Nancy Taylor Tate
Some time ago, having had much solitude, I was anticipating a time of fellowship. Instead, I found myself again in solitude. Initially disappointed, my expectation had to adjust. How I had longed for such times in the past! Now here I was with it right in my lap. I remember telling a friend that once my expectation changed, I was able to fully enjoy the moment. And I did!
How our thoughts can color a situation. And how important that we learn to govern these thoughts! Scripture tells us we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What interferes with that? It’s not cutting the grass, cooking dinner or driving to work… It’s our thought life! How much time could we redeem, if only our thoughts were repositioned?
Maintaining a thankful attitude is also a vital repositioning of thought. That we learn to see the glass half full, not half empty. I could say the same about being joyful. What a difference our thinking can make!
Christmas is a time of celebration, as we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ and His first coming. Jesus! Not just “the” Savior of the world, but “our” Lord and Savior!
Whether surrounded by family and friends or in a quiet place, it is as we turn our thoughts toward Him that true joy and contentment is released into our hearts. In the natural, expectations may or may not be met of how we “think” we would like things to be. Yet as we reset our thoughts on Him, there is joy beyond circumstances to be found right in our own hearts.
There are times and seasons we will all face in one way or another. In the midst, there are points of identification with the Lord that we can recognize and experience, as we keep our eyes on Him.
You may relate to Jesus being born in a manger, a lowly place. He spoke of a prophet having honor, except in his own country and house (Matthew 13:57). A passage that has always stood out to me is John 7:53-8:1: Every man went to his own home or the comforts of family, while Jesus being alone, went to the Mount of Olives or a solitary place to pray. Another picture is when Jesus went into the garden to pray. Knowing the hour, He wanted His friends to pray with Him, but they kept falling asleep! (Matthew 26:38-45)
Yet Jesus never had a wounded spirit, because He stayed in constant communion with His heavenly Father. He faced each situation in the light of God’s love and His will for His life. His face was set as a flint, as He said and did only those things that pleased His Father, as He pressed toward the goal set before Him.
We will never face anything that Jesus did not face and fully overcome. May we learn to face life with the same poise of spirit He did. His enabling grace and power always will be sufficient in every season of our lives.
As we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ, may we be mindful of His life, as we follow in His footsteps. May we not just die daily, but resurrect daily! Perhaps enduring at times even as He did, yet always mindful of His victory, as that same joy He experienced floods our own hearts and blesses and encourages others.
My prayer is that the Lord bless YOU today and always! May He fill your heart with His love, happiness, joy and peace.