Peace Like a River

The above is a painted canvas embossed with wooden letters. I got the idea from Pinterest, my latest web obsession (aka websession). 

When we first started this blog, Leslie didn't take long to name the page "It is Well" (so that she could start sharing her thoughts!!) and told Sarah and I that we had free reign to change it if we wanted to. However, I thought it was perfect and so fitting, especially for the points the three of us were in at that time. We'd never really considered anything else! There used to be a time in my life where things were not so well with my soul. Even after many years of being a Christian had passed, while not necessarily always walking alongside my Sweet Savior, things were not well with my soul. But things changed, and not by my own efforts. The Holy Spirit awakened by soul by knocking really heavily on my hard head in October 2006 when I realized I had been trying to "do life" by my own strength for far too long. What a crazy thought! I flung that hard-headed door wide open as if welcoming a close family member to stay for a while. The metaphorical door stop I used was apparently one that did not have good grip on the floor, as the door s l o o o w l y drifted to a propped position through material successes, going through school, and figuring out what to do with the rest of my life. The Holy Spirit then came again and knocked more heavily a second time, literally bringing me to my knees, in December 2009. Prayer had not been a huge part of my life until this point. Neither had close close close community in the church. (It was just more like unity among church friends - missing the closeness and the community altogether!) I had just graduated from college and was about to start my new job I worked so hard for, so this was a sort of make-it-or-break-it point in my relationship with Christ. I am so glad our Lord never gives up on us! And I'm so glad that I answered the knock!! Things are so very well with my soul right now, and I wish the same for others. I would like to encourage you to also feel free to shout from the rooftops "It is Well With My Soul!!! And I don't care who knows it!!!" This is one of my FAVORITE HYMNS of all time. I could sing it all the day long, and just reading the words makes me feel so peaceful!

~LeeAnn

It Is Well With My Soul (click link to listen)

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford

"That Time of Year"

A lot of music plays in my head in a sort of whimsical medley ---CONSTANTLY. Of course, right now, I have Christmas carols and jingles and jollies rotating their way through my sing-song brain. "Jingle bells, falalalala farararara, winter wonderland, harking the herald, ye faithful coming...it's the most wonderful time of the year!" 

These past few weeks have been filled with folks trying to spread Christmas cheer by spending endless amounts of money to present their friends with gifts. Not just regular gifts of hugs, laughter, and time well-spent. Not just kindness, and loving, and cheerful giving. But more like a type of giving that has turned away from voluntary representations of love and appreciation and into mandatory searching for material items that are down to the nitty-gritty detailed specifications of the receiver.

What happened to the mystery of material Christmas gifts, anyway? Does anyone really not know what you'll be receiving this year? The gifts, they can't all be surprises, but can any of them? Back when Jesus was born, I'm sure Mary and Joseph didn't request the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh they received. I can just see it now, "Where's their registry??" The origin of Christmas gift-giving is found in the Bible in Matthew 2, where the Wise Men offered these gifts to Baby Jesus (but probably when he was more like 18-24 months old, according to some Study Bibles). At your eyes' first passing, it seems they literally just dropped the gifts and ran to escape King Herod who was cray-cray, and they were warned against him in a dream... because they probably didn't really understand the true symbolism of their participation in the world's first baby shower! (Baby showers were previously held to shower the baby with gifts, not just the parents... but parents really do need all the help they can get from family and friends!)

You know what I'm giving my family this year? Trash bags. They're useful and meaningful in more ways than one. Sure, you don't have to buy any for a while for the kitchen or the yard clippings or to pack up all your Christmas decorations in or throw away the wrapping paper. They are also good reminders that we all probably have too much junk lying around that could either be thrown away in these bags, never to be seen again. Or maybe you realize they will be good for collecting up things you don't really need anymore, but a family down the street is struggling to obtain. I hope that this year, my gift of trash bags (and yes, I got some for myself!) helps me remember a few more things than the fact that the kitchen can needs to be emptied. However, giving material things to those in need means nothing without the truest meaningful gift of all.

What is a true and meaningful gift? The BEST gift we could ever give friends or family is to share with them the love of Christ, and our purpose in this world - to faithfully serve Him only and explicitly share the Good News that God sent His Son into this world to die for our sins, and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life in Christ! How ironic is it that the BEST gift we have ever received is also the BEST gift we can give! Hallelujah!

~LeeAnn