It's ALL about Jesus:::Feisty Pants

 Howdy Sister,

[[caution: this author has her fired up & feisty-Mama Bear-pants on today.
I get all huffy when I see my daughter (6) in the Enemy's cross hairs.
then, I (aspire to) pray/surrender/trust & depend upon God. and write/share/point someone to Jesus. ]]

It is all too true that 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
Praise The Lord!! John 10:10 isn't complete without::: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

INDEED, sis. CHRIST~MESSIAH~JESUS has come
that they/we/you & me may have life
& have it to the full. Hallelulah!

Consider 

1)the season that we have entered this week, Christmas. 

Christmas- where it is literally ALL about Jesus- the celebration of His birth. His birth which took place in order that He might die to save us from our sin condition. 

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. 

WONDER [[definition "that emotion which is excited by... something new, unusual, strange, great, extraordinary, or not well understood; something that arrests the attention by its novelty, grandeur or inexplicableness]]

Psalm 8:4 What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?                          whoa!!

God sent His one and only son (Jn. 3:16)                         whoa!!!

embodied in flesh as a completely dependent infant (fully God & fully man)         whoa!!

 immaculately conceived, the conception of our Savior by the virgin Mary.               whoa!!

extraordinary!!!! 

yet the thief would seek to Grinch-style shrink & steal our hearts in this season.

to normalize & to numb the divine

to distract humanity <<with busyness and stress>> from CASTING OUR GAZE upon Christ Himself.

Sister- let us worship God this season by casting our FOCUS upon Him with high intentionality. 

our ATTENTION= perhaps the greatest thing that we have to offer up. not to be undervalued. little loaves, tiny fish- when surrendered into the hands of the good God Almighty---->miraculously multiplied- all to His glory. 

One of my favorite ways to have my EYES TURNED UPON JESUS is to sing!! and to meditate upon the words of Christmas songs. I fondly recall my extended family caroling throughout our neighborhood as a child.

     Silent Night. O Little Town of Bethlehem. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Joy to the World.  

2) pride. how much time/concern/thought/$/attention we give to thinking of ourselves. self-image. 

(growl:::feisty pants origin story share commencing) 

"you will be like God"- said the serpent to Eve. Gen. 3:5

This week we hosted family at our place. While seated for dinner a beloved, culturally-marinated, well-meaning family member said to my 6 year old daughter. 

"You have the perfect nose. Wait, turn your head to the side. Look- doesn't she have the perfect nose??"

cue massive MamaBear cringe. Subjective target spotlight shine verbalized to my child right around our family table. Seeds of ______only God knows_____ being planted into my young daughter's heart. Praise God He is able to humble the proud. 

Beauty standards are a shifting sand, sis. Let us set our minds on the things that are above/eternal. God & people. Let us delight ourselves in The Lord!! 

Let us compliment one another for commendable character. We are so much more than our tent/outward appearance. 

1 Samuel 16:7 "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Having wallowed in the ashes of inferior pride re: body image for many years; I know of waste. 

read: body dysmorphia, disordered eating, THOUGHT/effort/energy CAPTIVATION. lack of peace/love/joy. extreme dissatisfaction, depression. belief and feelings of being: unworthy of love. 

Praise God He can and HE DOES bring beauty from ashes!!! Jesus came and because of this I MAY HAVE LIFE TO THE FULL today. And you can too, sis!!

Let us speak the truth of the gospel over our minds. daily. regularly. habitually. it really is good news!!

God's belt of truth- (eph. 6) it is the first piece of armor to go on when we get dressed for the day- holding all the rest up. when we dress ourselves, we do it with high intentionality...

We are made in the image of God, sis!! Let us never forget it! We are image-bearers of our Heavenly Father!

Desired Character Trait::: HUMILITY

"constantly thinking less of ourselves is still constantly thinking of ourselves." - (rough quote, gleaned from Beth Moore's study on Daniel).

the following are excerpts from Timothy Keller's The Freedom of Self-forgetfulness

other people's opinion of him...that elusive verdict or stamp of approval.

my ego cannot be satisfied. my ego is insatiable. It's a black hole.  

Re: Paul... "he shows them how the gospel has transformed his sense of self-worth, his sense of self-regard and his identity. His ego operates in a completely different way now."

C.S. Lewis:

"...the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.

True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings." 

In closing,

true rest is found at the cross.

true fullness of life is found in Christ, alone. 

✞

What is hindering your peace in this season? 

I encourage you to lay it down, sis. To let God take care of the world. 

To remember: CHRIST HAS COME. THE VICTORY HAS BEEN WON. 

(then call.text.Marco.holler at me and remind me to do the same...)

xo

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God

John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam (1512)

1 Cor. 15:45 "The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit."