Open the Advent Window to Let Others See Jesus in You! - Revisited

Open the Advent Window...

My sister, our cousin, and myself

This is a rerun from three years ago (2015).  It's interesting that this picture popped up today in my "Facebook Memories" from 3 years ago. I had forgotten that I had written this post from that special day. After re-reading it tonight, I wondered about that lady I met that day...and I was prompted by the Lord to pray for her and her family again.  And tonight I just learned of the passing of a dear younger sister to my precious friend Sharon...(Sharon is the one we've been praying for who has cancer...and now her sister has passed away very unexpectedly). I can't get to my friend right now to give her a hug, but I've sent my love to her in a phone call as soon as I heard the sad news. 

You know, when you've lost someone you love, three years really doesn't erase that grief.  I know this from experience. After four and 1/2 years there are moments when we still need that extra hug from someone who understands what it feels like to say goodbye to a dear child or other loved one...so note to self: Remember what this feels like and reach out to others during this season and let others see Jesus in You!


Original Post 12/11/2015:
Yesterday my sister, my hubby and I had the pleasure of visiting with a dear cousin and his wife from afar...meaning we live many states apart and rarely have the opportunity to get together. So this was truly special. After a delightful lunch we went out onto the porch of the restaurant to chat further and to take some family pictures.  We were having such a wonderful time together, laughing and snapping pictures of each other and carrying on like what we were...a group of people happy to be together.

We realized that we didn't have anyone to take a picture of our entire group, so we asked  the next people who came out of the door of the restaurant if anyone would mind snapping a picture for us. A lady volunteered, and so we posed and she very kindly took our picture.

Here we all are, smiling and feeling thankful for a stranger's kindness.

We thanked her as she started to leave, and she turned and said that they were on their way to another state for the funeral of her nephew, who had been tragically killed in an auto accident that week.  I could see that she was about to cry.  Suddenly I felt guilty for our giddiness in the face of her sorrow, but of course, we did not know.  The Holy Spirit prompted me to embrace her, and to tell her that we would pray for her. As I wrapped my arms around her, I could feel her holding on to me with such emotion...she truly needed that hug...and she thanked me for the promise of the prayers. It was as if there was a transference of energy between us in that moment of time...a Holy Transfer...and as we separated I was almost overcome with emotion myself.  I realized that I needed that hug as well...it was as if I could feel her pain and sorrow...and then it dawned on me.  It wasn't all that long ago that my own precious son left this earth for heaven and there have been many occasions that I truly needed a hug, and others were there for me.

After we all parted and went our separate ways, I couldn't get this dear one off of my mind. I wondered if she thought I was crazy for hugging a complete stranger.  But I realized that it wasn't really me...it was JESUS reaching out to her through me.  It was His Holy Spirit prompting me to action.  It was a divine sense of empathy, actually feeling her pain, that caused me to spring into action.

This Jesus, the "babe in the manger" whose birth we celebrate each Christmas, grew up to sacrifice His life for us...and He is acquainted with our sorrows and grief.  Isaiah the prophet told us long before Jesus' birth that He would do this for us:

Isaiah 53:2-4

"For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows..."

What a comfort to know that our Savior knows our hearts and carries our sorrow!  This experience with this  perfect stranger yesterday ministered to my heart as well as I trust it ministered to her. And what can I learn from this experience?

• Don't be afraid to open your heart to the sorrow of others
• Listen to the prompting of God's Holy Spirit when He speaks to your heart
• Obey that prompting...don't hold back because of fear that you will be misunderstood
• Let others see the Jesus living in you! That is what Christmas is all about....Jesus came to earth to draw us to Himself...and to save us...and to live through us so that others will be saved and find rest for their souls.

So, today's Advent message is to Open the window of your heart...and let others see Jesus in you!

That leads to pure JOY!  Jesus...Others...You... J-O-Y!!!