12 Days of Christmas

for the hurting

Rachel Wojnarowski

Copyright 2011 by Rachel Wojnarowski

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

E-book edition November 2012

Cover Design by Waterkopf

Table of Contents

Foreword

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

12 days of Christmas for the Hurting

Foreword

If I could come in your living room and hold your hand as you gently turn the pages of this book, I would.

I would ask you to tell me your story. The story of your broken marriage. Your disconnected loved one.  A deceased parent.  I would listen to you as best I could, aching with you during your descriptions of better days.  Of memories of yesteryears.  Of broken dreams.

Lying is never attractive and if I failed to reveal the truth about myself, this book would be nothing but a farce.  Another feel-good ploy. The truth is: I’ve experienced a broken marriage. Lost my mama to cancer. Experienced plenty of dreams that led down paths of drought.

Right now, as I type these words, my eyes look over at my Taylor girl. My 15 yr. old daughter who has a rare terminal illness, MPS.  She has undergone a very slowly-progressing neurological degeneration as a result of the disease.   Nine years have passed since she could express her wants and needs in a verbal manner.  Her step is steadily stumbling more frequently.  Her muscles are wasting away.  As if watching her body endure this slow form of torture wasn’t enough, her little mind is confused.  She often doesn’t really know what she wants.  She forgets how to chew her food occasionally.  She looks deep into my eyes and I know she wants to tell her mama something, but the connections misfire and she just can’t make it all work.  No words form.  Her lips attempt to move, but nothing comes out.  It’s been nine years since she called “Mommy.”

Gone are the days of beautiful songs pouring out of her mouth. “Sally the camel has five humps…If you’re happy and you know it…The ants go marching.”

I won’t tell you that I’ve never been mad at God. That sometimes I ask God why.  That I wish more than anything I could trade places with her. Let her experience life at its fullest, in my humble opinion. I’ll take her suffering. I’ll gladly go through her burden in attempt to save her from it.

That wish has not been granted.

But the next few pages are words of life.

Words of grace that God has ushered to me on multiple occasions. That He has provided when there seemed to be no other provision.  When I was at my wit’s end.

And so I decided to share them.

With you.

Merry Christmas.

Day One

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

I have a little tribe of children at home; they are ever so precious to me. The love I have for them extends beyond anything they do.  I don’t love them for their actions, though they do have some lovely ones (well, and unlovely; however, moving on…).  I love them for who they are.  I never hang around, hovering over them, looking for ways to punish them.    No, I want the best for them. I want them to grow, to thrive, and to be happy.  I want them to be healthy and have a long, successful life.   This is why I take them to the doctor, why they receive vaccinations as protection against deadly diseases.   One small prick can protect them against death by certain disease. So my husband and I believe that one little preventative measure of shots is worth massive pounds of cure and hold their hands as they receive the prick. We hold them and hug them, reassuring them that soon everything will be fine and this is for their good.

Did you catch that?

For their good.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

When we love God, He can use anything, absolutely anything, in our lives for good.

Nothing is wasted; He is the Divine Economist.

Sometimes we have a misshapen outlook.    We think that He is out to get us. We fail to remember His ever-abiding love for us; He gave His Son for us! Would you give up your son for someone you didn’t love?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life.

No matter where we go, we can’t hide from his love.  No matter what we do, His love is reaching out. No matter when we need it, His love is always there.  Nothing separates us from His love.

Not our current circumstances. Not our past circumstances.  Not even our future circumstances.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Day Two

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

You are breathing.  Another day of the gift of life has been issued to you…to me. Is the very breath we breathe enough to sustain our bodies? Yes. This fact should then sustain our minds. Why? Because we do not truly have control over this gift of life: breathing. And that lack of control stands to prove that we are alive for a reason.  There is a purpose to the act of breathing; therefore there is a purpose for life. My life and your life.

God has a reason and purpose for His creation.  As created beings, that purpose begins with breathing…with life. And not just physical breath. Spiritual breath.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The price for sin is death.  While this does mean physical death, the worst part of this death is the spiritual death.

That longing you always have for something more? It can only be met by spiritual breath. It can only be met by everlasting life through Jesus Christ. It can only be met by restoring the relationship with God that once was ours.

This longing you desire that is more than life itself? It is life.

The constant desire for more in this life is only satisfied when the relationship is restored with the One who created that desire.

The gift my True Love gave to me is life- through Him.  Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross.

