The Best Gift

Can you remember when you got the best gift ever? Do you remember how you felt when that happened? I remember, as a young boy, hoping for a special toy. When I received that toy, I was so excited and I felt so loved. It was something that I hoped I would receive for a long time. It was exciting. The best gift is the one that makes you feel forever grateful.

A Gift From Your Parents:

Maybe your parent taught you great values that you are using everyday to make it through this challenging world. Maybe it was that toy or stuffed animal that you fondly remember. Maybe it was that love and support that was always there. Maybe it was that voice that guides you when you remember their words. Were any of these your best gift?


A Gift From Your Family:

Maybe it was t hat gift your brother or sister gave you when you were sick. Maybe it was that kind grandparent or uncle who always had something special for you. Maybe it was just a hug from your cousin when you needed it most. Maybe it's your wonderful children and grandchildren. Maybe it's your crazy pets. Were any of these your best gift?


A Gift From Your Love:

Maybe it was that smile your significant other gives you when they meet you at the airport that shows they really love you. Maybe it is the keepsake piece of jewelry that you stare at in moments of pause. Maybe it's that special closeness that you get when you watch a performance together. Maybe it's that special snuggle on a cold evening. Were any of these your best gift?


A Gift From Your Friends:

Maybe it was that special surprise party thrown in your honor. Maybe it was that encouraging text during times of trouble. Maybe it was that special call when you poured your heart out over a challenge or a hurt. Maybe it was when your friend stuck up for you. Were any of these your best gift?


A Gift From God: 

Maybe it's watching creation that demonstrates the glory of God. Maybe it's the fact that God gave you life along with your patient mother. Maybe it's the gifts that God gave you that you have the honor of sharing with others. Maybe it's that God allows you to flourish and be sustained through life. Were any of these your best gift?

The Best Gift:

While I can identify with many of these great gifts and I  appreciate them all. My best gift is that God loves me no matter what. I am accepted under grace and mercy despite all my failings. I will be eternally grateful for God's love and forgiveness. I hope never to go to sleep without remembering what God has done, is doing and will do in my life. What's your best gift?

The Big "If Only"

Have you or others said "if only I had" or "if only I was"? Life can be filled with "if onlys"  It seems like we are always looking for that next goal. There are a myriad of categories of "if onlys" that seem to tug at our imaginations and hearts. Let's look at a few.

If Only I Was Smart and Educated:

There are many in the quest for knowledge and education so that they could either show others or progress in a better way in today's world. While this is a good thing to want, it's a never ending journey with constant thirst for more. Many people get stuck in a cycle for more knowledge and credentials.

If Only I Was Great Looking:

There are even more folks that desire to be attractive. This is what drives a significant amount of marketing and advertising. There are whole industries that are driven by our wanting to be desirable. While this a a good thing if handled with some reason. The fact is we will all age and look worse over time makes this a bit futile.

If Only I Had Enough Money:

We all want to be debt free at some point and have enough money to buy the desires of our heart. While more riches many help, it also is a drug that addicts. If you have ever watched the very rich, they always want more and contentment is elusive. The love of money is the root of all evil.

If Only I Had a Life Partner:

Everyone want to be loved. Sometimes it's hard to admit, but we need others. If it is a close loved one or a circle of good friends, we want and need close interaction. Some hop from person to person seeking that perfect match, but many prefer to settle in on a deep and stable partnership.

If Only I Had Health and Energy:

We all wish to be well at a minimum level to function without pain and sorrow.  Many seek to have that perfectly cut body, but most of us want to enjoy ourselves and stay in a good body tone zone. We want to feel good about ourselves and our ability to enjoy our physical world greatly. If might be great journeys (a nice walk for me now) or great adventures (free climbing in my younger years) enjoying our bodies to the fullest. We don't want our bodies to betray us, but eventually bodies die.

THE BIG IF ONLY:

The most important, in my mind is to know what happens when we are done on this earth?  Will God approve of my life. I have chosen the free Grace that God gives to forgive the fact that I am not perfect nor will I ever be perfect. God loves me no matter what I say or do. I have put my faith in His grace and mercy to help me have a time for eternity with Him when my body finally gives out. I wouldn't want to say "If only I would have trusted God for his grace and mercy?"

