Christmas Has Come And Gone
As you’re reading this, Christmas has come and gone. Leading up to this wonderful holiday, everyone seemed in good spirits and more friendlier than usual. Oh, if we could only keep Christmas in our hearts ALL year through.
Standing in Lowes looking at some light bulbs on Christmas Eve, an African American gentleman walked toward me, paused, smiled, and then said, “Merry Christmas, Ma’am.” I smiled and said, “Merry Christmas to you.” On an ordinary day, I just don’t think that brief exchange of pleasantries would have occurred quite like it did. We both took this opportunity to share kindness from one stranger to another right there for a brief moment in time.
I wish it was possible to bottle up the kindnesses and thoughtfulness that is felt around Christmas time and sprinkle it around long after that special day has come and gone. People still need kindness. They still need to know that they are thought of, especially when they are facing difficult situations. Many are still in need of love long after the holiday season has passed.
Will you join me going into the new year? I would like to carry the spirit of Christmas with me right on through the new year. I don’t want to just feel that special feeling deep down in my soul only once a year for just a month. There are hurting hearts that need your kind words, your gentle touch, your smiling face to remind them that people do care and that they DO matter.
Christmas is hard for a lot of people. They miss their loved ones even more than the previous months of the year. As people gather every where with their family and friends, we’re reminded that a huge part of our hearts is missing. For me, it is my sister along with my Grandma and Granddaddy. For another young man, this was his first year without his granddaddy. It hurts, and we do need the kindness of a stranger even more so. People are struggling with different things. Some are dealing with job loss while others are going through divorce situations. Others are still trying to mend their broken hearts. We have no way of knowing what someone we encounter during the course of the day is dealing with. That is why showing kindness and extending grace is needed even more!
Will you join me? It’s not even a “resolution” type thing. It is a commitment to think of others and extend love and grace to them all year through to help ease whatever pain they may be carrying with them. It’s just below the surface, and any little thing may bring it all out in the open. Your kind words and sweet gesture could make a huge difference in their lives.
Think about it.
A Gift From The Heart
Pulling out of our driveway tonight, we saw lights coming toward us. As we waited, we realized that the vehicle was that of our elderly neighbor just down the road from us. She stopped, and we got out to greet her. She had gifts in hand and thanked us for our gift of Jim Brickman CDs and a candle that we left in her mailbox just the other day. I don’t give to receive, though. When I give, it is a gift from the heart with no strings attached and no expectations.
We chatted briefly, and then we got back into our vehicles to go our separate ways.
This lady lives alone with her dog and cat. My heart goes out to her as, while I don’t know this for a fact, she appears to be all by herself. She could have a huge family that she visits often, but I rarely see vehicles at her house. That is why I have drawn this conclusion.
Often times, I think of my grandmother who lived alone for several years before she passed away. She lost my grandfather a few years before, and she was so very lonely. I can almost hear her now on the phone as she talked of how lonely her days were. Sure, we would visit, but I know it wasn’t as often as we should have. We did what we could, though. I imagine that is why I have such a strong desire to let this lady up the road know that she isn’t all alone in this great big world.
When we returned home tonight, we opened the gift bag and manila envelope that our neighbor had given us a few hours earlier. My youngest daughter was so excited to see what goodies our neighbor shared with us. There were several items that could have looked “recycled.” But … that may have been all that she had to give, and she chose to give them to us! For that … I am grateful. She thought of us, and I appreciate her thoughtfulness and the kindness she has extended by remembering my family and I at this time of year.
For me, I don’t look at the recycled gifts in a bad way at all. I appreciate the calendar she gave as well as the Angels Among Us literature. There was even an article about how beautiful Heaven is. She had a few of what looked to be her old costume jewelry which consisted of bracelets, necklaces, and rings in the mix. My daughter was thrilled and began putting every single one of them on. I smiled inside and out as I watched her excitement. Our neighbor did a wonderful thing, and my heart is grateful.
At Christmas time, I hope you will consider those that may not have much to give. I am sure they feel bad about giving what little they do have, but to me, it was a blessing to be on the receiving end of such kindness and generosity. I remember a few times being right where our neighbor is and not really being able to afford to buy for all. I did the best I could and hoped the recipients knew I was giving from my heart even if my wallet was not able to give as grand of a gift as I would have liked. It is all about the giver’s heart, and I know that my neighbor is a very sweet, kindhearted lady. And I am blessed by her thoughtfulness.
I hope that you will appreciate the heart of the giver this holiday season. If someone gives you a gift that you may not have chosen for yourself, please be gentle and kind. It truly IS the thought that counts. They have big hearts, even if they do not have big wallets to go with it.
