The perfect Christmas Heels

       I am in search of the perfect pair of heels for the holiday. I really want a silver pair that I found on Amazon. I am going to be wearing a navy blue dress and I thought silver would be perfect for a winter wonderland themed party we are having.
     However, it is very difficult to buy shoes online when you have not tried them on and have no clue if they will fit. I mean who wants to go through the hassle of return shipping anyway? So I will keep looking for the perfect pair until they magically appear.
     This got me to thinking that we search high and low for everything we need and want (I do not need a pair for silver pumps) but we do not take the time to search for something (someone) that does not take much effort to find. I am talking about the LORD.
     He is in every book of the Bible, in 1191 chapters (interesting tidbit of info; if you take 1191 and read it upside down, it is 1611. really cool how GOD put the same number of chapters in His word as the year that our first English translation would appear on the scene) and on every page. It really does not take much to find GOD, if you are searching. I am thankful that I can find GOD in the same spot every day when I read my Bible. I can find GOD in the same spot every Sunday no matter what pew I happen to sit in. HE is everywhere and His word says that I will find Him if I seek Him with all my heart.
     Am I seeking GOD as much or as hard as I am seeking after those perfect silver pumps? Wow, that is humbling. I better make sure that I am not seeking anything or anyone above Him because His word also tells us to seek Him while he may be found. There will come a day when all of man's finding of GOD ends. I am glad that I have already found Him and that I can not ever lose Him.
     What are you seeking this holiday season? I hope that it is in the LORD.

Christmas Shoes

      I am so excited about the Christmas season. I really did not expect to be happy about it but I am getting into the spirit of Christmas. If you know me at all, you know that I love, love, love Christmas movies. I have been watching them for about a few weeks now. I love any Christmas movie, whether it be sappy romance or Christmas magic. I really adore all of the Hallmark Christmas movies and the ABC Family 25 days of Christmas movies (especially since most are on Netflix.) We just went last weekend to see the new Kirk Cameron movie Saving Christmas. While it is a low budget film, it does not have a low budget meaning.
      I have grown up in a Christian home and have been in church since my mom recovered from my birth, but I have never heard anyone explain why we have certain traditions at Christmas time the way Kirk Cameron does in the film. I do not want to spoil things for you, but I will tell you that it is worth the money you will pay to see it. I am going to give credit where it is due, and that is GOD, but I believe that He used this film to speak to my heart about what my focus should be this season.
      You see, I was looking at this Christmas through selfish eyes. I kept dwelling on not being a mom this Christmas, and this being yet another year in my married life that I do not have a baby to buy gifts for. However, that is not what Christmas means and the focus was never intended to be on us. Christmas is a reflection on what Christ did through His birth, life, death and resurrection. No where in the Bible to we read that we are to reflect on the things that we do not have, only on the things we do. I am to be thankful for His blessings, which He graciously bestows each and every day, and not worry about the ones that He does not. In other words, I am to be content.
      I have been in to Pinterest a lot lately, and I read something that blew my mind. I read a sign that said "If we wake up tomorrow with only the things we have said "thank you" to GOD for, what would we wake up and still have?" That blew my mind reading that, because I get so "busy" with my life that I forget to thank or even acknowledge God. I know that He has been teaching me to be thankful. I definitely take the everyday blessings for granted.
      LORD, help me to be content this season and to be thankful for the blessings that you give, also the gifts of others (even the gifts I do not want)

Running Shoes

             A few weeks ago I heard a sermon on Hebrews 12:1, which says "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."  I have known this verse for years, it even made it's way into my high school graduation speech. However, the way I heard this pastor use it had never crossed my mind. I will try to relay the same message he did while adding some things that GOD showed me through this verse.
            Here the writer is talking about running race ( like you really needed that clarification) and I do not know about you, but I have not run a race since Field Day in elementary school. I have always admired runners, but with allergies and being borderline asthmatic, I never have been. I imagine that it takes some intense dedication. Well, as most runners know, and those who follow the "couch to 5k" program, the more weight that you are carrying on your person, the harder it is to run well. I would agree with that, because the higher the number on my scale, the harder my workouts become. So the writer is saying "to lay aside " the weight that gets in the way of our running. We have this baggage if you will that keeps us from running to our fullest potential. We are are not as effective or productive as we are when we "lay aside" the weight.
            The next part of the verse is "and the sin which doth easily beset us" which gives us no specific sin to point out. It is my opinion that it is not any particular sin, but it is a certain sin that is personal to each individual. For example, I may struggle with lying whereas you may be an honest person. Let's make this verse more personal shall we? "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside the lying which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." I know that I am a sinner, but I do not feel that I struggle with lying, however we could replace lying with any sin that you could think of. The point is, GOD is telling us that if we do not "lay aside" our sin or struggle, then we can not be as effective as HE wants us to be. HE has so much more in store for us, but our sin is getting in the way. We all sin every day, but that is not what HE is referring to. HE wants us to "lay aside" our struggles and our strong holds so we can finish strong and even finish 1st place.
             I do not know about you, but this verse has some powerful truth that I need to catch. GOD wants to use me and He wants to use you. Will we "lay aside" the sin and be used of GOD? I know I want to be used of HIM and I want to bring honor and glory to HIS name. Lord, help me to run my race without the baggage that I so often hang on to. I want to cast it down at your feet, run well, and finish strong.