As many of you know, we moved to Florida in June. This is our first Christmas holiday driving back to GA to spend time with our kids and grandkids. I wanted to make it a special time for our family. I woke up one morning with a thought. Wouldn’t it be so cool if we all went to a cabin, and I took my small Christmas tree, all of our stockings, and we create a new memory. Our grandkids are ages five to fourteen, and all of their holiday memories are from our home in Newnan. It’s been bitter sweet moving away from what they have always known. Each time I looked for a place to rent a cabin, it was just too far away. I gave up my dream for several weeks until I woke up again with it heavy on my mind. I decided to just check out the airbnb’s in the hometown we use to live. I was shocked when a cabin popped up. As I checked it out and talked to the owner, they conveyed that they were hoping a family could enjoy their cabin for the holidays. The cabin was fully decorated with a Christmas tree and beautiful Christmas decor. I was beside myself. How could this be?
We are at the cabin tonight and it has exceeded any expectation I could have dreamed. Coincidence? If you know me or have read my writings, you know I don’t believe in coincidences. A God thing? Hmmmmm, does the God of this Universe really care about my holiday dreams? Does He care about the things that bring your heart alive? I believe He does!
We often see meme’s on social media that says, “God does not care about your happiness, He cares about your holiness.” What if He cares about both? Can He only bring you growth through pain? I feel like God has taught me so much through my grandchildren. All illustrations fall short when we compare our human endeavors with spiritual things; however, I know God loves us more than we can ever imagine. As I’ve shared in my books, I struggled with loving feelings growing up. My heart was just too wounded to feel anything positive. When we had grandchildren, I felt a love I had never felt before. I’m sure the love I feel is nothing compared to the love God feels for us. I experience so much delight when I give gifts to my grandchildren, and I think God feels the same. I care what they want and I try to meet any desires they have. Of course, I don’t give them things that are not good for them, but oh the joy of seeing that smile break out when they receive a gift they love.
Growing up it seemed like so many spiritual truths were presented in a negative way. And I know the teachers motives were pure. They were merely conveying teachings that had been passed down to them. I truly believe now that God delights in meeting the needs and sometimes the wants of His children. Many times our growth comes through difficult times and opportunities to trust God in hard times. But we can also grow during seasons of delight.
How do you respond when God unexpectantly meets a deep desire in your heart? Can you simply say, “Thank you so much Lord!” Do you recognize He is blessing you? Does your concept of God need to be tweaked?
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