In the Christmas rush, the giving might seem like burden. All the things to do, buying and wrapping presents, dealing with crowds of others all trying to do the same thing.
Children who are too tired to cooperate, they are your “little blessings”, but there are times they try your patience.
Relatives you love, but the irritating things you now remember about them come to the fore.
There are many ways the blessings that you are so grateful for, when you have time to think about it, have transformed into a source of obligation and responsibility. And Christmas, that most blessed time, becomes a time of stress.
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Key Thought: Turn your stress into something that will bless. Think about what you are grateful for in that person/ situation/ obligation. [/box]
Joseph’s Coat
The coat of many colors was a sign of his father’s love. It was a beautiful gift that set him apart. Joseph was quite proud of both the coat and the special place he held in his family.
It also showed that sometimes blessings target us for envy, jealousy, and hatred.
The Message Woven Into the Coat
God had a plan for Joseph that took him out of his family, his land, and the limits of his own dreams. That long ago coat was lost. But the love, care, and importance that it signified was woven deeply into Joseph’s soul.
Whenever given the chance he proved himself. When his destiny appeared destroyed repeatedly, he acted upon who he knew himself to be, and in hope of who he knew God to be.
Is the message of God’s love, continued blessing, healing, deliverance, woven into the fabric of your soul? Have you allowed the Lord’s promises to root deeply enough that adverse circumstance can’t uproot them?
You can let God use your life the way He used Joseph’s who ended up being instrumental in saving his family, and a nation from suffering and destruction.
This Christmas
Think of your own talents and blessings. Can your promise survive the storms, the arrows, the obstacles that you may encounter? Place your trust in God, and be thankful for them, and over time you will see. Jesus was sent to be your deliverer and the finisher of your faith.
Extend that thankfulness to the blessings that are irritating you right now. Adjust your attitude by maintaining gratitude for:
- Your loved ones
- The privilege of giving
- Cause for celebration, knowing your Savior
Carol
Away in a Manger
