Words of Wisdom

    Sore or Soar?      

Posted by Selma 

“But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint”- Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

  

I love to go on the simulator ride in California Adventure amusement park called “Soaring over California.” It makes people feel the sensation of actually flying over the ocean, mountains, and Disneyland (my personal fav). At one point in the ride, you’re flying in the midst of the clouds and the feeling is exhilarating! This is the same feeling I have when I soar with God. 

The ability to rise above our difficulties reminds me of the imagery of soaring above the clouds. In the Bible, Isaiah paints this picture as a beautiful eagle gliding. But what does it mean to soar with God? 

To soar means to fly upward, glide in the air, and rise higher to a great height. 

In terms of our relationship with Jesus, to soar means to trust Him. 

To wait on the Lord means to trust Him. It’s actually putting faith into action and trusting and waiting for God to work by expecting an answer.

Today, we live in a high tech world of ipads, iphones ,microwaves, blue rays, fast food, drive thru Starbucks and nobody wants to wait.  People complain if their computer is not working fast enough. They demand something newer and faster and the new quickly becomes obsolete because people are always looking for the quick fix or answer. 

Although in reality, we have to still wait – doctor appointments, DMV, mail, market lines, gas stations, banks, mechanics/fixing repairs on cars, airports, the ER, and of course Disneyland rides. 

In turn, God also asks us to wait. Sometimes our first reaction is: “oh I can’t, it’s too hard,” “I prayed and nothing happened,” “I waited long enough and I need help now,” and “What am I waiting for? I gotta  figure out what to do next?” However when Jesus calls us to wait it doesn’t mean He has forgotten or He isn’t saying I don’t care. He wants to increase our faith and is working in the situation while we trust Him for the answer. 

Waiting on the lord is not an easy thing to do but the result of waiting produces fruits of patience and wisdom. Waiting on the Lord gives us the ability to run spiritually (persevere/endure) without tiring and to steadfastly move forward without fainting at Gods delays. 

So what are you waiting for? Whatever it is, know that Jesus will supply the needed strength to meet every test he permits us to face. When we have hope (trust) in Christ we can soar above our storms and be free just like an eagle! 

Here are some practical ways you can soar over the storms:

· Not focusing on our situations, circumstance, or difficulties 

· Choosing joy in the midst of testing

· Being thankful

· Being hopeful

· Choosing to have faith and trust in Jesus

· Embracing the wait

· Praising Jesus

· Prayer

It could also mean creating memorial stones and Ebenezers (i.e. reminders of Gods faithfulness) by commemorating significant events such as:

· A pic that captured the moment

· A bulletin from church that says when you were saved/baptized

· A CD with special songs of particular uplifting music 

· Pressed flower/pebble

· Ticket stub, certificate, or a wrist bracelet from a hospital 

· Shirt 

· A piece of jewelry

Overall,  we all need to make a choice! We can choose to fight against our circumstances or not. The story of the children of Israelites in the bible  wandering through the wilderness comes to mind. Now this trip was to originally be a short trip but because of their disobedience they wandered for forty years! So really we are still no different today. 

Opposite of “soar” is to be “sore” which means to stay sensitive, in pain, offended, and angry.

Additionally, it could mean:

· Feeling sorry for ourselves

· Blame

· Denial

· Isolation 

· Stuck in your past and not wanting to move forward

· Consumed 

· Unforgiving (changed from “not forgiving” to make it concise like the others)

· Anxious

· Critical  

· Bitter

· Sad

· Negative

· Discouraged

So will our distress drive us to despair and discouragement or to God? Discouragement is a tool of Satan. He is a stealer of the truth who primarily works in the mind. Yet discouragement turns to encouragement when we look away from our circumstances and focus our eyes on the lord.  2 Corinthians 10:4-5 states, “Bring our thoughts into submission to Christ.” We are to control our thoughts rather than have our thoughts control us because  if we let our imagination run away and steal our joy. Someone has once said to look around is to be distressed; to look within is to be depressed; to look up is to be blessed.

