Sunday, December 18, 2011

My Favorite Things


        

 I remember being scared to death when I was a freshman in high school, and I sang my first solo at the state competition.  I sang “My Favorite Things,” from The Sound of Music.  It was a nightmare because just as I calmed the butterflies in my stomach, a blonde-haired beautiful girl sang the exact song!  She nailed it,and no, that was not a favorite feeling. 
While “Raindrops on roses" aren’t that great, and I am not a big fan of “whiskers on kittens,” “brown paper packages tied up with strings—these are a few of my favorite things.”  After all, if we’re honest, most of us have at least a few superficial favorite things on our lists.  For example, I love designer purses, shoes, and pretty dresses:)
What material things really get your heart pumping fast?  . . . A great pair of shoes, an exotic vacation, designer clothes, luxury cars, fine jewelry, or great food?  Remember Oprah’s favorite things episodes over the years?  Many women, at one point or another, have longed to be in the audience for one of those shows—even if they weren’t Oprah fans.  Free great gifts can send people into a frenzy.
As I reflect on my own favorite things during the Christmas season and push the material things to their proper place, at the bottom, things make so much more sense.  The Word crystallizes our true heart’s desire while the world tempts us with all the things that can lead us down to an insatiable path of destruction.  Material things can never satisfy us.  As much as I want my children to be happy and get some of the things they want for Christmas, I know that those things only gratify them temporarily.  They will eventually lose their luster and be forgotten, lost, or broken. 
Jesus says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).  Whether it’s the Christmas season or not, seeking Him has to be something that we put first on our list everyday of our lives.  Seeking Him and His righteousness brings us love, peace, joy, and all the other fruits of the Spirit.  We are empowered to press on, no matter what happens, when we are in right relationship with Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
One of my favorite passages in scripture reminds us that there are so many who have come before us in the faith.  We are told to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  Jesus paid the ultimate price for us, and He loves us like no other.  There should be nothing ahead of Him on our list of favorites.  He showed us His favor by laying down His life for us. 
Our desire to please others should not be ahead of our desire to please and obey Him—no matter what.  Sometimes, as “My Favorite Things” says, “the dog bites and the bee stings.”  We all have to deal with setbacks, disappointments, and sadness at one point or another, but His Word should be the light unto our path and lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105).  He has given us His Word to help us navigate through life, regardless of what season it is. 
My favorite thing is the comfort of knowing that Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to become human, sacrificing His life on the cross to bear our sins.  I am so full of joy, knowing that because of his birth, death, and resurrection, we have access to eternal life.  His Word tells us that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  There is no better gift than the one that Jesus has given to us, and it’s totally free.  Only what we do for Him and With Him will last eternally.
If you haven’t accepted your gift, please accept it today.  He loves you! 
Christmas Blessings,
MaRita


2 comments:

  1. MaRita thanks so much for this post. Its funy as I read it in the background on my laptop I'm listening to Pandora radio. The song playing is Kirk Franklin (Rebirth album) but the song...My God is Looking out for Me. (How appropiate for such a time as this.)

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  2. Hi Missy,
    I'm so thankful that He's looking out for us! Thank you for reading. Have a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!!

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