Advent ~ Layers of Fragrance
It seems when an idea comes that I feel I should follow-up on, then I see things that I might not ordinarily see. This was one of them. When I see them, I also get an idea at the same time, which is why I take the picture. Here’s todays:
I know you have had the experience of an onion sitting in a bowel or basket in your kitchen, and you don’t smell it just sitting there. But, if you start pulling off the layers of the onion, or cut off the end, the fragrance fills the air and can even make you cry. But it doesn’t happen until you start to work with the onion.
Just as this pine cone ornament has layers that make up the pine cone, so Advent has layers of the fragrance of Christmas. A pine cone has fragrance that comes from the inside out. This reminds me of the fragrance of Christmas. There are layers of Advent, such as, what we see…lights, gift ideas in windows, busy people, candle light, nativity scenes and Christmas Trees. Then we have the smells of Christmas… pine and spruce, hot chocolate or cider, and baking of cookies and goodies. But the deeper fragrance for a lot of us, is the peace that Jesus brings to Christmas. He came to this world with the smell of hay and animals around Him in the barn, and the visits of the wise men bringing gold and frankincense and myrrh. The layers of simplicity and yet the many layers of complexity that He would surround His birth. We are still learning about the layers of God and His love for us as He sent His Son to earth. If we focus on the real meaning and fragrance of this Season, we can enjoy the simplicity of loving each other and being together.
We are like that pine cone. We might need to shed some of our outer layers of experience and hurts, in order to let the real fragrance come out in us. The pine cone becomes much more fragrant once it is off the tree and comes in to the warmth. Allow God to work and peel off some of the layers, so that, we can be fragrant and reflect the joy and peace He wants to give us. On that starry night, his messages was, “Peace on earth, good will to men!”
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me…
Until next time~
JoAnn
Today as I write about my last several days, my heart overflows with all the love and caring that I have experienced this year around my birthday. With this last week being Thanksgiving, it has made me even more thankful for everything in my life.
Thanksgiving always gets mixed up with my birthday…but I have always just rolled with it. It has never really bothered me because I always had my family around to help me celebrate! I might have to celebrate a day or two early, or sometimes on Thanksgiving and I am cooking, but I didn’t really mind. This year was no different…my birthday was two days after Thanksgiving but my boys were here to visit and I had family and friends from all over wishing me a Happy Birthday! It doesn’t get better than that! Cards and messages that say deeper things that are sometimes harder to say face to face, my son working hard to give a special birthday/Christmas gift to me and hubby, and celebrating my special gifts from my sweet man. So much to be thankful for.
The day after, we slept in a bit and Aaron did some work again on the house. In the late afternoon the boys and I went to a movie together. I hadn’t gone to a movie at a theater in like thirteen years! So fun…they bought me the ticket and popcorn and Aaron and Ethan shared a pop and Jesse and I shared a pop. And oh!!!! Red licorice; oh yes. I have taught them well!! So much fun to have that time together with them. When they were young, I found things that I could have in common with my boys. We collected sports cards together, comics, and all things Bruce Lee. So we watch the Marvel movies, and Bruce Lee and they have memorabilia from it all. I love that we can still enjoy that together. Now we enjoy target practicing together also! On Friday we had a movie morning together with laughs and relaxing times. We made a last-minute decision, typical of our family, to bag the bad weather and just go out and target practice. I got to shoot my new hand gun that was a gift from my hubby. We put up a canopy and were fortunate to have just a few showers, and had a super time. Stayed out until dark and then went back into town for pizza. Great way to spend a day!
