What I Really Want You to Know This Christmas (And All Year)

Nothing is impossible with God.

No really, nothing.

That’s what the angel told Mary right after he said that she would give birth to Jesus. Savior-of-the-world-Jesus.

But before all that, the angel Gabriel went to Zechariah, husband to Elizabeth, who was a relative of Mary’s. Gabriel told Zechariah: Dude, your wife is going to have a baby, even though you’re both old. 

Well, the Bible says “well along in years” but it's the same thing basically. (Luke 1:7) 

The baby would be named John. 

John the Baptist.

Zechariah, like any human being, was a little skeptical. He wanted to know how he could be sure. Because he didn’t believe, the angel caused Zechariah to become mute until his child would be born.

So fast-forward a bit. Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant now. 

Gabriel, the angel, visits Mary. He tells her that she’s going to have a baby who “will be called the Son of the Most High God” (verse 32). Mary wanted to know how this would happen... 

The angel explained and then said in verses 36 and 37: “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who is said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

Nothing is impossible with God. 

The fact is that the angel proved it by saying that Mary’s old family member was pregnant too. Mary wasn’t alone. And this crazy thing that the angel was saying-was actually quite possible.

For nothing is impossible with God.

This Christmas, I want you to know that God sent Jesus as a gift for your salvation. 

I want you to know that He is the only reason for the season. 

I want you to celebrate those things.

But I also want you to celebrate the fact that nothing is impossible with God. Nothing.

You're not outside His reach. He is beside you always, drawing you close.

Your cancer is not too bad. He is stronger than your sickness.

Your finances are not too tight. God is more than enough.

Your heart is not too broken. He is the Mender of Broken Hearts.

Your life is not too messed up. He is the Life-Redeemer.

You are not too______. God is everything you need.

No more looking at your life through the lens of doom. 

Take off those ridiculous blinders. Let the scales fall from your eyes.

Jesus is bringing sight. 

Sight for all of the miracles He is doing in your life daily. 

Let the New Year be one of new vision, as you see things as God sees them. 

Nothing is impossible with God.

Not Enough Room

I’ve always known that tithing was important. I knew that the Bible says that we are to give God 10%. I knew that God blesses those who tithe, but I didn’t really know. And I didn’t know where the promise was- and I wanted to see it.

So, when I was younger, I got an allowance when I helped do chores. It wasn’t a crazy amount of money, but I was always encouraged by my parents to give 10% to God.

A little while ago, I was a helper in the 2nd grade Sunday School class at my church. The teacher is known by me (and many others) as Sister Kathy.

I’ve known Sister Kathy practically my entire life. She taught me in Sunday School, taught me sister in preschool, and we work together every summer at the same preschool.

Of course, I was glad that I’d be helping in her class. She is an amazing person, with God-stories and teacher-stories that inspire me. She cares. She cares for her family, her students, and her church- like no one else I know.

She told those 2nd graders a story about tithing. I hope I don’t get it wrong... The story was about her daughter, who really wanted a hat from the store. Basically, it would cost her entire allowance, with no 10% to give God. Sister Kathy encouraged her daughter to tithe, but let her decide what she wanted to do. 

Her daughter chose to tithe and not get the hat. 

I don’t remember how much time passed, but then they went to a relative’s house. That relative had bought that very same hat for Sister Kathy’s daughter.

I listen closely to the story; I’m just as captivated as the 2nd grader next to me. I remember Sister Kathy saying that she didn’t even tell the relative about the hat. She was showing the children how God truly blesses us when we obey Him.

The story was for the kids, but it was for me too.

Since then, I’ve been trying to faithfully give God the tiny, 10%, He asks for. 

I’m just trying to honor God and trust Him.

He certainly has blessed me back, with more than I thought.

I worked a lot this summer, so the last tithe kinda hurt. 

School started and everybody knows how expensive it is. 

Parting with the tithe this month was the hardest it’s ever been for me.

Yet, God honors His promise. (Yes, it’s another promise.)

I babysat this past week and am babysitting again tonight.

And God has already given me almost double what I gave Him.

I’m amazed at how God works. Always revealing, blessing, giving.

I wanted to see it, in the Word of God, for myself. The command to tithe is in Leviticus, but the part I was looking for was in Malachi 3. Verse 10 is below: 

 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. 

Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see 

if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing 

that there will not be room enough to store it.”

Ahh, go read it again. Please.

There will not be room enough to store it.

There won’t be enough room to store all the blessings that God will pour down from heaven on you. 

He said to test Him- and see that Jehovah Jireh, the Provider, meets all your needs- and then more. 

More blessings than you have room for.

A Lesson From Bugs?!

The preschoolers at my job are sort of obsessed with bugs. We have about a dozen “bug catchers”, which are plastic containers that have a little magnifying glass. They are quite a high demand toy.

It’s funny because the kids pick up those gross little bugs- and carry them around for hours. They will show anyone who will look.

I’m not a fan of bugs (ha, SUCH an understatement!) but I try to be brave for my kiddies. When they ask me to look- I try to be fascinated. When they ask/beg me to touch- I tell them to go ask another teacher!

They help each other look for the good bugs, which are beetles, ladybugs, worms, and anything with wings. Sometimes they put grass in the containers so the bugs will have a snack. Sometimes they cry when the bug escapes. I usually say the bug just wants to find his Mommy out in the grass. Sometimes that stops the tears.

One day in particular, a little girl came up to me with a frown on her cute little face. She had an empty container in her hands. I gave her the usual speech: “The bugs like to hide in the sidewalk cracks and in the grass. Look there first. And ask your friend to help you look.”

Countless times I’ve told the kids this.

She tells me that she looked already and couldn’t “find no bugs.” Her face is sad, eyes about to water. She plops down next to me and complains that she won’t EVER find a bug. It’s just too hard.

I tell her softly that maybe she was looking in the wrong places and that maybe she gave up too fast. And then the hard truth. She won’t ever find a bug if she just sits here and whines about it. I hug her, and encourage her to stand up and look again. Look carefully.

And then, for a split second, I realize how foolish I’ve been. I look for God, in all the places I expect to find Him. Church. The Bible. Worship. Quiet time. And yes, God is there. 

Yet, sometimes I feel like He isn’t. 

And now I see that I’ve been going about this all wrong.

We look for God. 

We give up. 

We go sit. We whine. 

We claim we looked, but it’s just too hard and we won’t EVER find Him.

But He is omnipresent. Everywhere.

The girl gets up, disappears. Totally committed to finding that bug. 

And then, a few moments later, she catches one- a good one.

You see, we have to seek Him. We have to seek Him with everything inside of us- and then we’ll see that He is indeed, all around. He IS in those places, but He is inside of us too. We have to stop whining and complaining.

So just like that little preschooler, who decided to get up and get looking, we have to decide that we’re going to stop talking about seeking God- and actually do it. 

Actually, really and truly, seek Him.

He’s all around, wanting to be found.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. 

~ Jeremiah 29:13-14a