Mere natural and physical powers will not avail in the hour when one is called upon to face great mental and spiritual emergencies ..But they who have learned to refer everything to God and to wait quietly upon Him will be given all needed strength to rise above depressing circumstances thus enabling them to mount heavenward as eagles, facing the sun, to run their race with patience, and to walk with God with renewed confidence and courage, knowing that they are ever the objects of his love and care. It is one thing to wait on the lord. It is quite another to wait for him. As we wait on Him we are changed into his likeness. As we wait for him in patience, we are delivered from worry and fretfulness, knowing that God is never late, but that in his own time he will give the help we need – H.A. Ironside

“He giveth power to the faint…”   

- Isaiah 40:29           

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 
- Lamentations 3:25 (KJV)

“…and wait on thy God continually.”

- Hosea 12:6 (KJV) 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

- Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Slaying The Giant

Slaying The Giant

Posted by Sarah

“Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head…” 

 - 1 Samuel 17:46 (NLT)

I have always loved watching epic warriors in battle. Whether it’s medieval knights, courageous patriots, WWII soldiers, hobbits, or Lucy, Edward, Susan, and Peter in The Chronicles of Narnia, my eyes tune into the battle scene to watch the warrior fight.  I guess I’m inclined to see what happens. Will the solider retreat? Will the warrior prevail? Will courage ultimately overcome fear? 

When it comes to warriors, David comes to mind. The Bible recounts his story as a young teen who saw the injustice of a Philistine giant publicly mocked God and responded. When everyone ran in the name of fear (including Israel’s king named Saul), David stepped up. In bravery, David went to battle dismissing every naysayer who said it couldn’t happen because he was a “youth.” 

Armed with rocks and a sling, David proclaimed to the giant that the battle was the Lord’s and that He would have victory! Aggressively, David ran toward his opponent and with one precise shot, took down the giant!

Like David, I too have faced giants: Giants of fear, condemnation, guilt, insecurity, unbelief, temptation, pride, and various forms of opposition. 

While some of my encounters with the giant ended in victory like David, 0thers ended in miserable defeat like Saul. 

According to the Bible, Goliath, the Philistine champion first came on the scene calling out all of Israel to fight him. Standing six cubits and a span (nine feet, nine inches tall according to according to Thomas Nelson’s bible commentary), he was also armed and dangerous. Possessing a bronze helmet, coat of mail (overlapping plates of bronze sewn on leather), bronze armor on his legs, a bronze javelin between his shoulders (strapped onto his back according to Nelson,) a spear (where the spearhead alone weighed six hundred sheckles equaling seventeen pounds according to Nelson), and a shield barrier who went before him into battle.

Additionally, the Bible tells us that Goliath hated Israel and screamed out taunts against the nation, terrorizing and harassing the people continually.

One look at Goliath sent Saul into shear panic and I too have done the same. I’ve become intimidated, plagued with guilt, had failures haunt me, allowed fear to encroach me, and was lured by temptation. In short, I have been like Saul.

But unlike Saul, I have chosen to not withdraw in fear and to allow Jesus to dust me off and use my fumbles as lessons. In short, I chose to be like David.

Our adversary known as Satan (the devil) schemes to destroy and seeks our demise. He uses giants that come in a variety of weaknesses and forms (such as family members, cute guys, and bad thoughts) to trip us. He will capitalize on vulnerabilities, pounce on unpleasant scenarios, and shoot darts when we lest expect it. The bible calls him a roaring lion who seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8, NLT). He will do anything to thwart our relationship with Jesus and get us distracted, disillusioned, and ultimately, derailed. 

Yet we don’t have to be a victim. The bible warns us to let Satan take advantage us by being ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11, NKJV). We can study and train for battle. I learned from David’s example that we must know our opponent and his tactics to gain ground. With God’s help, we can become aware of our weaknesses and seek to make them strong. I studied how David stepped up in courage and how He won the battle by fighting with spiritual weapons such as prayer, faith, and walking in truth, and proclaiming Christ. Additionally, I learned that the battle is won when our minds are set on victory placing our complete confidence in God (not ourselves) to know the battle is the Lord’s. Furthermore, I learned that the battle is also won when we are willing to be obey God, step up, and fight for what is right. When we ignore the naysayer’s and think big as David did, we too can experience victory! 

Yet, we must always remember that giants can resurface and revisit. When Jesus Himself was faced with temptation by the devil it says that he departed until an opportune time. The devil didn’t stop opposing him. Instead, he waited for an opportune time to attack. If he did this with Jesus, he will do it with us. But if I know he attack’s my weak points we know like David that when he attacks, he must be finished.

