Christmas Day 2008

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about those times my parents told me that each year goes by faster than the one before- this year has been the quickest year seemingly of my life. But even more than that I can barely remember the last 5 or so years period, mainly because I hid myself in a hole for many of them due to painful situations off and on. For a really long time I simply survived, that was my mentality, to get through another day and I didn't even realize how incredibly lacking that kind of life was. It took God's Word and intentional friends to show me that I should be enjoying my life. More than that- I should be immensely enjoying Jesus Christ! The life of the believer is not simply some "stick to it" and "deal with it" situational life, but a life of joy and unbridled passion for my Creator and Sustainer who gives and who takes away and who heals what is broken and holds me when all around me is breaking and who disciplines me because He loves me and tears down and rebuilds according to His will and for His glory! My hope and my joy and my satisfaction can only be found in Him and I will never be who I am meant to be unless I am obedient to Him! There is no greater gift for me to dwell on today than that of my precious Lord whose death was not even about me, but was about God being glorified and His will being done and drawing a people to Himself, people who didn't deserve anything but seperation from Him, but in His great and wonderful mercy He demonstrated His love for me that while I was still full of every kind of evil towards Him He gave His life! How can I not praise Him? How can I complain? Why should I be complacent?