Real Life is Better Than Fiction

As the Christmas season approaches I am going to be featuring Christmas songs as the Song of the Week. There are so many songs I could choose from and not enough space to share them all. I hope you enjoy the ones I do share through December. The first thing I want to encourage everyone to do is to make sure that your life doesn’t get so busy that you can’t enjoy the reason we are celebrating. Don’t get so busy that you don’t spend time with your family. Slow down and reflect. One of the things that I really enjoy doing during the holidays is just sitting in the living room with the Christmas tree, all the lights turned off except for the tree lights, and just soak it all in. I pray for those that come to mind and worship quietly, thankful for my Salvation that was born on Christmas Day. Try it for yourself.

I’ve mentioned before that certain songs bring certain people to mind. This is one of them. I heard my friend Sherry sing this years ago, and when I hear it now, I never fail to see her face. Sherry is just one of the many friends I appreciate. She is the epitome of those beautiful hands and feet as she is a missionary. I am blessed to have so many friends who follow the example of Christ and work to serve, whether here at home or abroad. The service of some is a little more visible than others, but those behind the scenes, the prayer warriors, are no less important. This song is in honor of all of those friends. I would name them all, but there’s not enough room. As you listen to the song this week, close your eyes and think of those God has put in your life that have served you in some way or another. Then think of Christ who is the ultimate example of service, the One who gave up His life for yours. How beautiful!

In general, today’s attitude of worship seems to be more about us and putting on a show than focusing on God. When my daughter was young, she once went to church with some friends. When she came home she was gushing about it. “They have so much to offer people. It’s such an entertaining church!” Now she was young enough that she didn’t realize what she was saying. Her statement has continued to make me think over the years since then. When I go worship, I want it to be all about God. I want the rest of the world and all the worries it contains, to fade into the background. I want to focus on God and all that He has done for me. What about you?

There are two lines in this week's song that speak to me, well, there's more than two, but two especially The first is "I fall flat on my face." I fall flat on my face often, daily even. Every time I'm trying to do something good, it seems that I fail. Perhaps that's because I put what I want done over what God wants done. I need God's grace every single day. The second line is "Hallelujah!" That one word says it all when it comes to how I fee about the grace that God grants me every day. How about you? Do you feel as if you need an extra dose of God's grace today? Don't worry, it's there for you as well as for me. Listen and join in on the "Hallelujah" parts. God's grace is sufficient for us all.

Our finite minds cannot understand the ways of God all the time, or at any time for that matter. We may not feel as if He listens to our pleas or cares what we are going through. When we pray for answers we may not get the answer we wanted. But God's ways are higher than our ways. Most importantly, He is able to work all things together for good. As you listen to this song, close your eyes and lay your requests before God and KNOW that He is able to do all things.

It seems as if there is a lot of confusion on who people think they are. And I'm not talking about people who are confused about their sexuality.Young people on their way to college don't know what they want to do or who they want to be when they grow up. There are plenty of older people who don't know what they want to be when they grow up, either. Many people feel unworthy because of life experiences and choices, and let's face it...we are all unworthy of Christ's love. The good news is that God knows exactly who we are, and He loves us in spite of all our faults. If you need to know who you are today, go to God, accept His grace and you will know that you are His child.

Here’s a newsflash: I’m flawed. Well, it may not be that much of a newsflash even if you met me only one time before. The truth is we are all flawed. Every day I have struggles. Every day I need grace. Thankfully, God’s grace never runs out. It never runs out for me, and it will never run out for you, either. God’s grace amazes me!