Do you know what Christmas color isn’t actually a happy color? Red.
There is a famous painting that is basically a giant red canvas which seems easy to take in or pass over. Yet, the artist's intent is that you stand up close to the canvas and be consumed by the red. We tend to look at our emotions this time of year like that giant red canvas; something we can take in at a distance but don’t actually have time to get up close and personal with. However, God, as the artist of emotion, intended for us to encounter the canvas of our Christmas and see what’s really below the surface.
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"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
-Luke 2:10-12, NIV When people see you, what do you think they see? All your accolades or accomplishments? A potential success or failure? A social status or label? When the angels first appeared, the shepherds freaked out. So, the angels validated God's words by saying, "And this will be a sign to you..." Sometimes, like the shepherds, we need proof that we actually play a great part in God's story and that His Word is true for us. Even though Jesus is no longer physically here lying in a manger, He is still present, living, and active on earth. So, how do we know God’s words are true for us? What is our sign? 
You’ve probably heard the story of David and Goliath. David is a scrawny teenager who decides to slay a giant in a war he wasn’t old enough to fight in. The King at the time, Saul, tries to protect David by at least giving him some armor to wear. Notice what happens:
"Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off." - 1 Samuel 17:38-39, NIV Take a moment to imagine David as he straps on all that heavy gear and it weighs his awkward teenage body down. The metal clangs around, his feet shuffle under the weight, and he can’t quite see out of the helmet on his head. So what does he do? He takes it off. As I've been studying about David’s life for work, I’m realizing just how much we have to learn from this moment! How often do we put on other people’s armor and pray it does the trick for us?  This is not something I’m proud of…
But I tend to choose grumbling over gratitude. Instead of asking “What’s the best thing that could happen?” I find myself catastrophizing and wondering what the worst could be in this situation. I can point out a negative over a positive in a second. In times of stress, my world becomes black and white— here’s what’s working and here’s what’s not. There is no in between. As I’ve aged, I’ve also become more self-aware and have worked on this over the years. Here’s the main thing I’ve learned: Gratitude and grumbling cannot co-exist. Possibly this is why 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The “all circumstances” part is the hardest, right? It’s easier to wish for or whine about the greener grass rather than put in the work to cultivate the land we've been given. When we long for healing, it’s incredibly hard to give thanks to the Healer who hasn’t come through yet. At times it can seem safer to uproot instead of sink your roots deep into something and make it grow. It’s our human default to want more rather than make the most of it. However, the secret to contentment is living life as one great big thank you note to God. It's not wanting more but making more of our moments. It's being present enough to soak up the potential in the place we're in-- the dry and weary land or the celebrated promised one. If you find yourself grumbling today, try gratitude instead. Just try it. You may find that your passive aggressive comments turn into praise, anxiety gives way to peace, and notice the beautiful things in the broken place. Here’s how to start… 
This past week has been a rollercoaster. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you may know that I’ve struggled with anxiety and waves of insomnia for years. As that resurfaced for me recently, I’ve had to go back to old writings and reels to give myself a pep talk and remind me of the fact that I’ve come through before. What God has already done, He can do again.
Suffering, despite how incredibly painful or uncomfortable it may be, is often our best teacher. It is there in the fire that we, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, become aware of, drawn to and dependent upon another in the midst of the blaze, sustaining us through. When the heat dies down and we are finally delivered, we see that Jesus was with us even in the messy middle, held our hand when our struggles have threatened to take us out, and allowed us to step out without even the smell of smoke so that He may get the glory. People too notice how we suffered and came through to the other side They see that the miracles and hope we bear witness to in the impossible circumstances can only be attributed to a great God. While we hate our pain, both attacks from the enemy and self-inflicting wounds, God always gives it purpose. In seasons of suffering, our thanksgiving is a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). When my hallelujah is worn out, here are three things I have been so grateful for that carry me through until a strong song of praise is back on my lips… 
In one of the most polarizing elections in America’s history, we the people have elected Donald Trump to be our next president of the United States of America. Some are thrilled and others are brokenhearted. Many are celebrating while others are rocked with fear or disbelief. Due to social media and those with concrete opinions blasting their stances, we can forget that there is also an entire population who feel neither red nor blue, but gray. They didn't know who to vote for or chose a third party candidate and are watching the sea of voices and news headlines roll in and wondering how the tide will wash out.
