Thursday, December 13, 2012

Signs of Peace

Advent{ures}: Let's Go to Bethlehem

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14 NKJV)
 



What comfort there is in calling out "Immanuel." God with us!
 
The sign of a virgin with child, bearing a son is the Advent promise. God is the God of wonders and signs. He wants to give us reassurance.
 
Today, our friend,  Lynn D. Morrissey, shares a vignette from her storehouse of God stories that poignantly shows how God surprises us with signs of His care, His presence and His unfailing love.


The Christmas Gift
 
“Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death is your sting? But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 15: 55, 57

 

In the still of winter, death’s darkness enveloped me.  Birdless, leafless trees and my father’s incurable kidney disease testified to death’s stark reality. I was consumed with worry, unable to experience God’s peace and to trust His provision for my father.

 

As I dropped Daddy off at the dialysis center for the third time during Christmas week, I was struck by the poignancy of a naked little tree, bravely defying winter’s onslaught. It was a painful reminder of my father’s frailty and failing health.

 

Then suddenly, as if dropped from heaven, a beautiful red-breasted robin alighted on one of its branches, adorning it like a ruby Christmas ornament. In the bleak winter season, I was amazed to see this little harbinger of spring. I praised God for this unexpected Christmas gift of hope, and for the precious gift of time—another day with my father.

 

Most of all, I praised God for His most lavish Christmas gift, His precious Son, born into this world of sin and death. He would die for humankind on a naked tree and rise victoriously from a wintery tomb. He would defy death and usher in new life, the springtime of eternity.

 

Instantly, I stopped worrying. God flooded my heart with peace and the knowledge that no matter what happened to Daddy, he would live eternally with Him.


(Lynn D. Morrissey, Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved)


 
 
 
Lynn D. Morrissey, is a Certified Journal Facilitator (CJF), founder of Heartsight Journaling, a ministry for reflective journal-writing, author of Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy through Written Prayer and other books, contributor to numerous bestsellers, an AWSA and CLASS speaker, and professional soloist. She and her beloved husband, Michael, have been married since 1975 and have a college-age daughter, Sheridan. They live in St. Louis, Missouri.

You may contact Lynn at words@brick.net.



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3 comments:

  1. As today is a guest post...please feel free to comment to Lynn...she will stop by to see your comments and reply :) Thanks!

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  2. A robin! What an unexpected "decoration"! I was told something about robins: that they don't fly south from where I live in the wintertime, that they're really still around, just in hidden places, like in the woods up the hill. I don't know if that's true about robins, but I do know it's true about Immanuel, God-with-us, Who is always with us, even when He's "hidden."

    Thank you, Lynn, for this uplifting story. God bless you and make you aware of His presence always.

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  3. Thank you so much for this lovely insight, Sylvie, that Immanuel is always with us, never to leave or forsake us! In the tenebrousness of winter, it can be easy to forget that the welkin will once again welcome the rising sun. And often, in the bleakness of our souls, we forget that the Son will always rise within us. I love your added annecdote about the robin (whom my daughter, Sheridan, dubbed "robin-red-dress" in her youth!:-)God often gives us treasures in darkness, just when we need most to see them. He is always present in the light and in the dark. Bless you so much for sharing. And I would point readers to your beautiful blog: http://sylvrpen.com/ You're an exceptional author. I am so glad that Kel generously shared told me about your work. She loves to connect writers and readers. Thanks again so much for sharing!
    Lynn

    http://sylvrpen.com/

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