We all like free and God gives this mercy to all of us for free. We certainly like free especially if it is from God. He gave us our lives and gifts, now he offers eternity with him. It won't be boring. Only If we all had eternity with God. That's my big "If Only"

For Those Who Celebrate Easter or Passover

Peace be to all. If you don't celebrate Good Friday and Easter, please pass by this one. For those who do, Easter is the celebration of our freedom and peace. Happy Easter !!!!  I created a new painting last year based on my past visits to Israel to see Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed painting it. I have also included other past years paintings celebrating the wonderful Gospel and our forgiveness. For my Jewish friends, I wish you a happy Passover and have completed a painting for you as well. 

                                                              Risen

 
                                                           Star of David 

                                                          Mercy Mountain      

                                             

                                                               Flying Cross

Fear the Mirror

We all have expectations that we do not meet. It might be something we want that we can't get. Maybe we want to accomplish something, but have been frustrated in making it happen. The real test question is "Are we what we want to be? Maybe it's bravery, tenderness or truthfulness. All these self imposed expectations add so much pressure to our lives on top of everything else that comes our way. It makes me want to run away from self introspection at times, because it might hurt.

Character Goals:

We all want to be the best we can be, but we often stumble and become disappointed in ourselves. For many, it's that sports hero, performer or wonderful leader that we want to emulate. It might be that you want to be the best child, sibling or parent you can be. It might be emulating values you look up to on a consistent basis. We all fall short when we look in the mirror, but there is hope.

Competence Goals:

We all want to be capable in the things we do, so we are looking to add value in our thoughts, advice and actions. We want to be reliable and faithful to others and ourselves, so we can look into the mirror with no regret. We really want to be valued as competent to ourselves and others, but often we don't exercise our gifts like we should.

Bottom Line:

You are not a failure in God's eyes, but our disappointment is meant to draw us closer to Him. The God who loves us despite our inability to even please ourselves. He is always open to us when we look in the mirror and come clean that we really need Him.

Disappointment: It Just Happens

While disappointment isn't going to kill anyone immediately and it isn't as bad as suffering, but it can certainly affect the quality of life. It's like a low grade fever or a headache that just makes you feel miserable. Disappointment is normal and natural, but it still feels bad. In today's world we all put on the face of success, but under it all we are disappointed in some way. There are several sources of disappointment.

Lack of Something We Want:

As a child I remember wanting a special toy. I kept looking forward to getting for several birthdays and every Christmas holiday season. My mom, who was great at reading me, asked why I looked down. I mentioned my desire for this toy, but never asked. Guess what appeared at my next birthday? We silently desire things and don't communicate with the people we love. Shame on us.

Lose Something We Value:

I lost a son in 2014 at the peak of his career. I really still miss him more than anything, but I was disappointed that he did experience many things in life. He did see his children grow into adults. He never had a grand child to spoil. He never got to sit back and look fondly at his accomplishments. I am still disappointed that I can't talk with him, though I try, but I am also disappointed for him. A real double disappointment for me.

Little to Look Forward to in Life:

I have never been here, but I know of those who are feeling like their life is slipping away. As we age we lose capabilities and dreams. If you let this get to you, this trap is surely waiting for you. I would guess that a life of not getting what we want and losing many things of value over time could put you right here.

Bottom Line:

We can deny disappointment and act like life is great, but we are better to admit it and turn it to God. Can you imagine how God is disappointed with us humans, myself included, but yet he loves us so much that He gives us mercy. We only need to seek Him and ask Him.

All You Need is Love

Is love the thing that makes the world go around? If it is, why are we seeing less and less of it demonstrated in the world today? It seems that this fast paced world full of extremes seems to have forgotten about love in all of it's forms. I'm less afraid of climate change than I am of the lack of love that seems to be winning the day. There are basically three kinds of love that we demonstrate on a regular basis.

