for every close call you protected me in, for every silent petition being heard and answered, for loving me, for saving me, for making my mess ups a message, for giving me blessings I don't deserve accept through you anyway.  Thank you for shaping me and making me more like who you want me to be everyday I let you do work in my life.  Thirty-six is going to be a great year, my best year yet, I thank God for it and for all the people He allows me to share it with, I am grateful.