For me, I received a blessing tonight. I hope you will receive your very own blessing this holiday season.
War Room
The name itself brings about visions of soldiers gathered around planning their defenses on the front line of the battlefield. Yet, we’re not going out there carrying guns, preparing to go to war with firearms. Our war is a different one, but the enemy is relentless just the same. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And that is why we must fight our battle on our knees in prayer!
A spiritual war is going on.
Imagine having the best of everything: nice house, picture perfect marriage on the outside, beautiful child, great job with wonderful benefits. You never realize that you’re under attack as he creeps in slowly, determined to take you down. That is exactly what happened in the movie War Room. Although this was a made up movie, I am sure that many couples can identify with the crisis situations their entire family went through when under attack by the devil. I know I sure could.
Several months back, I received an invitation for a pre-screening of this movie. I asked my husband if he would like to go with me, explaining that we could take this opportunity to have a date night. I had no idea what this movie was about, but the title itself brought about the very visions that I spoke of in the first paragraph of this post.
I’ll never forget walking into the theater, taking my seat along with the others, and watching as my life from the year before played out in front of my eyes on the screen. While it was not identical to what my family and I went through, there were certainly some similarities. I sat there with tears streaming down my face as I felt all of those emotions all over again.
Every one should have a “Miss Clara” in their life. She is one of the main characters in this movie, and she is so filled with the holy spirit. She is on a mission to mentor to people and help them draw closer to God, and I wish I had a Miss Clara when my family and I were going through our trials the year before this movie hit theaters. My dad was the closest I had to a “Miss Clara,” and he kept me strong in my faith as I fought, begged, pleaded, and prayed through tears many days and nights for my marriage, my family, my children, and my husband!
Miss Clara shared how she fights her battles in prayer in her War Room. She turned an ordinary closet in her home into a place where she made specific prayer strategies and prayed with all of her might while turning to scriptures to strengthen and encourage her.
Another main character, Elizabeth, was struggling with bitterness in her marriage while her husband, Tony, was flirting with temptation. Miss Clara had Elizabeth write down a list of things that troubled her about her marriage and then asked her to turn it over to God. Pray over it. Fight for her marriage!
A pivotal moment was when Elizabeth prayed over her husband, her marriage and her family. Then she got angry and went through the house rebuking the devil, letting him know that he was NOT welcome there and that he could NOT have her family! I felt such emotion well up inside of me as I, too, had done something very similar the year before!
Another pivotal moment was when Tony, Elizabeth’s husband, realized that his wife was praying for him. He found the scriptures and specific prayers his wife had written down and placed on the wall in her war room. He began to realize the error in his ways and how wrong his actions had been. He was not happy with the person he had become, and he fell on his knees before the Lord asking for forgiveness. Later, he humbled himself before Elizabeth when he asked for her forgiveness as well. This was powerful to see a man confessing his sins before the Lord and his wife. I imagine it was also empowering to men every where who have been taught untruths as boys that “real men don’t cry.” This man had rivers of tears flowing several times when God convicted his heart. He cried and begged for forgiveness as he sought to turn from his sinful ways.
To say that this movie is powerful would truly be an understatement. There are not enough words in the human language to adequately express how truly inspiring and moving this movie truly is! It isn’t just a movie. It has brought about movement! I, personally, know of a women that was so inspired by this movie that she created a war room in her house as well.
Growing up, I heard them making reference to going into your closet and praying. I’ll never forget the impact of those words I heard in church. I thought it odd at first, but wishing to be obedient, I literally walked into my closet as a child and prayed. I had no way of knowing that many years later, a movie would be made based on this whole concept and would encourage people around the world to go into their own closets to fight their battles in prayer!
Please … if you want to see God’s hand moving in your homes, marriages, families … begin with PRAYER! If you’re not sure where to start, the War Room movie will point you in the right direction. There are companion books to go along with this movie, one specifically states it is “A Woman’s Battle Plan For Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer;” Fervent was written by Priscilla Shirer, who played Elizabeth in War Room. Another book sure to help you is The Battle Plan For Prayer: From Basic Training To Targeted Strategies by Stephen & Alex Kendrick, the master minds behind War Room.
This movie comes out on DVD December 22, 2015. I encourage you to BUY this movie! It is one that you will watch again and again. Thanks to FlyBy Productions/Propeller, we were given an advanced copy of this not yet released DVD. My 11 year old daughter was glued to this movie the entire time. Our 18 year old daughter watched it as well. I believe they, too, were impacted by this movie.
If you would like your very own copy of War Room, please enter our giveaway below!
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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Productions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