It would be incredibly easy this week to hop over to a favorite social media outlet to vent, seek solace from a comment section, or leave something nasty in the feed of an outspoken individual with a view that opposes our own. There, take that! But, what if we didn’t? What if we allowed this month that is blanketed in the theme of gratitude to actually inspire us to unity instead?  As I was flipping through an old book a few days ago, a paper bookmark fell out and skidded across the floor. I strolled over to its landing place and picked it up. Instantly, I noticed the title of the writing inscribed across the paper placeholder, “Prayer for Local and National Elections.” It was a prayer from Derek Prince Ministries that dated back to October of 1980. While it was written forty-four years ago during the Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter presidential race, it couldn’t have been more timely for us today.
Rather than me try to reach for words, I think God wanted us to find this paper so we can again borrow this prayer as we head into election week 2024:  A gracious friend offered me their old desk. It’s a beautiful, white set up complete with a bookcase. Excitedly, I began to pull my Bible study books I had been keeping in our family bookshelf into my own work desk. Next I reached for my old Bibles and devotional books, anything really I knew I’d be pulling from for writing projects in the future. Out of all my nerdy treasures, I stumbled across a devotional book I had read through in college and tumbling out from the worn pages were some old prayer cards. Unable to resist combing back over the over-a-decade-old cries of my heart, I scanned the lists. There were names and specifics for what I was asking God for. There were sins I was struggling with. Tears began to pool up in my eyes as I realized that so much of what I had prayed for then, God had answered. It was wild!
There were requests like to “bless my future husband and family” while I now am married with three beautiful girls. I saw where I asked that God would allow me to “write a book someday for young girls” and to “let my music and writing reach many ears and eyes for the Gospel” while I simultaneously stared at copies of my books, have my next ghostwriting project in the works, and am planning worship sets and packing up my guitar for a women’s retreat this weekend. I don’t tell you this so you think, “Wow, good for you Kaley.” I’m sharing because I am ashamed that I had forgotten. As the years have passed so also has it slipped from my mind that God has fulfilled so much. I am walking everyday present day on the foundations of a past answered prayer. Instead of living in gratitude for that, I have been grumbling to God about my recent anxiety and insomnia flareups. My mind has been consumed with worry instead of praise. Do you ever find yourself in a state of grumbling instead of gratitude too? Aren’t we all prone to forget what the Lord has done? This is probably why the word “remember” is one of the most frequently used words in the Bible. And why there are verses like Ephesians 5:20 that command us to “always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We as humans are naturally bent toward negativity and, if we aren’t intentional about reconfiguring our mind to dwell on the goodness of God, we will find ourselves missing our blessings for our burdens. 1 Samuel 12:14 instructs us to “be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” Here are two quick ways we can shift from grumbling to gratitude…  If You Find Yourself Struggling with Anxiety or Depression Today…
First and foremost, you are not alone. I’ve had several bad nights of sleep and have felt on the verge of a panic attack for over a week now. I can’t put my finger on why, but for years I’ve battled through cycles of this. Even while covering it in prayer, going to counseling, taking medication at times, and doing “all the right things.” So, I want you to know that you are never alone to your very core. There is a God who loves you just are you are. There are churches, communities, and people at arms length who will surround you in your season of struggle and hold you up when you are weak. I sent my husband a text this morning that said, “Sorry I suck.” Because it’s so tempting to buy into the lie that needing help or confessing your struggle with anxiety or depression makes you weak. Here was his reply in case you need this reminder too- “You don’t suck.” You are not a burden. By keeping this inside, you’re not only eating away at your sanity, you’re robbing someone, possibly even an entire community from the opportunity to bless and carry you. "But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” -Ephesians 5:13 If this season feels exceptionally dark to you, bring it to the light. It may feel like only a glimmer at first, but the night will give way to morning. Here are some practical ways to start...  Just last week, I watched my college town and the Blue Ridge Mountains that have served as my second home be decimated by Hurricane Helene. Even as I type this, another hurricane, category 4 storm Milton, is just hours away from slamming into Florida’s shoreline and is expected to bring catastrophic devastation. We are a matter of weeks away from one of the most polarizing and (dare I say) exhausting elections in America’s history. Wars are escalating in the Middle East. My heart is pulled in one thousand directions and breaking for a handful of reasons and this doesn’t even include any personal problems, like the new roof and AC unit our house needs or the fact that my eldest daughter has outgrown her pants and needs a winter coat.
You have your own version of this top paragraph don’t you? Together, we are reading the news headlines and scrolling on social media and our souls are shattering. People need help. Maybe even we ourselves need help. We want to pray but this is all so overwhelming. So, where do we start? This isn’t like we’re asking Jesus for a nice car. None of those shiny things have any significance at all right now. These are matters of life or death. This is survival. How do we find words to wrap up our devastating and divisive moment in order to bring it all to the feet of Jesus? What do we say when we don’t know what to pray anymore? |
