Remembering and Anticipating

As I walked into our family room this morning I flipped on the switch that illuminates our Christmas tree and wondered if it would be for the last time this season. We tend to leave up our Christmas decorations longer than most, at least through Orthodox Christmas in honor of my grandmother, but now even that is past.

Yet I couldn’t resist a final stroll around the tree, reminiscing of Christmases past and looking forward to future celebrations, for the brilliant light radiating from the tree invited me to pause for a moment and reflect in the beauty and special meaning of its ornaments.

The angel atop the tree, proclaiming the Good News of the Saviour’s birth (Luke 2:10-11). Mary, Joseph, and the Holy Child in the manger (Luke 2:12-16), because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7). May the room of my heart always be open and welcoming to receive Him. The miniature Bible, for Jesus is the Word Who became flesh (John 1:1-14)

The cake inscribed with “Happy Birthday Jesus,” reminding us that He is the reason for the season. The cross, because He was born to die, to be the perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 7:27; 9:26). And, praise God, the empty tomb! He rose from the dead, proving He was the Son of God, to give all who trust Him eternal life! (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16).

Yet the ornaments also reminded me that He came to give us not only eternal life, but abundant life here and now (John 10:10), from the moment we are born again (John 3:3-8). Every ornament that caught my gaze reminded me of a special, unique blessing. Those given to me long ago call to mind the love, thoughtfulness and generosity of the givers – my mother, and many others no longer with us. Many left this earth long before I was saved, so I don’t know whether they knew Christ, but I hope they did so that we will meet again in Heaven.

A porcelain medallion, “Our First Christmas Together,” for the year God brought my husband and I together, and a key chain from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we met. That year completely changed my life from bleak hopelessness to the thrill of new love and anticipation for a bright future.

A silly felt Rudolph reindeer we picked up at a McDonald’s pit stop as Richard drove me and all my belongings from New York to Florida to begin a new life here with him.  Rudolph sat on the dashboard throughout the trip like a protective watchdog, guarding us through getting lost in Newark, snow storms, engine trouble, and finally having the trailer containing all my furniture stolen.

It was decades before either of us would be saved, but still that reindeer reminds me of God’s provision (Psalm 37:25, Matthew 6:8) protection (Psalm 91:10-12), and perfect plan (Jeremiah 29:11), working all things together for good for those foreknown to be His children (Romans 8:28).

Photo ornaments capturing our son as a toddler; our dance performance in Russia in 1992 as the only amateurs on a professional cultural exchange tour sharing American style dance with thousands of Russians; our audition for Silver Stars in 2014 that resulted in a solo performance at the Grand Old Opry.

Mementos of our son as he grew from a precocious child to a Godly young man: first the curious infant bouncing and exploring on his walker. Then a felt London bobby, to commemorate our Christmas shopping trip to the toy department at Harrod’s when he was four. A wooden piano and guitar inscribed with his name, for God blessed him with musical gifts from an early age. Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, representing a dance my son and I performed when he was only six years old.

The ornaments he made us of popsicle sticks painstakingly glued together and painted as a snowflake, and a felt mitten proclaiming Psalm 103:5: He fills my life with good things. How very fitting! Later an eagle that he traced on metal and inscribed with “On Eagle’s Wings,” (Isaiah 40:31) to commemorate our Theatre Arts dance to that song.

A porcelain ornament of a front door, with the address and date of his first apartment, painted in gold. And now he has embarked on a successful career, has his own house, and is engaged, but praise God, he and his lovely bride-to-be still spend quality family time with us, including our joyous Christmas celebration this year!

Ornaments symbolizing our dance ministry to glorify God: a Nativity and star for “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night.” A heart bursting with flames, and an ice crystal in blue glass, for “Fire of the Spirit” (“melts the heart of ice”). A butterfly for “Transformed,” representing the change in every believer who becomes a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). A graceful ballerina and toy soldier, reminding us of “Christmas Toys Come Alive,” portraying the change from being dead in sin to having new life in Christ (Romans 6:11).

And ornaments from places we have been blessed to visit across the globe, whether performing in Japan, Hong Kong, and Italy; hiking through national parks in Utah; or sightseeing in Ireland, France and Switzerland. 

Truly God has given us richly all things to enjoy! (1 Timothy 6:17) He has entrusted us with many treasures here on earth (James 1:17), but these are only temporary. May we store up treasures in Heaven to enjoy throughout eternity, and may our heart be in heavenly places until then (Matthew 6:19-21).

My stroll around the Christmas tree and down Memory Lane brought to mind a much earlier time -- the evening before our son was born. I walked around the nursery, which we had lovingly prepared and decorated, and I sat in the rocker where I would cradle him in my arms. As I checked all the drawers I had filled with baby clothes, diapers, and other necessities, I imagined what life would be like once he was actually here.

What glorious anticipation! And yet, there is an even more momentous event I am awaiting – the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to call up His children at the Rapture to meet with Him in the air! (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Then in a moment we shall all be changed, given glorified bodies that will never age, weep, feel pain, or die (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Then we shall rule and reign with Him and our loved ones in Him throughout eternity!

Come quickly, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) And while we await your return, may we remember your faithfulness (1 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 30:4; 102:12; John 14:26), abundant blessings, and freely given gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). May we live each day as if it were our last, doing all to your glory!