We have the privilege of making peace with God-

Through life.

John 10:28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Jesus wants to give you life:

Abundant life on earth because of the renewed relationship between creature and Creator.

Eternal life in Heaven because of Jesus’ death AND resurrection.

Your True Love wants to gift you

With spiritual breath- the gift of eternal life.

Day Three

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

Over years of growing up in a Christian family, I heard various explanations of the word “grace.”(1)One acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Another definition: Receiving something undeserved and unearned.  Another definition I remember: unmerited favor.

Ephesians 2:8 &9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

While grace has a definition, the emphasis on the word to me is in its true meaning. Not what it looks like or appears to be, but how it actually functions in your life.

Grace is twofold.  God granted me grace when I asked Him to forgive me of my sin and accepted His Son as the only way to Heaven.  Through His love, His grace was extended to me.  He saved me when I couldn’t save myself.  What a gift!

Grace for salvation? Glorious. Beautiful. Divine.

But can you believe that this gift extends BEYOND restoring our relationship with Him and giving us a home in Heaven?

He gives us grace for the everyday.  This grace is what flows over me when I’m floundering and when I’m hurting. This is the grace He offers to you, not just for saving you from this world at the end, but carrying you through it.

In the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul talks about asking Jesus to answer a certain prayer.  He was requesting that something, though he doesn’t say the exact thing, be removed from his life.  He felt this issue hounding him to his inner core.  He thought that his life would be more effective without it.  But Paul tells us that Jesus answered him:

II Cor. 12:9 Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Grace is a gift from Him; He provides the grace we need and more to get us through our weaknesses.

His power is best revealed when our human efforts are widely broadcasted as useless and futile.

Grace for that unbearable situation.

Grace for the wayward child.

Grace for a nagging physical infirmity.

Grace is the second, third, fourth and fifth chance.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound…And grace will lead me home.

Day Four

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

There are times when the world is dim and bleak.

And then there are times when it is pitch black.

The day that my mama was buried epitomizes one of those black days. One of those days where your heart just can’t understand the world around you or why God chose this week to be the one when He would gather Charlotte Rose into His arms and welcome her home.  Oh, I can’t blame Him; I’d want her home too. But the darkness of leukemia seemed to be a dreadful exit from this world.

The darkness of this world can only be cured by the Light of the One who created it. I’m not telling you that a part of me doesn’t ache for her every single day. Or that I fully comprehend the daily grind of sin affecting our lives.  The beauty of light is that we don’t have to comprehend to embrace it.  The joy of light comes from basking in its glory. The detailed facets of illumination are not a part of my current knowledge base. I just enjoy the result and trust it is working for my good.

Our childlike simple faith in Christ is accepting His light.

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Are you coming up short when trying to find your way through the darkness of this world? Whether it is darkness by self-imposition or darkness by circumstance, the light is available to you.  It has been there from the beginning of time.

Genesis 1:3

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

You must be willing to SEE it. To have your spiritually blind eyes opened and look.

The promise of eternal light is given in Revelation.

Revelation 22:5

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

This is not just a physical light, but a spiritual light. We will look with our eyes and see. We will understand the tapestry delicately woven by the loving hand of our God in control and it will be so beautiful that we will gasp in awe.

All that we could not see, could not understand shall be revealed.

The darkness made light.

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Day Five

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

Gifts that cannot be wrapped tangibly in a box are not what some would call gifts.  I beg to differ. While “world peace” is quoted at beauty pageants as the answer for all humanity, inner peace is what most truly desire.  It cannot be bought or purchased; neither can it be found in the tangible items in which we seek it.  Peace only comes from knowing Jesus.

The peace God wants to give you is incomprehensible in our finite minds.

The hurt you are going through right now is not incomprehensible to Him.

Phil. 4:6&7

but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

At its very root, the word “peace” means harmony or agreement. (1) Peace with God means you are in harmony with His plan in your life.  Not because you understand it or even like it. But because you are trusting Him.

And if you are trusting Him to take you to Heaven, why would you not trust Him to love you so much while you are away from Heaven that He causes His very best to be performed in your life?

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

When beautiful peace eludes my soul, the ugly substitute is worry and fear.

We can allow a hurtful issue to make us bitter…or make us better. We can accept God’s love for us; or feed Satan’s lies into our soul so deeply that the facts of God’s love are covered up. They are masked by the façade of untruth. Oh, God’s love is still present in its glory and fullness. But our eyes become blind to the truth of it.

