by Amy Spear | Dec 14, 2015
Tis the season for the crazy little elf who mysteriously moves around my house and keeps watch of my kids. My sweet little munchkins cannot wait until the Elf on the Shelf shows up. It is one of their favorite parts of our Christmas traditions.
My husband and I, on the other hand, loathe the moment Christmas magic brings him – Jingles, out of hiding! If you are not familiar with this tiny creature, it is a stuffed version of Santa’s little helper who magically moves every night and appears in a new place the next morning. No one is allowed to touch him or he loses his magical power.
The problem is, some parents have totally gotten out of control about this whole elf thing! Instead of simply moving the elf to a new spot, they have become overly creative and made the elf do all kinds of crazy things like, creating spider webs out of yarn in which the elf hangs upside down like Spiderman, or freezing him in funny positions in a huge block of ice, or creating elaborate toys scenes with their kids’ Legos!
Sounds so fun right? Well, sure, until it comes to actually doing it! It takes way too much time every evening to come up with a new idea, and I can’t tell you how many times we rushed around in the morning before the kids woke up because we forgot to move him the night before!
So why do we do it when it is such a headache, you may ask?
My kids wake up every morning with smiles on their faces as they sprint to see what their elf was up to during the night. They love it! And I love them! No matter how much I get tired of moving that little creature, I will grin and bear it because of those sweet smiles and how much joy it brings to their heart.
Jesus feels the same way about you! He knew how much pain and suffering he would face when he chose to come to earth. Yet, unlike my husband and me, He did it willingly. He chose to come as a lowly babe, not a man of power. He came to a young Jewish girl whose name was unknown, not a well to-do girl of popular privilege.
He died a criminals death and accepted beatings, spiting, name slamming, and ridicule few have lived through. He experienced human emotions, hunger, sickness, loneliness, temptation. He did so much .
“Why?” you may ask. Jesus loves you so much, there isn’t anything He wouldn’t go through for you! Filling your heart with joy brings Him joy. This season should remind us of the amazing sacrifice He displayed just to bring us joy, to bring peace on earth, to bridge the gap that no one else could fill. What mysterious love this is, yet how grateful I am He did!
As farfetched as it may sound, may Jesus remind us of His love whenever we see that little Elf on the Shelf, and may our hearts be filled with so much joy that we sprint with open hearts to a daddy who is waiting to receive us!
by Amy Spear | Nov 16, 2015
Do you ever wish you could be in someone else’s shoes, even if it is just for a day? To feel how wonderful, carefree, and glamorous their life is.
Or is it?
If we aren’t careful, social media can make us feel as though everyone else’s lives are more exciting than ours. We begin to compare our day-to-day struggles with their highlights, their adventures and their special moments. Regretting the situation we are struggling with, and wishing we could be on vacation in Hawaii right alongside them! The “grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side” syndrome.
Life is not always picture perfect. In fact, it very rarely is, right?
But God has a plan for your life. That plan includes highs and lows, mountains and valleys. We must learn to rely on Him and give thanks in all situations (1 Thess. 5:18). It’s in the lows of the valleys that I hear God’s voice the loudest. It’s also in the lows that I find myself longing to be in someone else’s shoes; to be out of the mess I’m in and retreat to the “perfect” life of others.
How do we guard ourselves of this downward spiral thinking though?
I have found these three things help protect my heart and bring peace back to my life:
- Refocus– I have to remember that my eyes should be on Jesus “the author and perfecter of my faith” (Heb. 12:2). When I look longingly at others, then my eyes have shifted off of Jesus, and my selfish desires come to the surface of my heart. When I have this shifted focus, He can’t talk to me. He can’t teach me what I need to learn. The result, I stay in my situation longer than I need to, because I haven’t learned the lesson He had been trying to teach me. I call to Him and He answers me, but if I long to be someone or someplace else, my focus is only on me. My gaze has shifted from seeking Him to trying to move on to greener pastures. Therefore I need to refocus my gaze to Jesus.
