What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Friday, December 2, 2016

Don't Miss Out! An Advent Message

This morning as I was getting dressed to go somewhere, my adult son was calling to me from the front room saying, "Mom, come look at the deer!"  I was busy brushing my teeth or washing my face or some other "important" activity, and I didn't hear him.  Finally, he came to the door of my bathroom and said, "Mom, you missed it! There were five deer running across our lawn and walking down the road in front of the house!"  So I grabbed my camera and my shoes and my sweater and ran out the door to see if I could see them, but they were long gone by that time. All that I could see were their hoof tracks in the road, heading back into the woods.  Thankfully, my son was able to get a few pictures...not of all the deer at once, but enough to get the idea:




The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to be a good message for advent..."Don't Miss Out!"
Don't get so busy being busy...you know...shopping, decorating, baking, stressing over details...don't get so busy doing all the stuff, and miss out on the real purpose of Christmas!  Don't start fretting over this list and that list, and this event or that event, this gift or that gift...and totally overlook the beauty of the season...

  • the Christ child in the manger...God in the flesh come down to earth...
  • the innocence and beauty of His mother Mary...the virgin girl who trusted God even when she didn't totally understand how this could happen...
  • the obedience and kindness of Joseph...who believed the angelic messenger and trusted God
  • the shepherds watching their flocks and seeing the angelic choir announcing His birth
  • the songs the angels sang..."Glory to God in the Highest!"
  • the star that led the Wise Men
  • the gifts the Wise Men brought from afar
  • the prophets of old foretelling His birth in Bethlehem
  • and on and on and on...

Don't be like the Jewish religious leaders who doubted that this could be the Messiah, because He didn't come to earth like they thought a king should come...and they missed it...they missed the beauty of God's wonderful gift to them...they overlooked this little babe in the manger because they were expecting something else...or they were just too busy at the time to care...

So, if there is any message in these deer running across my lawn this morning...it would be..."don't miss out!"  Pay attention to the things that are really happening around you. Listen to the messages that God is giving you.  Don't miss the significance of Christmas and what it really means to you personally...Jesus came to earth seeking for you!

"From God's heaven to a manger,
from great riches to the poor,
Came the holy Son of God, a little Child;
From the azure hall of heaven
to a lowly manger stall,
Jesus came, and here He gave His life for all.

Chorus:
Redeeming love, a love that knows no limit;
Redeeming love, a love that never dies;
My soul shall sing throughout the endless ages
The adoration of this great love on high.


From a loving heavenly Father,
to a world that knew Him not,
Came a man of sorrows, 
Jesus Christ, the Lord;
In my wandering Jesus found me,
Touched my life with His great love,
And this Babe has grown to be my sovereign Lord.


Chorus:
Redeeming love, a love that knows no limit;
Redeeming love, a love that never dies;
My soul shall sing throughout the endless ages
The adoration of this great love on high."

Redeeming Love, written by Gloria Gaither/William Gaither

So...as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ anew, think about those deer running across my lawn... and "don't miss out!"


14 comments:

  1. An excellent message! We all should be preparing....

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    1. Yes, thank you! Preparing, and stopping to savor the moments along the way!

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  2. Too easy to become too busy, a timely message. Enjoy your Advent countdown :)

    Diana

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    1. Thank you Diana! I am enjoying this "countdown" to Christmas, with happy thoughts of the REAL purpose of Christmas to keep me focused! May your Advent season be blessed as well!

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  3. I don't ever want to miss out!! Thank you Pam for this reminder!

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    1. Somehow, Mary, I don't think you will ever miss out! I believe you are pretty much right there...spot on! But, we all need reminders now and then. Thank you for your diligent witness. You have made an impact on me!

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  4. Just beautiful and wonderful reminder not to miss out. I so enjoy reading your posts Pamela. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed weekend.

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    1. Thank you Toni! I am so glad that you popped in to visit...and that together we are learning to stay "tuned in" to God's beautiful messages that He is sending our way. May your weekend be blessed and filled with good things every day!

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  5. Beautiful post, Pam. We do often miss things in our busyness. Your posts always make me sit back and think for awhile. Love the deer sightings.

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    1. Wow! I am humbled and honored to know that these posts make you 'sit back and think for awhile". That brought a smile to my face, because God makes me sit back and think for awhile before I can even begin to write...and then He always teaches me something in the process. I am so glad you are here in the midst of the messages with me! I am enjoying these special friendships with our blogging friends so much.

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  6. Deer!

    A beautiful glimpse from our screen world into the real world. Thanks. :)

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  7. Lovely photos of the deer. Nice to take time to see the beauty in the world around us. Thank you for a lovely heart felt post.

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  8. Thank you, Pamela, for this sweet and gentle reminder to stay awake, listening with the ears of our hearts, so we don't miss out on all God has to whisper to us at this Advent time. I don't want to miss a thing!
    Blessings!

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  9. Excellent message, Pam, on not missing out. It's amazing how many people, even born again believers seem to "circle the wagons" and declare Christmas Day "family day"--no church (even if Christmas Day falls on Sunday) and NO ONE else is wanted or welcomed. That is missing out on God and the whole reason why we have a reason for this time at all.

    Blessings!

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