----- Original Message -----
From: Jean
To: Jean
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 11:12 AM
Subject: you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (NIV).
you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (NIV).
Christmas was only days away and we still didn't have a tree. Living on a
college-student's budget with a baby on the way made it hard to spend $25-50 on
something we didn't need. It seemed kind of trivial when I told God how sad I
felt that we couldn't afford a Christmas tree. Then I felt guilty knowing
there were children starving in Africa and people who needed so much more than
us.
Yet, God didn't think it was selfish. Instead He provided. The Sunday before
Christmas we discovered a nearby tree lot had marked all the trees down to
$10!
When my husband came home from classes Monday evening we hurried to the tree
lot. As we walked down each row, I looked for just the right spruce to fit
in the corner of our one-bedroom apartment. For this pregnant woman, choosing a
tree was almost like choosing our child's name. I took way too much time!
The sun went down quickly, they turned the spotlights off and the tree lot
turned pitch dark.
My creative and very patient husband pulled our car into the rows of trees and
flashed on his high beams. The bright lights dispelled the darkness and standing
in front of me was the most precious little tree I'd ever seen. Although it had
some droopy branches and a gap on one side I pointed and said, "That's
the one I want!"
Later that night, I sat on our couch looking at my cute little spruce pine
reminiscing about our evening. I'd felt sad earlier when the darkness made it
impossible to see the trees but when the beams of light illuminated the lot, my
heart filled with hope. Etched in my mind was a picture I wouldn't forget,
a picture that drew me back to another time marked by darkness -- a time when I
wasn't choosing, but needed to be chosen.
Just when it felt like all my dreams had died and my hope was gone, God's Light
punctured the clouds of depression surrounding my mind as His love poured
into my heart. It happened on another cold winter's eve when God looked at me
and said, "That's the one I want!"
At some point in our lives, I think most of us can identify with that little
tree. Scarred by disappointments we wonder if anyone would ever choose us.
With gaps that make us feel like candidates for rejection we hope no one will
see the holes in our hearts. Like the fate of my little spruce, it seems
the only way we'll get chosen is if all the good ones are picked first.
First Peter 2:9 reminds us that through Christ we are chosen! God sent His Son
to light our darkness and fill the gaps in our hearts. Hold onto the truth
that God sees you today and in His heart He's saying, "You're the one I want!"
Dear Lord, that spruce pine and I have a lot in common. Even with my gaps and
broken branches, You chose me and made me part of Your family through Jesus.
Thank you for sending Your Son to illuminate the dark corners of my life and
bring hope to my heart. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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