The Gift

I received the most lovely gift this year. The person giving it to me
spent a great deal of time wrapping it. Beautiful paper with
a great floral picture on it and gold trim, generously covered the
present. Ribbons brightly colored, curled and sprinkled across
the top of it. It was a beautiful sight. I left it on my table just to
look at it. I really hated to open it, it was so beautifully wrapped.

It sat there a long time, and I noticed as the days passed
the paper started to lose some of it's color as dust settled in
and the light faded it. The ribbons didn't look as perky and bright
as they used to. I realized the present had lost some of
it's luster and it didn't seem as important somehow. Soon
it became neglected and unnoticed.

Many of us do this with our spiritual lives. We start out in love
with God. We buy a Bible, we read it vigorously for a time.
We get involved in a church and enjoy the fellowship. Then after
time the cares of this life distract us. We get upset that
someone at the church didn't meet our expectations or let us down
and we carry it around as if it was a badge of honor. Soon we find
our spirit has changed, and our enthusiasm for church or
even God's word has changed, because we have changed.
Our focus is no longer on God, or improving ourselves,
or encouraging our spirit to look to God for our needs and
answers. Our focus has turned to what is wrong,
and what is heavy, and what we don't have, and what we need to do.

We are neglecting the very thing we need the most.
Daily inspiration, instruction and correction from God.
We are trying to control our lives ourselves, and we are messing
up, because we allowed the cares of this life to rob us of the
very gift we need. God's presence.

My friends, don't spend your life in despair, spend it in hope.
Don't waste your time on fear, invest it in faith.
Don't dwell on sorrows, focus on your blessings.
Don't look at what you cannot control or fix, focus on your
prayer life and let God control it. God sees tomorrow
and he knows what is ahead, and he knows what path is best.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own
understanding!
Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6
NLT

Ask God today to show you the things in your heart and mind
that are not healthy for you, ask him to help you let go,
to forgive others, to not find fault with everyone, and to give
you a spirit of love. Ask God to help you love people where
they are at and not expect them to be a clone of what you want
but to remember God made us all different, and we must
respect that and love others UNCONDITIONALLY.
God will do the fixing, we need to do the loving!!

Seek God's will, and seek his face. Fill yourself up
with His word so you have hope. Without hope the soul despairs
and gives up. It is vital you find this daily. You find it
from time in meditation with God, by filling your spirit with
his word till you feel renewed and inspired. You find it by
praying to God, telling him everything in your heart, and leaving
it in His wise and all knowing hands. And walking away
from those burdens and savoring the precious new day.

Life is not a dress rehearsal. It only comes once. Do not
fritter it away on things that bring you down, bring other's down
or fill you with despair, anger or bitterness. Receive His
Hope, Receive His Peace, Receive His Revelation, and dwell
in His joy. These are not high and lofty and unattainable goals,
they are a mental choice.

Only one life, will soon be past,
Only what is done for Christ will last.