I Have Only...

...to step in any given direction...

...to do one task a day to change any part of my life...

...to focus one hour per day to see new life, new breath, new joy...

I have only to choose...a glance to the left, a shuffle to the right and voila, a window, a door, open to new adventures, new people, new life.

This morning as I completed my time with an elderly man in my community and readying him for church, I was committed to attending myself...every thought saying yes, let's go spend time in the company of others all gathering for one reason. To love on lil baby Jesus and His arrival in Bethlehem that fateful beautiful day so long ago.

And here I sit...minutes into a church service already started, people chatting, laughing, then singing to a God they know without a doubt is with them, every day. Years and years of experiences, of knowledge...

And here I sit...after arriving home I waffled, I stuttered until it was too late...in my way (in recent years) I worried and wondered...would God be disappointed in me?

Would I fall from grace?

Oh my dear friends...we wander so far into the desert, we travail and journey through dangerous swamps full of gators and h'ants, and each step of the way HE is there...

"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:8-13

No matter where we go, no matter the choices we make, He is there.

Oh yes, I suppose there are times He is disappointed, but not with us, rather the choice that would lead us away from what He meant for us; for good, for comfort, for peace.

This morning...would have been for me. For my comfort, for my peace, for that connection we all need with others. It was for me.

It is for us...these things we feel called to do, are for our benefit, for our growth. Never for a moment believe that it would take you from Christ. Oh, it may block if it is of a particularly heinous nature, or one that will dibilitate us further...but that block comes from our own knowledge of failure and mistakes. Nothing separates us faster from a loving Father than our own shame. Cuts us off at the knees...

I pray this morning you hear my heart, dear treasures. Nothing can separate us from God but US. He waits patiently...lovingly...with great forebearance and long-suffering. Always.

So...as we near that special day when Christ was Born...let us remember this; we are loved with an all-encompassing love that covers all sin, that waits for our turning face and heart to the Sun.

May your heart soften, may your heart be full of thanksgiving and grace.

May God be with you each moment as you walk your path through this life.