David cuts off the head of Goliath after he is dead in 1 Samuel 17:51. It’s blunt and gory but it’s a great illustration of what we should do with our giant. We can’t flirt with its agenda or run away. Instead with God’s help, we must be aggressive and slay the giant so the giant cannot get back up. If we want to have victory, like any great warrior, we must slay the giant.

At Face Value

At Face Value

Posted by Michelle 

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

    -  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Epiphanies arrive in all sorts of ways. Sometimes they arrive while we are in contemplative prayer, or sometimes while reading God’s Word. Sometimes that startling moment of clarity arrives while we are in nature, appreciating God’s creative power. This last week, an epiphany crashed over me from a different venue: a mentor.

My mentor is an older, wiser, Godly woman who I entrust my deepest struggles to. Before this week I thought mentors only listen, guide, and keep their mentees accountable. This week I learned that mentors also deliver epiphanies - and not always the warm and fuzzy ones. More like the mind blowing, “I never knew that about myself,” types of epiphanies. 

I had been telling my mentor about my week and how I had tried to help my brother with the task of buying a car. It had turned out to be a bit of a disaster, as things often do when my schedule loving ways clashes with his free spirit. My mentor stopped me mid-rant, though, and asked me why did I drop everything to help him, knowing that something frustrating like this situation usually happened. That little “why” question gave me pause. I think she wanted to remind me of reasons like, “he’s family and I love him,” or “because God told me to,” but those “right” answers didn’t ring true in my heart at that moment. I trusted my mentor enough to think hard and honestly about her question.

I looked down at my knees and realization dawned on me. 

“I wanted to be needed.”

After speaking the words, I looked up at her again, and could see in her eyes that this was going to be one of our more serious talks. She asked another power-packed question: Why do I find value in being needed?

KAHBLAM! The epiphany struck.

Ah. Here’s the thing about wise people in your life. They help you see the uncomfortable truths that you were blind to before. Here was my uncomfortable epiphany in that moment of clarity: I feel that I’m valuable when I’m needed. I’m loved, of course, but valuable, special, and irreplaceable?

Fortunately, my mentor didn’t just leave me to stew in that revelation and actually had some wisdom to speak into my life. We can’t base our value on other people, even through doing good things for them. Instead, we can only measure our value based on God’s standard. The good news is that whether we feel valuable or not, or can do some good in the world or not, God values us just the same. 

We are each His masterpiece.

I learned that I hadn’t always been doing good things for the right reasons. The right reasons are our of love and obedience to God, not out of a misguided sense of finding our value through helping other people. Now I’m reminded that I can have a secure sense of value in God, and set my focus where it belongs: on God and others. 

I hope you take away from this post a renewed confidence that you are valuable, special, and irreplaceable because God says so (He would know!). And also, that we need wise mentors in our lives. People who we can trust to listen and then speak God’s wisdom to us. Mentors can help us when walking God’s path gets tough, and keep us accountable. They also, as you saw today, deliver mind-blowing epiphanies that can change us for the better.

Peace on Earth…Throughout the Year

Peace on Earth…Throughout the Year 

Posted by Michelle 

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” -  John 14:27 (NASB)

The Christmas season is one of the loveliest times of the year. Pretty decorations, good food, and joyful music abounds. Nothing beats curling up on the couch for a Christmas movie with a mug of hot chocolate. It is a special time when we think about the many blessings we have and show others how much we love them. 

As much as I look forward to those wonderful things, I must admit that Christmas is also a stressful time for me. Christmas time brings with it a plethora or expectations. We have to run around to all the parties of our friends and neighbors, find the perfect gifts for everyone on our list, bring edible home made food dishes to the potluck gatherings, and somehow do all of this on a tight budget. Are you exhausted yet? 

On top of being busy during the Christmas season, this is also the time when I’m reminded of how turbulent family dynamics can be. Each year I stress about possible fights in the family, possible tension between relatives, and possible hurt feelings among loved ones. There is so much potential for strife that looking forward to Christmas is not easy.

Here’s the thing, though - Christmas has come and gone and none of those possible outcomes happened! Why, you might ask? Well, I can assure you that it wasn’t by my family’s strength alone! In all seriousness it was because of a really great sermon we heard the week of Christmas. I can’t do the sermon justice, but it was on the greatest gift that Jesus gave us by being born in a manger; Peace between God and man. Once we have His peace, we can have peace with ourselves and each other. In Philippians 4:7, Paul tells us, “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (NASV).” We can have God’s peace within, even when faced with our live circumstances it wouldn’t make sense. There can be trials and hardships, but people would be able to see that you are “somehow” at peace in the midst of it all.