I would love to say that living in thankfulness is more the norm than not the norm in our world. But that isn’t the case. We have people complaining about weather, traffic, and someone too slow in front of us, or things just don’t go the way we think they should go. We hate this or hate that. I have found that thinking that way doesn’t do anything to make me feel any better, nor does it help anyone around me. However, living with a thankful heart means its hard to be negative. When we think about the good things, we can’t think about the negative at the same time. It has always been my goal to live with a thankful heart even in the hard 
stuff. I have visited places where people don’t have homes, or if they do they are living with whatever they can find for walls and a piece of tin if they are lucky, for their roof. Food is scarce if they have any. The change of clothes may be non-existent. When I came back home, I couldn’t believe people complained about the very blessings they have. I came back home vowing that I would never complain about things. If I do, the Holy Spirit taps my shoulder right away. I am so blessed; rich actually in terms of other places in the world. Today, if you are reading this, you are breathing, you can see, you have a computer or phone to read this, you have a place to sleep and food to eat. You may even be able to go out to eat at times you choose. You have provision. Remember those who don’t. Not everyone is out there without a home or provision because they want to be. The unexpected happened, and that changed their lives. I know hard. I have a first-born son, whom I love deeply, that has chosen, for over 14 years at this point, to not be a part of our family. That is a deep hurt. I know also that some do not think that is as hard as losing a person to death. In many ways for me, I think it is worse…a very helpless feeling. But I pray for him daily and one day his heart may soften to see what he is missing by not having relationship with his family, especially his brothers and nephew. I pray that is so. God knows. I leave it in His hands.
Jesus in my life more than the presents under my tree. I am thankful for those also, but I’m just as happy with something done for me as I am for anything else. For me, I celebrate Christmas because of what Jesus has done for me. THAT is my focus and I try to keep the right focus and remember to relax to enjoy all the facets of Christmas. Just having my family together is my present. I love light as you know, so just looking at a Christmas Tree with the lights on blesses me every night. THAT feeds my soul. I don’t put it up and then ignore it. I take it in every time I look at it. I enjoy each ornament that is on our tree because each one has meaning to me. Don’t let the times of hardship keep you from seeing the blessings in your life as well. It is always hard when we have lost something or someone, in our lives, and the holidays approach us. So… I am praying for you this Season. If you need help or a person to talk to, find someone who you can share your heart with. It’s ok to ask for help. However, Jesus is always there. I pray that you will find comfort in Jesus, and allow Him to walk through this time with you. Maybe you will share a tradition of the lost one, clip a picture of
Sometimes we have to walk through open doors whether we feel courageous or not. Open doors… Have you experienced an open door recently? Did you walk through, or did you stand outside the door and think about all the reasons you don’t think you should open the door and walk through?
If we weren’t afraid or unsure of what we are hearing or feeling, it would be amazing what we could do; and do it in confidence. I have never been afraid to go through a new door, for the most part. I’m open to new experiences and doing something different. But one of the things I have discovered is that I can’t depend on even what the closest people to me may say to me about it. What I need to do is remember that it isn’t them that God has spoken to. He told me. They may not be able to see what I see, or hear what I hear. Nothing wrong with that in particular, but it’s more about where I am at the present time in my life. In your case, God may be speaking to you, and He wants you to follow Him. The crazy part is that if God can put things in the world together and keep it going like He does every day, that is the same God who is asking me to follow Him through the door! Why would I say no???? It’s scary walking through the door, but if He is encouraging us to go through, He is on the other side with His hand extended to me to walk forward with Him. I know it can be a lonely time too because you are walking though the door by yourself. You have to be the obedient one. It may isolate for you for a while, because He has something to teach you. But you will have peace, because you have done what God has set before you. That brings peace and the circumstances together. He is a comforter of my soul. If I am in His will, I will have peace and joy deep within.
wrapped presents. I am terrible about that kind of thing. I can’t wait to open them, and I can’t hardly wait for a person to open a gift from me either. That is especially true when I KNOW I have found the perfect gift for them! I found one gift that said “Happy Birthday” on it and thought, “Yes!!!! I can open this one since it is ALMOST my birthday!” So I opened it and found a lovely antique teapot from Norway. Wonderful! What joy!!! Later on…I kept looking at those other packages. I thought that I really needed to get a grip and just leave the packages alone. I could never tell her I opened them, so that helped for a while. But then… I would see them again and I really wanted to see what was inside. After a while, all I could think about was seeing what was in the packages!! Weeellllll… I have to put myself in a corner for time out, because…shssssh…don’t tell my cousin, but I opened my packages and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything!!! Oh my! So awesome! It made me cry because of the thoughtfulness in the gift selections.
