this is guest post one of three from my dear friend, nancy duggin. she has such a heart for parents, children, and families as a whole to experience the reality of Jesus in every day life. i look forward to how she will challenge us all as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2013.
Our society, it seems, is all about extremes—extreme makeovers, extreme sports, extreme weight loss, etc. Would you desire to experience an extreme Christmas in your heart, mind, and soul? a Christmas with surprises at every turn? surprises in the form of miracles from Jesus Himself?
Extreme would certainly describe the events leading up to the first Christmas: the “be it unto me” confession of a pregnant virgin, the Infinite pressed into the finite, Joseph not divorcing Mary quietly as tempted, the birth of a king (the King) in a dark, cold, and, most likely, dirty stable.
How might Jesus desire to come into you and bless you this holiday season as He did Mary, and in turn use you to be a blessing to countless others? Pray individually and as a family, for God to reveal to you what gift you can give His Son this Christmas, one even as extreme as Mary’s gift of herself (see Lk 1:38). Ask God to show you how to live and give like Jesus. Pray audacious prayers (like Lk 1:46-55). Ask God to be the difference in you that makes a difference in the life of others—for all eternity—with NO thought of anything in return. God doesn’t need our works, but there are countless individuals all around us who do, works that are the overflow of the love we have for the Christ of Christmas.
In the Old Testament we read about God asking Moses if there was “a limit to His power”. How would you answer that question? Since there is NO limit to His power, how might our Omnipotent God desire for you to see and to be an extreme Christmas.
Stay tuned. (Read post two of three HERE.)
Nancy Youree Duggin taught public school for 24 years and served on a city school board for four years. She also is a mother to two and grandmother to three with one on the way. This October she will celebrate 40 years of marriage. Even with her plate full with family and training teachers, she spends countless hours encouraging and mentoring young moms.