my gift wish list

The reason for this season, Emmanuel, God with us,

causes my heart to race in wonder 

at His love, His grace, His mercy, His provision.

I sit and ponder the enormity of His sacrifice for me,

along with the length and breadth and height and depth of His love.

It begs me to look at myself, evaluate where I am, and ask;

"What am I doing with this gift called life?"

this is what I long to do well:

As far as it is possible

I am determined to surround myself

with what brings me joy and happiness

because life is too valuable and brief

to waste it 

holding tightly to and focusing only on

what causes pain and heartache.

Inevitably those things will come,
as long as I have breath, 
but I will not search them out.
I will not hold tightly when they intrude.
No, I will acknowledge them, 
I will deal with them,
mourning what needs mourned and seeking what is good and healing.

these are my resolutions:

to love deeply
to give freely
to hope steadfastly
to dream big
to invest wisely
to make choices, and if I choose well, keep
and when I err, give myself permission to release and try again

these feed my soul and breath wholeness into my being:

splashes of color
steady, burning light
a solid foundation
quiet places
my bustling family 
my faithful friends
a growing, intimate relationship with God that spills into other relationships

my wish list includes that you too know the love of Christ:

"... I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 3:14-21