- Repent– When my focus has shifted, it’s because my heart has shifted first. My priorities have not been on Jesus and what He wants for my life. Asking God to forgive me is the first step into getting those priorities right. Asking Him to be Lord over your heart again is crucial to changing it!
- Rejoice– I must rejoice over the life He has given me! When I long for someone else’s life, I am telling God, “I don’t like the life You have given me.” Wow! Can you imagine saying that to His face? I need to thank God and rejoice in all circumstances and remember that every good and perfect gift comes from above (1 Thess. 5:18, James 1:17).
This third step helps with the first two. As I begin to thank God for His goodness in my life, I begin to see His hand of protection and love upon me, and it helps me stay focused on Him. He knows the plan, I don’t. I am reminded that I need to give Him control and step out of His way.
So the next time you find yourself looking longingly at someone’s post on Facebook, take a moment and Refocus, Repent, and Rejoice! This might just stop the “grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side” syndrome from spreading!
by Amy Spear | Nov 3, 2015
A hot cup of coffee while wrapped in a plush blanket overlooking a sea of leaves peppering the grass always brings warmth to my soul!
As fall arrives, I awaken to the excitement that a new season brings.
The gathering with friends and family, the pace of life that is mixed with lingering talks over the dinner table and the hustling of holiday shopping, the lazy nights at home where you get nothing accomplished because the sun went to bed hours ago, and don’t forget the much-needed wardrobe change!
Unfortunately, there have been many autumn seasons that have been rushed because of the fast wind of winter. If winter hits too suddenly, the trees go into shock and dump all their leaves before I can truly appreciate their beauty. Winter blows in, and fall is long forgotten about.
Sometimes God needs to work swiftly in our lives to bring about change also. Our first reaction to sudden change is met with disdain and reluctance. Fear, instead of excitement, sets in, and we long for a new season. We want to know all the answers, what the future holds, and all the details along the way.
But God in His gracious and all-knowing power has blown a new wind our way. We must hold firm to the One who holds us.
Yet, if we meet Christ with hesitation, we may find ourselves accepting His blessings, only in time to see that half the leaves have fallen off the tree!
Holding tightly to the blessings of today, prevent our blessings for tomorrow.
Don’t miss the blessings of the season of which God has shifted you. Embrace today and all that He has for you. Then, in Christ’s sovereign will and perfect timing, He will move you again, and a new season will start!
“When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore. But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along” (Acts 27:13-15).
by Amy Spear | Oct 20, 2015
Is there a part of your day that you look forward to the most?
My favorite part of the day is dinner time. It’s time for me to catch up with my kids and husband and spend some quality time with each other. Telling stories and sharing in the exciting things that took place in our day brings blessings to my soul.
We play a game called High/Low. Everyone has to share their favorite part of the day, their High, then they share their saddest part of the day, their Low. I started to notice that one of my little ones wanted to share their low with everyone first before sharing their high. Then it turned into sharing two lows while trying to think of a high for the day. This new habit sat uneasy in my heart. I began to see my own dissatisfaction in the day’s happenings through my child’s attitude.
Am I seeing the blessing in my entire day or only clinging to one good thing. Will dwelling on the negative bring about good things or bad things in my life?
God began to prompt my heart with scripture:
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1Thess. 5:18).
“A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit” (Prov. 15:13).
(Phil. 4:8).
All these verse added up to us needing a change of heart. Instead of dwelling on the negative, we needed to thank God for all the things in our day no matter the circumstance. I still want to hear about the things that hurt their hearts, but I want to develop an attitude of gratitude within my children while they are young, so it will become second nature to them.
Now when we sit down for dinner, I ask them to name two Highs from their day. And boy do I get some sweet quality time with my babies! I get so much more information from them as they think about the good things that happened and the excitement to share those blessings with the whole family.
What about you? Do you need a change of heart like me? Do you tend to dwell on the “lows” of your day instead of your “highs”? Ask God to give you awareness of your attitude, so you may recall the verses above and give thanks in all your circumstances! It will be a worthy pursuit for your day my friend!