© 2016 Laurie Collett

Remembering His Faithfulness

Photo of forget-me-not by bc anna 2006

God is so faithful! (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 89:8; Isaiah 25:1; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19; Revelation 3:14). He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and reminders of His loving presence surround us, from the true blue of forget-me-nots on our path, to tender bird songs, to butterflies dancing around us on a gentle breeze.   

 
Yet so many times this past year I hesitated to step out in faith, hindered by fear or doubt, tempted to trust in my own sorry flesh (Romans 7:18), yet realizing how totally inadequate I am.  But the constant cure was and is to remember that He is unchanging (James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8) and faithful, even when we are not. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but with Him, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26)

Not only is His grace sufficient, but His supreme power is most evident in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). There are no limits to what He can accomplish through us if we simply step out of His way (Genesis 18:14; Ephesians 1:19). If we surrender the reins of our life to Him (Luke 22:42), if we empty ourselves of our prideful self-justification (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14; 1 Peter 5:6) and the foolish constraints our minds place on His unlimited resources, He can work miracles through us! (Jeremiah 32:17,27; Hebrews 13:21). If we do not, His will and His work will still be done, but we lose the opportunity, blessing and reward of fulfilling His perfect plan for our lives (Jeremiah 33:3).

But if we die daily to self (1 Corinthians 15:31) and offer ourselves to Him as an empty vessel, the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) can and will release His love and living water to flow through us (1 John 4:7-13); His fire to consume us (Hebrews 12:29); and His light to burn brightly in us for all to see (Matthew 5:14-16), for their blessing and His glory!

Just as Samuel commemorated the Ebenezer stone to remind him of God’s deliverance of Israel from her enemies (1 Samuel 7:9-14), it is good for us to review God’s blessings, mercies, and opportunities so that we can face the future with the blessed, living hope only He can offer (Jeremiah 17:7; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 1:3). 

Sometimes we can look back on events from even before we were saved and see His hand at work in preparing us for future ministry (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13). Often we won’t understand the significance of past events until we see Him in glory. But we can always be confident that He is working all things together for our good and His glory! (Romans 8:28)

As I remember the highlights of 2013, I am so blessed to see His faithfulness in action, equipping us for the ministries He has entrusted to us. Certainly there have been trials and obstacles to overcome, but each time He proved that He Who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4), and if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) These trials test our obedience, trust and faith, and ultimately strengthen our relationship with Him as we realize that He alone is the Source of all blessing (James 1:17), the Solution to every problem (Matthew 6:8).

A milestone for us in 2013 was a new direction in our ministry. This began as the pastor of the church where we served since 2002 preached on Acts 1:8 – on the importance of witnessing and serving first in your own Jerusalem, or your immediate neighborhood; then in Judaea and Samaria, or regions nearby; and finally to the furthest reaches of the earth.

Each day as we passed by a church very close to our home, we began to wonder if God could be calling us to serve there, practically in our own backyard. We learned that there was a need there, and with the blessing of both pastors, we transferred our membership to help fill that need. Since October, I have been singing special music regularly on Sunday mornings in our new church home; my husband Richard is the new sound man; and I started and have been teaching Sisters-in-Grace, a new ladies’ Bible study class.

Christmas Music Service, Fowler Ave. Baptist Church, 2013

 We had prayed that God would make His will regarding our church service very clear, and He was so faithful and swift to answer that prayer! On the first Sunday morning we visited, He showed us before we even entered the church building that there were two very specific needs we could fill. And as we walked into the sanctuary for the first time, we were stunned to see the full text of Acts 1:8 in huge letters adorning the wall behind the altar:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

So our new church home and its ministries are now our Jerusalem! For some years, our dance ministry has been like Judaea and Samaria for us – involving some, yet not too distant, travel, and sometimes in venues where the audience may prefer not to hear the message we bring. In 2013, God continued to bless our dance ministry, enabling us to spread His Word through dancing to Christian music and themes. Despite the limits of growing older, we continue to use physically demanding Theatre Arts and adagio choreography, by His grace alone.

This art form is traditionally reserved for young people in peak physical condition, and we have reached the age that many of our competitors could be our children or even our grandchildren! But the Bible does not speak of retirement. At 85 years of age, Caleb acknowledged that God was the source of his strength and asked God to give him victory over the Anakims occupying Mount Hebron (Joshua 14:9-14). May all of us rely on His grace to empower us in the unique ministry where He has placed us, for as long as it is His will to do so!

And finally, God has blessed this blog in 2013 by allowing it to grow and by giving it visitors from the uttermost part of the earth! Praise God for the Internet that allows believers around the globe to encourage and uplift one another! All of you are such a blessing to me, and I am thankful for your readership, for your input on this blog, and for your own inspiring posts.

As part of this year-in-review, I am including links to the top 10 most viewed posts of 2013 (most viewed post listed first, and then in descending order):

Triplets of Faith: Were Adam and Eve Saved?

Rebellion & Redemption: Cain and Abel                 

Rapture to Heaven: Triplets of Eternity                    

How Does God Love Me? Let Me Count Three Ways

Rebellion & Redemption: Expulsion from Eden

Salvation’s Eternal Blessings                              

Remembering “Baba”: A Proverbs 31 Woman

Water and Oil: Physical and Spiritual Milk                   

“Let’s Do Church” -- NOT!                                                  

Who is the Proverbs 31 Woman?                              

Happy New Year! May this be the year that we are all emboldened to tell the unsaved in our sphere of influence of faith in His death, burial and resurrection as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 14:6). May God bless all of you, your families, and your ministries richly in 2014 and until He comes again!

© 2014 Laurie Collett