Romantic / Erotic Love:

This is when you become so enamored with someone, you can't be too close to them. You want to be part of each other. Today this happens too fast and really doesn't last as long as it should. In fact the emphasis in today's world seems to be focused on the erotic form only often leaving the romantic part at a low or non-existent level for fun / kicks. It is easy to be seduced into temporary erotic acts that is not compatible with what we really desire long term. This sometimes shows a lack of real love.

An Affectionate Love:

This is when you feel a fondness or an endearment towards someone and you care for them, but not in a romantic way. You feel a closeness and want only the best for this person. This is typical of a friendship and you want to spend time with them frequently. Today there are so many channels for people to express their friendships and "likes" openly. Social media gives us an opportunity to devote time to friendship efficiently without being present. While this is an opportunity, it also carries some "bad juju". First you can have fake friendships and secondly you can hurt others more easily. It may be on purpose or not even knowing. This sometimes shows a lack of love as well.

 A Great Interest:

This is when you like an activity or a thing in a significant way. People want to spend time pursuing this love. This is a very fulfilling thing to have and it makes us satisfied. The problem comes in that when we pursue this thing so much that we unknowingly hurt the two kinds of love mentioned above. Too much time can be spent pursuing interest to the detriment of others we love. This sometimes show a lack of love.

Bottom Line:

There is a greater love than all these three that is the love that is sacrificial and puts others ahead of our convenience or desires. This is the kind of love that God has for all of us, but we do not take advantage of his free gift of love.  God loves us more than we can comprehend. This is the true kind of love we all should seek. This kind of love can be turned around and shown to others. It may be doing something for person who makes you feel unformatable. I would like to start turning to love more, by spending more time with the ones I love and doing something nice for the strangers I meet along the way, even if they appear unsavory or offend me.

Who is Unlovable?

You see people everyday that make you wonder who could love them? People pushing to get ahead of others and not stopping to help those who can't keep up. Their noses are in their phones and they are quite oblivious to the fact there are others around them. While they are probably pursuing goals that are important to them, they have little regard for the hurt people left in their wake. Does this make them unlovable?

People are Hard to Love:

It seems today that people have lost their kindness button and seem to be out for themselves at the expense of others. There is more public insulting than I can ever remember. It was there before the election year of 2016, which seems to have amped up the hate machines on both sides based on what I see on Facebook. There is brutal criticism going on all around us and it has been magnified by many outlets like social media, tabloids and reality TV shows. There seems to be a real raw edge being exposed and it makes loving people difficult. One really has to work at loving others today.

I'm Hard to Love: 

Sometimes I look in the mirror, I don't like what I see. Sometimes I don't react well to people and situations. I usually kick myself later and wonder why anyone would love me for the long term. Sometimes my gifts and personality work for me to meet people, but sometimes I am just like those other goal driven people I mentioned above and don't behave well. I sometimes feel unlovable and I have to work at it.

We all Want to Connect:

Deep down we all need and want to connect with God and others. If we feel unlovable and we see the lack of love in others, we are likely to double down our efforts to love God.  Is that what God really wants?

Bottom Line: 

God loves all of us more than we can imagine. He understands we are not capable of loving others or ourselves like he does, so He helps us. It's hard for us to understand that God thinks we are all a treasure to Him. To that end, God, who knows what's good for us, gave us Christ to be the perfect intermediator on our behalf. God's own son had to die to reconcile our relationship. Painfully, my son died in 2014 and it was not my choice. God chose for his son to die for us. Now that's love.

The Perfect Gift for Christmas

At Christmas, we are always looking for the right gift for others and frankly sometimes ourselves. I know I struggle trying to pick out the right gift that says "I love you"  or in some cases "I like you". Picking a gift can be really personal. Imagine if someone knew you so well that they could get the perfect gift for you. Let's say that perfect gift didn't come in a fancy box that was gift wrapped but was given in a humble way. Would you accept it? 

Well the good news is someone did find the perfect gift for you. That someone knows you better than anyone else. The gift is perfect and personal, but it's non-traditional. It's the gift of mercy and forgiveness from God through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is humbly accept it and agree with God that we need him. In turn, He will allow us to be with him for ever. Jesus was the perfect gift for me and that's why I celebrate Christmas. Will you accept Him too?