souldare

  But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. (Luke 2:19 NLT)

Every ADVENTure leads to a new season to contemplate.

This evening marks the end of the church’s observation of ADVENT. Now we have entered the Christmas feast which will culminate on January 6th or Epiphany. But the adventure of living on Intution continues. We will have a quiet Christmas celebration in the morning with breakfast and a few gifts to unwrap.

There are so many gifts we’ve experienced on this ADVENTure. We have witnessed dolphins gracefully crest the waves of the azure sea. We watched the night sky light up with lightening. I tried to capture these moments with my camera, but was never really satisfied with the results. I was sharing this frustration with my sister, Gillian, and she said, “Some gifts are just for you.” It is difficult for me to embrace that idea. I have misgivings about such a singular gift. A gift just for me.

I was thinking about this today. As far back as I can remember, I loved giving gifts to others. With my first babysitting money, I recall going into town with my mom to KMart. I couldn’t decided what to buy for myself, but I found things I thought my sisters might like, so I bought them each something.

Giving is a laudable quality. God gave us His own Son, but the giving would be pointless without a welcome reception of the gift. If Mary had any misgivings about Gabriel’s announcement to her, we do not read of them in Scripture. She receives the gift with joy. We don’t know if she felt worthy, but she must have kept wondering why was she so favored. And I imagine God saying to her, “Some gifts are just for you.”

I hope this evening finds you receiving the fullness of all God longs and intends for you to embrace this Christmas season. I will continue to share our journey, as we plan to move from here to Tampa for the month of January, at the beginning of the year. It will still be an adventure, but it feels like it will be a fleeting season, as well. I’m going to savor it and enjoy the gifts that God sends my way. Ones to share and ones just for me.

What gift does God want you to receive this season of life?

Merry Christmas from our hearts to yours!