Peace cannot live in a shelter of doubt and unbelief; it thrives in openness and trust.  Notice in the verse above “not as the world gives do I give to you.” The world’s gifts are shallow and meaningless. On top of that, they are temporary. God’s peace is deep and fulfilling. And permanent.

My Toddler T loves to read a book in the afternoon before nap.  And Mommy loves to read a book to Toddler T.  We snuggle on her bed for a moment and then in her chipper little voice she pleas, “Mommy, read to me.”   Many times she sits up tall and hangs on every word of the book. Even when she knows it by heart.  Sometimes she is so tired that she lies very still and fights to keep her precious little eyes open during our special time together.  But because she loves the sound of my voice and the meaning of the story, she listens with every fiber of her being.

Maybe you are like her…so tired that you have to fight for your time in God’s Word- which is the source of our strength and peace. Maybe your hurt has gotten the best of you and you just feel like you can’t fight any more. Your heart begs God to hear your request for change and peace is nowhere to be found.

The shortest route of discovery to peace from God- His peace- is found in the map of His Word.  This treasure of peace is marked boldly- you can’t miss it.

The key to peace is not in understanding it.

The key to peace is in trusting God’s love not only for salvation, but for life on earth.

Peace on earth, good will to men.

Day Six

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

The words to “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” end every verse with the same stanza of words. (2)

O’ tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. O’ tidings of comfort and joy!

What is this joy to which the old carol refers? The seven (yes, seven!) verses of this familiar Christmas tune spell out the story of Jesus’ birth- from the reason Jesus came to this earth to the dilemma of the shepherds leaving their flocks to seek this glorious event in Bethlehem.   The words further hint that the shepherds were probably not expecting the surrounding environment of stable, manger, and hay. Imagine their shock at the dirty, horrible entrance of their long-awaited King.

Yet in the midst of the grime and filth, well within the nose shot of the smell of a barn full of crap, there was joy, beautiful and bright.  For the tidings, the news, of the birth of the Messiah, our Savior, resurrected a joy in the hearts of those who had long anticipated his coming.

Maybe your circumstances smell pretty rotten right now. Perhaps you’ve been the creator of the stench or life has happened and you are dealing with the stinky results of others decisions. What I’m about to say may cut you like a knife or it may roll off your back as if the one millionth time you’ve heard it:

Joy is a choice.

And the most miraculous part of Christmas?

When Jesus is our true source of joy, it cannot be removed from us.

In all reality, it may fade, compete with hurt, feel distant, but it, the joy, cannot be removed. Because HE cannot be removed.

John 14:16&17

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Regardless of the current voids in your life, in spite of the series of rough spots you’ve encountered, Christmas truly is a time to celebrate that Joy came to the world. Jesus is the Joy of the world.

Have you allowed Him to bring you goodness and life? Or instead of choosing joy, are you rejecting Him and His plan for your life?  Perhaps you have chosen Him as your source of joy for salvation, but on a daily basis, your joy is MIA.  You live in daily defeat because of your choice to fight against His daily plan.

In the book of Nehemiah, there is a great scene where the people of Israel hear God’s Word, the law, read aloud and weep profusely because the Bible says they heard it and were given an understanding of what it meant.   But Nehemiah stands up and declares to the people:

Look, Guys! Are you crazy? Instead of making you full of grief, sorrowing and weeping, of all the times, you can be happy!  Your happiness meter should be reading way high.

Ok, he probably didn’t say that exactly, but he did say:

Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 (emphasis mine)

When my sweet girl, Toddler T, runs to Daddy as quickly as her little feet can carry her, and flies into his arms, she has the happiest, most content, trusting look on her baby face.  That moment of Daddy holding her gives her true joy and her loving heart is filled with happiness.  Daddy’s strength is carrying her; her trust in him is completely to the brim.

This joy of being in Daddy’s arms is what provides her security.  She relies on Daddy and in turn, receives the gift of a heart full of joy.

Your Heavenly Father wants you to be happy.

Won’t you let the joy of the Lord be your strength?

Day Seven

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Mercy.

