Christmas Eve

"I thought you looked like Christmas morning."

I love Christmas. 

Many, many reasons.

One, most obviously, because of Jesus.

It's all about Him.

Period.

But two,

because of family.

I have been blessed with the most wonderful family.

Now, we're all human.

We say sarcastic things, get short with one another, roll our eyes, and yell by default.

But at the end of the day, we all regret the comments we let slip, and have to get over ourselves and admit we were wrong. 

A lot.

When really, we all just want someone to hold, someone to hug, someone to kiss, and someone to listen and understand. 

We all want someone that we love and that loves us in return.

In the middle of our ugliest and most beautiful state. 

It's what Christmas is to me, 

At the end of the day, the crazy aunt, the weird uncle, and the annoying cousins really aren't that bad. 

In fact, they are good. 

It may not always seem "enjoyable" at the moment,

but when you look around on Christmas day (or whenever you get together to celebrate) and silence all the noise (because it's always super loud) it kind of looks like a hallmark movie. 

I mean, there are the exceptions, sometimes it looks like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or maybe even "Madea's Family Reunion".

But that's what makes it so amazing.

I think sometimes, a lot, we take these crazy people for granted.

I hope this Christmas that you silence the noise and look around to see whatever movie fits your family and realize, they may be crazy, but if you just hug them when they are yelling, you'll just end up laughing and get over the issues that are causing the yelling anyways.

Merry Christmas Eve. 

Outfit:
"Epic Weekend" shirt - H&M
 Black Joggers - Forever 21
Black boot wedges - Steve Madden
Black beanie - Forever 21
Oversized green & black cardigan - Forever 21
Black purse - Betsy Johnson 

Willing

Jesus replied, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will." 

John 13:7

A couple nights ago my 19 month old nephew was climbing on this little chair and he was trying to get over it and ended up all tangled up in it, and all while watching him I said to his mom, 
“If only he would’ve listened to you, it would’ve been so much easier for him to get off of that”.
And as fast as it came out of my mouth I could hear the Holy Spirit saying it to me. 

How often do I ignore the direction God has given me about something and end up getting stuck and crying for Him to help me in the process?  

How often do we reroute the directions He’s given us and then expect the results His would produce?

Or how often do we end up doing something that He never said to do and complain about how He isn’t showing up to intervene on our behalf?  

I can remember relationships in my life that I knew God didn’t want me in, that I ended up orchestrating my way into, and the aftermath that my disobedience would cause was always a hurt person, because eventually I was so spiritually unsettled I couldn’t be with them anymore.

I’ll never know what opportunity I missed because of disobedience.

Obedience is a simple key that opens so many doors for God to move in.

Think about this; if you would be obedient from the beginning, you would walk right into someone who may be needing healing, and because of you being in the right place at the right time, they would get healed because you listened to the Fathers voice which directed you straight to them.

How often does our disobedience cause opportunity to be put off until another moment?

Father, give us clean hearts that desire obedience, willing spirits to obey, open our ears to hear You speak, and give us Your eyes. We desire to desire You. Let the bones you’ve broken in us rejoice. Those things you’ve asked us to get rid of… help us do away with them. Those places you’ve touched and we’ve jerked back in pain, let us trust Your hand to heal those open wounds. Let us hold those dark places up to You as an offering at Your feet. Expose us and bring us to Your light again. We desire You, and You alone. Give us new hearts. Your heart.