Wednesday, December 9, 2009

the first gift of christmas

Today I received my first gift this Christmas.
A beautiful locket with an excerpt from the poem "Footprints" on the back.

It's a rather poignant gift, although I'm not sure the giver knows how poignant.

I have been wrestling with issues of trust lately. Things haven't played out as I hoped they would during my time here and so I've been a bit disheartened the last few weeks. To combat this I have been reminding myself of the promises the Lord has made me and reminding him of them as well.

During our gathering on Sunday evening we talked about God as Father. We took time to lay our burdens and cares at his feet, reiterating our faith that he is big enough to carry them. As we did this and as we watched Rob Bell's video Rain I was actually thinking about the poem Footprints. It's a classic Christian, slightly cheesy poem. But it conveys a brilliant and life changing truth. We don't always understand the way the Father is at work in our lives. We don't always understand why things don't work out the way we want them to. But we can rest assured that he is at work and that he is working out (and redeeming if necessary) all things for our good.

So a very big Thank You to Jim and Eileen for this meaningful and beautiful Christmas gift.

1 comment:

Lacy said...

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.

IS 62:6-7