Taking some time to digest the concept of God’s peace, I realized how absent it was from my Christmas preparations. I was constantly aware that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season,” but my anxiety about how to fulfill all the Christmas expectations (invented by myself and other people) and prevent World War III from brewing was overwhelming me every year. But that is not what God wants for me! His peace is that calm surety that He has everything under control, that nothing surprises Him, and that He is at work in and around us. What a relief! What an amazing anchor! 

The Christmas season has passed, so what now? As desperately as I needed God’s peace during the crazy times of the holidays, I realize that I need that every day of the year too. This year I really want to keep asking God for His peace within me each day. I’ve lived for years under the terrible misconception that if I’m not stressed or anxious about something or another, I must be forgetting something. But, I don’t want to live that way anymore, and, because of God’s peace, I don’t have to. 

What about you? As I continue to cherish my Christmas memories this year, I hope that you will also carry Christmas’s “peace on earth” into the new year.

Light In The Darkness

Light In The Darkness

Posted by Sarah

I love light. Whether it’s the warm glow of a candle, blinking stars in all their moonlit wonder, or a string of Christmas lights on a house, there is something about light that attracts me and leaves me awestruck. Awestruck not only for it’s beauty but also because it is a constant reminder of the Light I encountered almost two years ago – the Light that shined in my darkness. 

Two years ago I was left in the dark. It was Christmas-time and I heard carols playing, saw people shopping, and sat through holiday festivities filled with the pain of anxiety and depression. In darkest season of my life, I was without hope in a time I knew it was suppose to abound. While many stirred in anticipation for the hope found in a Savior, I was looking for one. 

While light radiated into my life on several occasions, one that had a significant impact was shown through a family named the Luskos. I watched them in the darkest time of their lives shine brightly like a lighthouse in a dark storm. I watched as the young pastor and his wife vulnerably shed tears but also watched as they stood and proclaimed hope only a few days after their little girl was ushered into heaven. They spoke with such confidence, such passion, and such hope that there was a quiet presence of Someone holding them up, a power that gave them to do what they did. Illuminating before me, I stood back in admiration and wonder examining my own life and heart. My own darkness. Could there be hope like that for me?

I heard the story of their little girl. I watched her celebration of life via live stream and heard countless testimonies of Lenya Lusko’s hope-filled life. Gaining vision, I saw her joy and her vibrancy in all she did and with tear-filled eyes longed for what she had. Like many in the dark, I saw a flicker of light that sparked in my heart and yearned for the Light of Jesus Christ. 

The light of the Lusko family was just a reflection of an inward light they projected. Like a candle, star, or string of Christmas lights, I was captivated by what I saw. You see, the holidays for many bring out the pain inside where there is no hope to be found. Sorrow, grief, anxiety, despair, and pain are often the realities of those in the dark blinded from truth. A life that apart from Jesus Christ is void of peace, joy, and hope – the reason Jesus came! 

Named “The Light of the World,” Jesus Christ has come into our dark world and shined His light bringing hope to the hopeless. His light expels all darkness and is so powerful that the darkness cannot even comprehend it! (John NKJV). The awesomeness about Christmas is that God came to our world for us (His name means Emmanuel, “God With Us). He came as a baby to live so we could have the Light of life and hope of Himself as Savior to shine through the darkness of our lives. 

When I surrendered my life to Jesus almost two years ago, Jesus’ light was able to dispel the darkness of sin, depression, and anxiety and give me a deep sense of peace, joy, and hope. Now, I’ve experienced what I saw in the Lusko family and desire to shine the hope that I have received. 

When hope is lost and when we are left in the dark, it’s time to turn on the Light. A Light that shined through to a dark world millions of years ago as a Savior came on the scene and a Light that still shines brightly for you and me. 

Words of Wisdom

Blah Blah Blah    

Posted by Selma 

“But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men…”     -  James 3:8-9 (NKJV)

While observing small children interacting with one another now and then I’d see an honoree child stick his tongue out at another child. Now honestly, how does that childe know to use his tongue as little weapon to hurt others? It is such a small fleshly culprit that one minute can be delightful and another minute destructive. We adult’s aren’t too different from the honoree kid. Aren’t we the same when we use our tongue for good or bad? 