This, my friend, is how we should feel when God opens up a door for us…we should anticipate what it can mean to us and to our future. It’s like the unopened package that is sitting there waiting for us to open. It draws us in. We should be excited for something new in our life IF we believe God wants only good for us. Some don’t go through the open door and unwrap the present because they are afraid of what may lay ahead. I say, “Go ahead and open it! Walk through that door!” God has a plan for you and He loves to see us excited about what He is doing in your life. That door may be that you have to find a “new” way of doing life. But whatever it is, He wants you to know that He is on the other side patiently waiting for you to open the door. It’s like a song I sang for church many times, “You must open the door. When Jesus comes in, He will save you from sin, but you must open the door.” No matter what the door in your life is, you are the only one who can open it.
It will definitely change how we look. The leaves are most beautiful when they fall off the branch…they are vibrant, in fact. Do you know that the color of yellow, orange, or even red, is present in the leaf all through the growing process? This means while the leaf is green, the colors are still there…BEFORE it turns color. The color has been there all along! That could preach right there!!! That means that through the process of letting go, our true colors or gifts or talents or passions, can show itself in us!! We will become vibrant with new life! I love that! When we allow God to move us and change us, we are best using what He has given us for His purposes.
Maybe we have forgotten that meaningful living takes time. We have maybe forgotten the joy of a leisurely walk, or a siesta time on the deck with coffee, watching the sky turn colors as sun sets, or sitting with coffee or tea and a good book. We feel guilty when we do that and feel we aren’t accomplishing anything. We have let culture dictate how we live our lives. No one said that making a different way is easy. We have to be intentional in our efforts to live that way. When we know what we want in life, we also know what we can eliminate. We can examine how we spend our time, Think about what you want to do in comparison to what you are doing. We really can redesign our lives if we want to. Ask yourself if there is one thing you really want to do that you aren’t doing it right now. What do you have to do to make that happen? Then write down at least one thing you like about your life right now. Maybe get yourself a book and start writing some of these things down. Keep it up to remind yourself…make it your Life Re-design Book. I have a journal that I write everything in. It’s a proven fact that writing things down enact the mind to move forward toward that written goal or dream. It’s like a pair of shoes…the old ones can be comfortable and we like wearing them because they are so comfortable. But, that doesn’t mean they are good for our feet anymore. We aren’t getting the support from them that we need. It takes time and effort to go out and find a new pair, spend the money for them, and they break them in again. However, sometimes we have to give up the old, in order to better take care of our needs. We may need to examine our support and make sure we are getting what we need to move us forward. We can find out that we didn’t even know how those old comfy shoes were holding us back until we put on the new. I want to be seeking all the “new” that God has for me in every area of my life.
important, because what we see effects what we believe and how we live. Ever watch a movie that had some really awful things happen and find it difficult to get out of your mind after you watched it? It effects you. There are bad circumstances that happen in our lives and the world around us that we can see, but it doesn’t mean we need to look at that, or to even share it. So… let’s begin to think about its opposite affects. If we are putting good things in our eye gates, then it will change our focus, perspective, and the way we see life. So I ask myself a lot:
When we operate like this, God will not only change us, but as we change, we can be the catalyst for change in others. We will see where we can bless others. The other part of this story is this: YOU will also be blessed in ways you can’t imagine! He will bring opportunities before you that you might have missed before. When we see as God sees, we will change our lives forever. You will have the joy unspeakable! We will begin to see our big ship turn around. Remember that small rudder that turns the BIG ship? Well God is our Captain! He can and will turn it around if we are willing to give control to Him.
For me, I know I have to streamline where I put my time. I do a lot of study and leading from Facebook. I am asking God where He wants to me allot my time. How much time I spend checking my 
phone to check in. Maybe I need to consider taking down some of the pages I have started. As much as I love doing them, and sharing, I don’t have to be the only one sharing. If that is the case, then maybe it’s time to consider where I may use my time differently. It is something I am praying over. God may ask me to give it up, or He may be telling me that He wants me to continue, and be wise about using my time more effectively and in a more balanced way. However, what I DO know is, God is asking me to see where He is working and join Him there. I want to make things easier for me and less busy, so that, I have time for where God is taking me. There are so many things I love to do, so I want to have the time to invest in those areas that bring me joy as well.
“We need to throw open the window and allow God’s untamed, limitless beauty to awaken a heavenly awe within us. As we open our eyes to the wonder of creation, it arouses a God-yearning. Our spirit will respond to what it sees.” Lioness Arising, by Lisa Bevere
Journeys of My Heart 