One time my son found a cute toy in a public place and brought it home. While the item was clearly lost by someone, my husband emphasized to him that the toy needed to be placed in lost & found.   Some other little boy was most likely very sad that it had been lost and would be so happy to find it.  I love the mercy my husband displayed in speaking to our son.  He didn’t scold him for stealing or get angry and raise his voice.  He simply directed our son to the end feelings of the one who had lost the toy.  Now my son knows not to take items not owned by him. And he especially knows that Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t approve of him bringing something home when he hadn’t asked our opinion.  But in loving-kindness, Daddy chose mercy and showered our son with love that he didn’t deserve and an opportunity to do the right thing- return the item and restore the relationship.

If there was ever a man who begged for this type of mercy from the Lord, the man is David, the psalmist.  Multiple times over, David declares the vastness of the Lord’s mercy throughout his songs.  At some times he begs for the Lord to shower mercy on him; he acknowledges his imperfections and requests a second chance. At other times, he realizes that God beat him to the punch, if you will, and recognizes the mercy God has rained on his life, providing a second, third and fourth chance before he ever asked.

Psalm 33:22

Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

Psalm 59:16

But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalm 66:20

Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

Psalm 85:10

Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

One of the most notable stories of David is his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. When Nathan, the prophet, calls David out on his sin, David is ready to repent.  But his sin had led to something that could not be undone- the death of another man.   As a result, David must have known that every day of his life was a gift; since under the law, he deserved the death penalty himself.

Lamentations 3:22&23

Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.   They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Regardless of your sin, God offers you mercy. No matter your poorest decision in life, the Lord’s mercy is fully available to you.

Each and every single day.

What a gift from the True Love.

Day Eight

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Mercy.

On the 8th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Goodness.

Some of my earliest memories include watching my dad shave on Sunday mornings before church.  My first Sunday in church was the Sunday after I was born; I consider myself so very blessed for this.  In kindergarten before I could read very well, I remember trying to follow along in the hymn book.  And for some time, that didn’t work out so great.

So I have this memory of a random thought:

Who is Shirley Goodness and why do I want her to follow me?

It was a little odd to me and in my five year old head, just kinda creeped me out.

However, in first grade, I became an excellent reader and discovered that “Shirley” did not want to follow me at all.

Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Goodness is God’s essence; goodness summarizes the attributes of God in the simplest form.

God is good.

But when we hurt, when we’ve hurt others, our mind gets twisted into forgetting God’s goodness is core to salvation and the Christian life. At that point, we often simply don’t remember that at the root of every circumstance in life, there is one factor we cannot forget:

God is good.  And, He wants to give good gifts to His children; He wants the very best for them.

In this giving season, it may be a little easier to relate to this concept of God wanting the best for His children.  Sometimes, as parents, we know that something our child is requesting may not be what is best for them.  And we make that hard decision to “deprive” them of this item.

Taking it a step further, Job mentions this concept in the middle of his trials. When he sat in the ashes, scraping his sores, his wife’s advice was to curse God and die.  Satan had been given permission to afflict Job with horrible boils from head to toe; and Job’s wife saw this affliction as God rejecting Job.  Her response?

“Job, just curse God and die.”

But Job had a different idea: one that God wants the ultimate best for his children.  His response to his wife:

Job 2:10

But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job did not lose sight of God’s simplest core attribute: His Goodness.  His trust and faith in the One who had brought Him through life thus far was the same faith that continued to flourish while he was bogged down in a horrible situation.  Job knew that God is good.

And he refused to believe otherwise.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Day Nine

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Mercy.

On the 8th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Goodness

On the 9th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Truth.

Around Christmas time, one of our favorite family pastimes is playing board games.  Got a favorite yourself?  We play Balderdash, Apples to Apples, Memory, you name it. It’s loads of fun and gets everyone involved.

Are you familiar with the easiest game to play in the everyday human life? The name is “The Blame Game”- and it dates back to almost the beginning of time.

When Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and was found by God in hiding, her first turn at the Blame Game was played.

Genesis 3:13

And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Interestingly enough, things haven’t changed too much since then.  A good part of humanity has spent centuries playing the Blame Game.   If we think it is any different now, we must think again.

The simplest excuse Satan uses as a ploy to shift our focus from God to ourselves is: (drum roll, please)

So and so did this to me.  Because of this rotten circumstance, I made the wrong decision.

It’s not my fault.

Anything to distract us from the truth.

So how do we combat this tactic when something negative has occurred in life?  When there is crime.    Natural disasters.   Cancer.    Accidents.    Death.

We hold ourselves accountable to the truth. We claw our way to the truth every single day as if our lives depend on it. Because it does.

