I had the blessing this week of spending time with my parents. I go once a month to help out. I run errands, do a little housework, cook and bake and then just get to hang out with the sweetest people on the planet.
One fun thing I got to do was watch them open a care package that Whitney and her sister, Alli sent to them. My parents had received it in the mail last week and were told they could open it then, or they could open it on December 1st. It was sent to help “merry up” the Christmas season. Their thoughtfulness touched my heart, and meant so much to my parents!
Watching them open up each item, I thought about how sweet it would be to find someone near me that could use a similar package. Here’s what they included in this package that was sent from Target:
Holiday napkins
Balsam Fir candle – Smells amazing!
Shortbread cookies – Holiday shapes
Hickory Farms Summer Sausage and cheese
A chocolate Advent Calendar – They ordered a Lindt Bear calendar, but received a Star Wars one instead! We all got a good laugh out of that!
Holiday scented hand soap
Who wouldn’t want to receive such thoughtful items? I’ve been challenged, and I hope this gives you some good ideas of things you could take or send to someone who needs some cheering up this holiday season!
Different suggestions would include:
Christmas Candy
Homemade Cookies
Christmas linens – tea towel or pot holders
Christmas mug
Peppermint tea, Holiday blend coffee or Hot Chocolate
Cozy Christmas Socks
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Who do you know that is experiencing some difficult days? It may be that they are sick, or have been sick. Perhaps they are home bound, or are lonely.
I’m sharing this idea so you can implement it where the Lord would burden your heart to do so. I also love the idea of doing it early in the Christmas season! Get their December started off with a thoughtful gesture that will remind them that they are not forgotten.
It’s a blessing to serve others, isn’t it? Paul acknowledged that the Phiippians at one time weren’t able to provide for him, but how thankful he was for the gift they sent when they could.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Philippians 1:10
Do what you are able with what the Lord has entrusted to you. Refresh someone else right now when He puts them on your heart.
Each day that I walk on my walking path, I see the view above. It captivates my attention daily because it constantly changes.
When the crops are planted in early spring, I see the rich brown tilled soil, still cool from the temperatures of winter, but fresh with seeds and full of the hope of good things to come.
Summertime brings the corn with full, green stalks pointing upward towards their Maker and bearing a lushness that is breathtaking. There is so much life and anticipation in the bounty of the harvest that is to come.
In the fall I watch the tall stalks being cut and sent through the combine. So many chewing sounds echo as the machines chop and separate. The fields are scattered with bits of stalks left alone to dry in the harvest sun.
When winter comes the field seems fruitless and barren, but there is hope for the future days because spring is always just around the corner and this cycle will begin afresh and new. I never want to overlook that blessed hope that even winter bears. God is still at work in that field, even though I cannot see it.
The Lord uses the harvest field as a picture for us over and over in Scripture. It epitomizes our lives as we walk with God. We will “bear fruit” from that which we sow in our lives. We will reap what we have sown.
Then we’re also told…
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousnessand peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11
There are seasons of plenty and then want; joy and sorrow. There are seasons in our each of our lives that we are enduring trials. We’re told in Ecclesiastes 3 that there are seasons for tears.
When you’re in a season of sorrow, it’s hard to imagine that you’ll ever be joyful again. It’s that “winter” when there is only barrenness and chilly winds of adversity blowing. You can’t ever see yourself laughing again. But just around the corner, hope springs new, as slowly as spring itself comes to the earth. Healing happens, and though you will never forget the season of the sorrow, you can look back on it without the pain ripping your heart wide open. A season of joy emerges after the barrenness of heartache.
Why am I sharing these analogies to remind you of these seasons in our lives? Because I’m well aware that it can look to you that bloggers or those you follow on Instagram are celebrating happy occasions, vacations, and joyful events and you are left alone in the field of adversity. It seems as though you’ve moved to a year-round winter season in the Arctic Circle and you’ll never feel the warmth of the sun again. But what is the truth?
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, Â while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Cor. 4:17-18
I Peter 5:10 But after ye have suffered a while, may the God of all grace, who hath called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.
Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.And He hath put a new song in my mouth; even praise unto our God; many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Those verses all remind us that our suffering will not last forever.