 Children can say the funniest things or be blatantly honest. I’ll never forget this story a grandma shared with me. Her grandchild came to see her. Climbs onto her lap while they cuddled in her rocking chair when he abruptly turns and looks at her and say’s, “Grandma you got a mustache!” His grandma chuckled and thought that was so funny. It’s cute when kid’s do it but not so appropriate for an adult to say something like that (laugh out loud).  

Once I was in a store and a woman in her late sixties was shopping with an eight year-old boy. The salesgirl told the boy to tell “his grandma’’ that certain items were on sale. The boy quickly replies loudly, “that’s my Mom!”  The salesgirl remained speechless. The mom ignored the comment and continued shopping. 

What about the time a guest at a party, a perfect stranger tries to make small talk with this woman as their waiting in line for a buffet? She then asks the woman “so how many months are you?” The woman graciously says, “I’m not pregnant!”  Ouch!

There’s that darn little force at work again. Lesson one:  Speaking without thinking! Be tactful and don’t assume and put your foot in your mouth

Let’s move onto another story. A friend told me she remembered going to her doctor’s office, when the secretary (a talebearer) decides to give her an ear-full about her doctor being gay - revealing his personal information outside of his professional life as a physician. My friend was disturbed by all she heard and it made her feel uncomfortable at her doctor’s visit. She never addressed the doctor concerning his secretary.

Here, this conniving little instrument is up to his tricks spreading rumors. Lesson two: Don’t be gossiping behind other people’s backs.

Words can be used to edify or to tear down.

On another occasion my Mom told me she drove to a gas station moving slowly until she was finishing pumping gas when an impatient teen honks and yells at my Mother, “get out of the way, you old B----.”My Mother said she calmly got back into her car turned to the girl and said, “God bless you have a nice day,” and drove away. Meanwhile, the angry girl continued shouting obscenities at her.

People nowadays lack self control and have no respect for one another anymore.

Beware of that ruthless little fire that doesn’t care who gets burnt. Lesson three:  Refrain from using foul dirty language and hurting others.

We all have heard stories about cruel words and how it’s affected a person’s life. It’s painful when words are exchanged that can’t be taken back but even more hurtful when it’s coming from your own loved ones. They are horrible words that roll off our tongue and labels that wound deep and scar for life. For example: “you’re stupid,” “you’re lazy,” “I hate you,” “You’ll never amount to anything,” “I never loved you,” “you’re not welcome here,” and “you’re ugly,” are all words that wound. 

The tongue is such a small deadly bite filled with venom. Lesson four: Know when to speak and when to hold your tongue (self control).

Finally, let’s talk about the words of Jesus. His tongue spoke with beautiful, uplifting, encouraging, gracious, truthful, and loving words. He is our ultimate example and role model.

Jesus said: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love,” (Jeremiah 31:3).                                 

Jesus also spoke with words of authority and boldness:  “And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority,” (Luke 4:32).

Jesus spoke with a tongue of tenderness and compassion: “Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way,’”                                                                                     (Matthew 15:32),

Jesus spoke with non-critical words: “…He said to her, ‘Woman, where are your accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more,’’’ (John 8: 10- 11).

After looking at Jesus words, we see how much we fall short but it’s not impossible to discipline ourselves.  

In all honesty ladies, our tongues are wicked and we are selective as to how and to whom we choose to use it. I would go as far to say we know when and are aware how we choose to use it. You are lying to yourself if you say you aren’t aware. We just don’t want to take responsibility. Its easy to not have control anyone of us can do that. It’s much harder to have control and discernment.  That’s why you have to desire to change and learn to have self control. I’m sure any one of you have experienced one of these situations before. I know I have, let’s take a look how we can work on how to tame our wild tongues for good:

1. Read your bible daily. This is your spiritual nourishment and communication with God. The results of reading your bible produces these qualities: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control,” (Galatians 5:22).

