What If..........

                                                             What If..........

all the things you've worried about, never happened?

all the things you've worried about, do happen?

all the scars you've carried all your life were suddenly removed?

all the scars you've carried all your life were suddenly multiplied?

we can't  change anything?

we can change everything?

we spend our days in fear?

we spend our days in praise?

God doesn't answer our prayers?

God does answer our prayers?

praise really does change things?

praise shifts our perspective from fear and darkness to calmness and light?

we have nowhere to turn in our time of need?

we have Jesus and we know that He is enough?

there was no birth of our Savior?

there was no Cross in His future?

now is the best time to thank Jesus?

now is the ONLY time you'll have to thank Jesus?

what if................what if....................what if..................

These were some of the "what if's" that was like a swirling mass in my mind while I was preparing our meal today.         There was a few I left out, but you get the picture.         We/I spend so many of our/my hours thinking about the "what if's".            "What if" I forget all about those "what if's" and live life thinking "this is the day the Lord has made and I will be glad and rejoice in it."  

I'm so thankful that we have a Savior that made Himself known to the common, plain, ordinary people.  How much more common, plain, and ordinary can you get than sheep herders?          The multitude of angels appeared to them and heralded the birth of Christ.             The multitude of angels appeared to lowest of the low, because sherherds were the lowest of the low in that society.            What if............the angels had went to heads of state and made that great announcement?              Do you actually think we, the common, plain, ordinary, lowest of the low would have ever heard that we have Hope in Jesus Christ?          I can assuredly say, No, we would never have heard about the Good News of Jesus Christ had the angels made the announcement to the heads of state.              Good news though, we know that He came for us!!!          And we know that He knows about every one of our "what if's" and He loves us anyway.   

He knows about every one of your "what if's".              He knows about everyone of my "what if's", those mentioned and all those I purposefully left out.           So, as we continue to contemplate all the "what if's" that come to mind, let's quickly give them to Jesus.         Let's be quick to relinquish anything and everything that we can't do anything about.        Truly, that's most everything we think about.        As we do contemplate those things, I try to be ever vigilant to thank Him for all He's done for me.       "What if"....................He had not been born to be our Savior?       "What if"............He isn't fully God?         "What if"...........the Cross wasn't His destiny?         "What if"............the ressurection never happened?         "What if".............we have no one to help us.

The truth of the matter is this: He was born to be our Savior!!!         He is fully God!!!       The Cross was His destiny from the very beginning of eternity past!!!        The Cross wasn't the end because He is resurrected from the grave and He lives forever and forever!!!         Jesus Christ is our help!!!    

I hope and pray that sometime during this season that we celebrate the birth of our Savior, that we'll think about some of this stuff and that we'll take the time to thank Him for all He's done for us.    He changed the world.          He certainly changed my world.         He changed my world just recently by answering some prayers.          Not just in the way I wanted those prayers answered, because I had done submitted myself to whatever I was going to have to do.        But I poured out my heart and soul to Him, the only One that could make a difference.        He made a difference.        He heard those prayers.       I'm so thankful and grateful to Him for that.          I don't know what's waiting in the future, but He does, because He's already there making a way for those of us who know Him.         If you know Him, thank Him.          If you know Him, praise Him.          If you know Him, share Him.        If you don't know Him, why not?             There's no time like the present.             There's no better gift to give yourself than the Gift of Him, a Savior, Jesus Christ.     

This isn't much of a Christmas celebration, but I hope you can find Christmas in this.       "What if"....................salvation is a gift?             It is!!      It's bought and paid for by the One who's birth we are celebrating.          Merry Christmas!!!!       hugs, love and blessings, patty    (pjg 12-25-22)