When you see pictures of happy events on the Internet, remember that the one who posted that is either just coming out of a trial, is in one right now, or is getting ready to head into one. We don’t see it, but it’s happening to each one. God knows we need it, and we trust our wise God even when the painful times come.
The seasons don’t just happen to the fields; they come to our lives, too. All of us experience the cool spring, the lushness of summer, the time of harvest and the cold, barren winter. But the blessing is, we have the Creator to
Comfort us with His Word
Carry us when we are weak
Change our situation when it is time
I encourage you today to look for God’s hand in your situation. Pay attention to what He is doing in your life that reveals His love and care for you. Sometimes it’s the little blessings that we overlook and that are the greatest comforts during a difficult season. God is still at work in “your field,” even though you might not see it. He is there.
The greatest comfort you could receive is salvation, if you don’t know Christ. This adversity could be a reminder that there is a God who loves you and has given His Son, Jesus for you so you could have a home in heaven. He doesn’t want you to miss it. If I can help you, please email me! RefreshHerblog@gmail
In which season do you currently find yourself? What are the comforts and blessings that you see from God’s hand?
Maybe with all the stuff going on in the world you’re having a bit of a hard time getting motivated in your home. I want to encourage you today about how helpful it is to keep moving forward especially during these difficult days.
If we can’t have the confidence that home will be a constant place of comfort, where will we go?
If we are also at odds with our loved ones because we are stressed, who else on this earth will love them?
Therefore…
This was supper one night this week. I moved a small side table in front of the fireplace so we could have the ambiance at our simple spaghetti supper.
Keep your normal routines going at home. Get up and get dressed. Make the bed. Do the laundry. Vacuum the carpet. Sweep the floor. Make the bathroom shine. You have control over yourself, so be disciplined.
Keep mealtimes delicious, engaging and special. Cook good food. That doesn’t mean you have to fix gourmet food. I do think there’s great value in fixing a supper meal at home, in involving your family in setting the table, and helping with clean up. While at the table, turn off the television and make effort to create conversation, even if it’s just you and your spouse. Turn on some relaxing music in the background. Light a candle. Set the table. Linger after the meal. Have a small dessert and coffee and take time to enjoy it all together as the gift it really is. It’s hard work being a homemaker, but if you don’t do it for your family, who will?
Be present for your spouse and children. In all that’s going on, it’s so easy for people to feel disconnected. Children are certainly feeling some hard things and may need to ask questions or share any fears they may be experiencing. What a great time to point them to God’s Word with answers. Stop and pray with them over any anxious feelings they may be experiencing. My husband and I quoted Bible verses to one another one recent evening as we were drifting off to sleep. They were verses of comfort that did much to stop my worry! No one can take your place in the home. Your presence is imperative and irreplaceable.
Make home the best place to be. Create a warmth that draws your family back. Plan for game night with popcorn and hot chocolate. Keep the house tidied up so it feels welcoming. Get that last bit of Christmas decor put away and the tree needles swept up. Light a new, fresh candle. Make comfy places for people to sit and read. Maybe this is the time to change the furniture around for a fresh look in your living room? Home is a gift, and the woman is the one who sets the tone.
Make sure you’re spending greater time with the Lord each day. If we ever needed direction and comfort from His Word, it’s now. Pray. Spend time giving Him your burdens. Learn from Him. Write down what you learn. Stay close through the day by listening to godly podcasts. Meditate on God’s Word through Scripture memory.
If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive his power, you must see how he works by his Word. If you wish to know his purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it by his Word.~Spurgeon
Without a relationship with God, we can do nothing that is effective for eternity.
These five things will not change the world, but they can change the people that live inside your home…including you! I pray that these simple steps will help you bring some joy from the home that our loving God has entrusted to you. You can make a difference, dear friend.
Unsettling news had reached my ears and was now affecting my sleep. Tossing and turning on my mattress, my mind found it hard to rest so my body could follow suit. Continue reading “Hemmed In”→
I remember a pastor saying that every seat in a church holds someone who is suffering. In one way or another, each of us is going through something today. How do we get through it? How do we stay encouraged? How do we not feel overwhelmed and desperate? Continue reading “Give Them Truth”→
RefreshHer 