Where do we find this truth?

The Truth is God’s Word- the Bible.

Perhaps you are reading this book and you do not have a personal relationship with this Jesus I have discussed.  The Truth you are seeking is in the Book of books- the Bible.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Perhaps you are reading this book as a Christian, one who has accepted Christ as their Savior, but in the center of your hurt, you have forgotten the Truth, the Ultimate Truth.  You have failed to run to the Bible each day and hold yourself accountable to the Word of God.

I Thess. 2:13

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Holding fast to the truth of God’s Word, and not our ideas of self-pity and rationalization, is a gift from God.  This gift is what sets Christians apart and gives them the fuel to fight the deceiving ways of the evil one.

John 17:17

Sanctify (set apart) them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Won’t you take Jesus at His Word- the truth- and trust Him?

Won’t you stay in His Word to defy any and all hurts and rely on truth?

Psalm 110:5

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Day Ten

On the 1st  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Mercy.

On the 8th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Goodness.

On the 9th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Truth.

On the 10th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Faithfulness.

As I begin writing this, I’m thinking of some very precious friends and family. Even some acquaintances.  A friend who lost her daddy this month.    A dear Christian lady whose husband lost his battle with cancer.  Another family whose daughter has MPS, the same disease as my daughter. Only this sweet girl is much sicker than mine.  And I hold my breath each time I open an email from them, hoping that she isn’t suffering more. A friend who is younger than me, yet has been left to care for her three children, alone.  A church that is full of widows, all losing their husbands just this year. A friend who has been recovering from an accident for months on end.

The list could continue, but you’re probably catching on.  The world is full of hurting people; how can I ease their pain? What can one person do or say that will make a difference?

God’s gift of faithfulness to us is unprecedented.  My words may not make the impact I desire.  But God’s Word never returns void.

II Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

This verse seems conflicting in light of the first paragraph above, doesn’t it?  We all know hurts and frustrations. Christmas is an especially vulnerable time for many.  Years of bad memories or no memories, perhaps the sweetness of good memories long gone, they all fester during this celebratory season.

The Bible is clear- God doesn’t promise that evil will never touch us. You can bank on the fact that it will.  But the Lord guards us against the evil one.  Any evil that happens in your life will be used for good.

Joseph’s story in the Bible is the perfect example of God’s faithfulness. Through rejection, slavery, prison, disrespect, unfairness, and trickery, Joseph, in the end, declares to his brothers, who started the whole mess:

Genesis 50:20

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

The Lord is faithful! He is the Redeemer of all wrongs. Not only does he make the wrong right, but he lets nothing go unredeemed.  On occasion, I allow an expired coupon to make it to the cash register. At that point, I’m told, “Sorry, this has expired; you can’t use it.”  And it is too late to redeem the savings.

The Lord never has expired coupons.   He lets nothing go to waste; it is ALL for our good. He is faithful.

I Thessalonians 5:24

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

In your current mode of hurt, the most important exercise you can perform is to look back on your life at the times God preserved you.  Look at those days where His faithfulness was most obvious to you and claim them for His glory, reminding Him in your prayers that because of His great faithfulness in the past, you are trusting Him with the present and future.

Day Eleven

On the 1st  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Mercy.

On the 8th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Goodness.

On the 9th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Truth.

On the 10th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Faithfulness.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Freedom.

Freedom in Christ is the knowledge that you are free from the sin of the past; Jesus forgives you.  Accepting Him as your Savior covers your sins and He removes them forever!

Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

This same freedom covers the guilt of today or tomorrow.  Many times we regret what we did or didn’t do when the opportunity was available and we carry that regret around on our backs, like a knapsack of pure gold, when it should be treated as the unnecessary burden that it truly is.

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The chains of anger and worry are among the most heavy to bear. Tied up in the fury of hatred to God, we prevent ourselves from operating in the mode of freedom God gives us.  The brevity of life is one visual that should be in the forefront of our minds, honed to assist our daily decision-making process.  Through freedom in Christ, the brevity of life is an encouragement to live, not close down.

I have to admit that having a child with a disease medically assigned a given number of years causes me to reflect heavily about how I spend my time.  But sometimes I forget. I fail to remember the true priority of my life and get bitter over something that doesn’t matter for eternity.  It is at that point that I often fail to remember that I do not need to feel guilt over what has already taken place.

The past cannot be changed; it has been forgiven.  The good news is that living in freedom in the spirit of God changes your present and future!

