A Christmas to remember

It's Christmas day and I have the opportunity to make a delivery just like ol St. Nick.
I really can't think of anything more exciting, other than riding in a sleigh, pulled by reindeers, through the snow. But we've gotta go with what we've got.

My husband and I pack up the car, load the dog food and toys and pie and turkey, and head out to a place we've never been. Looking forward to the adventure, we head out across town and down an old lone highway, take a few more county roads which land us right out in the middle of what seems like nowhere. But just when we round a sharp turn we can make out the remnants of an old town, a dilapidated house here, an old barn over there and a few churches that have been vacant for nigh on 30 years.
Looking hard in hopes of not missing the place, we see a small trailer with a weathered porch and a few dogs wagging their tails in excitement. 

This must be the place.
An older gentleman, with thin and greying hair, whom I had only met once before, greets us with a warm smile and a big hug. He seems brighter today than the first time I met him. Maybe he was looking forward to the company. He welcomes us in for an unusual visit this Christmas day.

This rare meeting could only have been orchestrated by God himself.
Just a few days prior I received a message from a friend who wanted to make a donation. She asked if I knew anyone who might be in need of dog food. I thought for a minute, almost refusing her gift and sending her to another rescue group. But, then I recalled a lesson I have been learning...
The importance of receiving God's blessings..
So I accepted the donation.

It was when I chose to receive her gift, that the blessing came. 

A memory of a man I had helped one day while doing relief work at a certain veterinary clinic appeared suddenly on the forefront of my thoughts. 

This man had rescued many dogs and was discouraged because he had recently been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. The depression disfigured him. During our time at the clinic, he spoke only about dying. 

His concern for the dogs' lives and well-being far exceeded the care or concern for his own life. He feared for their care after his death. 

This memory had never left me.

This lesson of receiving blessings when they present themselves was one of great importance. It came with my transfiguration. It came when I began learning a new way to live. 

This new life is constructed on sowing and reaping, giving and receiving.
This has proven to be both an exciting and unusual way to live. 

It is quite different than the life I knew before.  It takes preparation of the heart to live this way. It may sound easy to some but for others it can prove very difficult.
I am one of the "others." 

At one time I was very proud of who I had become, I wore my independence like a 1st place ribbon. I never looked to others for help or hand-outs or what some may call charity. While I would give when others were in need, I would not dare ask for anything for myself.
But during my transition, my purging or releasing of MY old ways and ideas, I had to learn to receive, not just for myself but for others.

This kingdom life style calls for us to be as dependent as children, co-dependent really.
God wants us totally dependent on Him.
This life calls for us to be a river of blessings to those around us.
It calls for us to be vessels so that all the goodness of the Lord can flow into us and through us.

Jesus spoke of it this way,
"...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink....out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:37,38 KJV

When we practice building our world totally dependent on our self, we tend to forget about the world around us.
BUT,
When we build our world totally dependent on God, we realize that none of it is ours anyway. And when blessings come to us, we can take what we need and pass the rest.

When we become a river, rather than a stagnant pond, we stay in a continuous flow of blessings.
This is truly the blessed life. 

We are blessed to be a blessing. 

This is how we were meant to live, always caring for our neighbor and/or anyone in need. 

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" 1 John 3:17

Receiving this gift, this possession for another, allowed me to spend quite an unusual Christmas day, visiting with a new found friend and sharing in the life they once lived.

As we walked into the tiny abode, we were greeted by the many rescued dogs and even cats. 

As we took our places on the worn out chairs, with Paris Hilton and Benji (see below) we were handed a envelope of old pictures, beautiful pictures. The trailer was empty and quiet. A few things here and there, but most everything else, he had given away. 

He was preparing for the end and laughed when he said, 

"You know, you can't take it with you!"

We laughed and cried as we listened to both the joyful and devastating events of his life. He had lived quite a colorful life and had traveled all over but through the years, life had drained every penny he made and dealt him as he said, " a hard hand." 

The past 10 years had been the hardest with the death of both his wife and his son. Their deaths fell within only a few months of each other, taking quite a toll on the old man's heart. Now, in what he calls the final days of his life, he shares his living space with many rescue dogs and a few cats that he has helped along the way. The dogs were, at all times, in his lap or at his feet.  

We looked through astounding pictures of his mother, a tiger and lion trainer for the Ringling Brother's circus in the 50's and 60's.

I was beginning to see our spiritual connection. 

 

We heard wonderful stories of her career. She stayed on the road and in entertainment. At one time, she even shared a room with Rosemary Clooney, appeared in some short scenes with Humphrey Bogart and landed a show or two with Jackie Gleason.

This man, however, was kept under the wing of his grandmother most of his life, until he was drafted to Vietnam. Here he can be seen working with some of his mom's tigers while on leave from the war.

Leaving this man alone was not so easy, not after hearing about the difficulties of his life. But we knew He was not alone. We knew the Lord had sent us there for many reasons, some of which we may never know. But He was a lost little sheep and His Shepherd wanted him back. He just needed a vessel to flow through.

Driving away I thought about the vastness of our Father's love. His passion to reach the heart of every man on earth. I thought about how it must feel to be distanced or estranged from your own creation, your own child. I thought how our God must feel when the walls of our heart keep Him at bay.
Then I thought about the intricacies of his plan to reach ONE hurting heart. Then I thought about what was needed for that plan to go forth.
It started with a willingness of one person.
Then this person offered a gift.
Then this gift had to be received. 

"What if I had refused my friend's offering?"
Or, "What if this man had refused the gift?"

Blessings can only arrive when we are ready to receive them.
And there are many who miss life's blessings every day.
It may be that they are not recognized.
Or maybe that we are not prepared or in expectation.
Maybe we are just preoccupied, or possibly not even interested.
Or it may be that we are too proud.

"Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." Proverbs 16:19

This Blessed life blossoms when we arrive at a place with 

a willingness to receive, 

a place of want, 

a place of dependency. 

It is then that our Shepherd can herd us, it is then that He can reach us, and there can bless us. This blessing can then flow through us, to the world around us. This is how the Christian life was truly meant to be lived.

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:12-17

God has already offered up the most precious gift, His only Son. It is just us who must take it, us who must receive, then us who must share this gift with others. 

Jesus, the most precious blessing, sent to us, God's children, as a gift of eternal salvation that through Him we may enjoy all the blessings of this life; health, wealth, joy, peace and love.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6-7

Some will never receive this gift.

Some will turn it away.

Some will only take salvation but leave all the other gifts behind.

Others, the ones who are ready to receive, will take it all: salvation, healing, unconditional love, prosperity, protection, long life, joy, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

 

This is Kingdom living. A well-spring, a never ending river of blessings, flowing through us and to the world around us, so that ALL the nations of the earth will be blessed.

 

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ." Ephesians 1:3