2. Avoid being sucked into gossip. Simply don’t partake or respond. People who like to gossip usually want some kind of response and when they see you’re not biting, it’s no fun and they go to someone else. Also, we have to be careful to check everything with the facts. We do not want to be gullible to believe half truths and speak hastily about someone. Proverbs 4:24 says, “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put devious lips far from you.” Additionally, Proverbs 11:13 in the NIV states, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”

3. Be aware of the choices of words you are using in conversation with others - are they edifying or deflating? Ephesians 4:29 states, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of our mouths except for necessary edification and grace to the hearer.” Colossians 3:8 in the NIV also says, “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

4. Speak to others how you want to be spoken to. We need to stop using unwholesome speech. We need to speak according to Gods wisdom and love so that our words will be seasoned with grace. Colossians 4:4 says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each other.” Proverbs 16:24 also states, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

5. If we blow it (like I know we all will) Repent (i.e. admit you’re wrongs to Jesus) confess your sins. The Lord will forgive you and give you a new start. A sign of true repentance is change. Learn from your mistakes and don’t do it again. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Likewise, Proverbs 17:27 in the NIV states, “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even- tempered.”

In closing, we need to pray and ask the Lord to take control and lead us to walk in the spirit. When we walk in the spirit we behave like the Lord would have us be toward others - a simple lesson yet so difficult.

Isaiah 50:4: “The Lord God has given me, the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”

Minimize or Magnify?

Minimize or Magnify?

Posted by Sarah 

“And Mary said: ‘My Soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior...’”
                                        - Luke 1:46-47 (NKJV)

Since the time I was a little girl, I have loved the story of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Something about the green creature intrigued me (not to mention the oodles of crazy words that Dr. Seuss used and the fact that the story involved my favorite holiday – Christmas). As a child, the story was charming tale of Whos that lived in a whimsical land, as a teenager it was a beloved story, but as an adult, it’s a reminder of truth.

You see the Grinch felt that if he stole all the presents, annulled the festivities, and removed the yummy food (including the last can of who hash) he would inevitably capture the Whos joy as well. When the cheerful Welcome Christmas song of the Whos reached the Grinch’s green ears, he thought and thought until his “puzzler” was sore. Sore because with all his craftiness, he did not stop Christmas from coming

Today we don’t have a grinch who lives up on a mountain conjuring up sneaky schemes against us, but we do however have an enemy who is just as real as the green villain was to the Whos. He is our adversary known as Satan (or the Devil) who plans and schemes to ruin your Christmas. John 10:10 calls him a “thief” with an agenda to steal, kill, and destroy and like the Grinch, he would love more than ever to steal any bit of Christmas he can away from you.

While Satan uses various tactics to steal our Christmas, most of them boil down to three categories: distraction, difficult circumstances, and blindness to the truth. If we will let him, he will use those tactics to make us anxious, depressed, condemned, overworked, confused, absent from the truth, and hopeless. That is, if we are unaware of his tactics.

Yet, not all of life’s difficulties are not brought on by the enemy of our souls. Some are bought on by the fallen world we live in, by our own sinful nature, the sinful nature of others, and some are allowed by a God who loves us. Why? So he can use those difficulties to change us for the better and teach us to trust Him in the good plan He has that gives us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). But like the Whos, we too have a choice when faced with difficulty: choose to be a victim? Or choose to rejoice?

How do we do make the right choice? Our answer is found not found in Whoville, but in the true story of a small town teenager who choose to rejoice when faced with opposition. Her name was Mary. The 15-16 year-old who lived in poverty and challenging times under Roman tyranny received word from the angel Gabriel that she would be a Mom – the Mom of Jesus Christ the Lord. Although she didn’t quite understanding it all and probably felt inadequate, Mary embraced the opportunity even if that brought on accusations that she had her son out of wedlock. It was a label she had to live with but a label that faded in light of the blessing Mary saw when she gained perspective.

Mary was so excited at the news that she ran over to her cousin Elizabeth and shared it. This followed with a song. No, it was not Welcome Christmas that was sung by the Whos, but a song from her heart better known as the Magnificat. In her song, Mary stated, “My Soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior...” According to the John Courson Application Commentary of the New Testament, the soul refers to one’s mind and emotions. Courson states, “The spirit speaks of one’s essence – that which will live forever. The soul relates primarily to people; the spirit relates to God.” This means, Mary chose to rejoice in her Spirit (the deepest part of her that was directed to God) which then projected outwardly. Her decision to sing in the midst of difficultly made all the difference in her life. When Mary chose to magnify (make God big) Mary saw her problems as small. Her difficulties were eclipsed when Mary saw the big picture – Jesus coming into the world as Savior!

When we choose to magnify Jesus, our natural response (like Mary) is to rejoice. We can sing because as Mary stated “For He who is mighty has done great things for me…” (Luke 1: 49). Although our difficulties are hard and painful, we can still have a song to sing if we know (as Mary did) that the Savior has come.