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Bondage can come in many forms, whether a tangible, physical, or mental prison, anything that is superseding the power of freedom In Christ is the same as a ball and chain around your ankle.  Your hands might as well be cuffed.  This hurt you are experiencing or have experienced is rendering you ineffective and as a Christian, this is exactly what Satan desires.  As long as you are not doing anything to further the cause of Christ, Satan doesn’t care what bondage is holding you, as long as it is working.

A couple years ago, my husband and I were running a half marathon together. At one point, we were running up a hill and I just couldn’t keep going. I had to walk.  Then in the distance I could hear music and suddenly my energy picked up and I propelled myself forward.  The words?

Through you the blind will see

Through you the mute will sing

Through you the dead will rise

Through you all hearts will praise

Through you the darkness flees

Through you my heart screams

I am free

Yes, I am free.

I am free to run.

I am free to dance.

I am free to live for You.

I am free. (3)

The Jesus that is going to return the songs to my precious girl’s voice is the same Jesus who empowers me to be free from guilt and full of the fruits of the Spirit.

I am free.

And so are you.

Day Twelve

On the 1st  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…

Love.

On the 2nd  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me….

Life.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Grace.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Light.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Peace.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Joy.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Mercy.

On the 8th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Goodness.

On the 9th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Truth.

On the 10th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Faithfulness.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Freedom.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me…

Acceptance.

One of the first attributes I noticed in my in-laws twelve years ago is that they are accepting people.  From the moment that I met my husband’s parents, they showed love to me and an acceptance for me. They didn’t know me; the acceptance was through the love they have for their son.

When you accepted Christ and his blood sacrifice on the cross, God accepted His sacrifice in your place.   You became:

Accepted in the Beloved.

God looks at you through eyes of love; He has loved you since the beginning of time.  You may have experienced rejection from employment, your family, friends, your spouse, or even church folks, but I am here to tell you that God accepts you- His Word declares it!

Ephesians 1:6

to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

You may feel despised and rejected. Jesus knows that hurt.

John 1:11

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Isaiah 53:3

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

You may think that no one likes you; that no one understands you.  Jesus knows that hurt.

John 15:8

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

The sting of rejection smarts like no other; the swarm of feelings that follow rejection include anger, depression, jealousy, and hurt, just to name  a few.

Christ knows that.

Mark 15:34

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"*

You see, as much as He sacrificed physically through the most horrific death by dying on the cross for us, and as much as He suffered through the torture and pain to save the whole world, the ultimate sacrifice He experienced was the rejection of his Father when He took on the sin of mankind.

But because He suffered the ultimate rejection, you need never feel rejected.  He loves you more than you can fathom.

He knows your hurt; you are accepted. What a gift!

The question is: have you accepted Him?

That babe in the manger who came to save the world, encountered disownment, was despised and rejected, have you accepted His love?

Conclusion

Lord Jesus, I consecrate every single page of this book to you.  May those hurting who read it find peace and encouragement.  May they find the gifts You offer each and every day, full of comfort and joy. Not just for twelve days of Christmas, but every day of the year, for as long as You tarry Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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About the Author, Rachel Wojnarowski:

Rachel is originally a small town country girl who converted to a suburban mother of seven by way of life happening.    She and her husband, Matt, enjoy caring for their busy family, whose ages span 13 months to 21 years and includes a special needs daughter.  Rachel leads community ladies' Bible studies in central Ohio and serves as an event planner and speaker for special needs parenting groups.  She is a member of the Ohio Writers' Guild and the National MPS Society; and loves to inspire others through her blog by sharing faith, family, and fun.   Wife, mom, reader, writer, speaker and dreamer, you can find Rachel on Twitter and Facebook.

Cited Works

Public Domain- "12 Days of Christmas" Carol

All Scripture- New King James Version, courtesy of- Http://www.blueletterbible.org

1. http://www.thesaurus.com

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_rest_you_merry,_gentlemen

3. http://www.music-lyrics-gospel.com/gospel_music_lyrics/i_am_free_12400.asp- as performed by the Newsboys

Table of Contents

Copyright 2011

Foreword

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Day Seven

Day Eight

Day Nine

Day Ten

Day Eleven

Day Twelve

Table of Contents

Copyright 2011

Foreword

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Day Seven

Day Eight

Day Nine

Day Ten

Day Eleven

Day Twelve