Christmas Is All About the Gifts!

Let's face it; gift giving can be messy.

Each year, kids get more and more, yet still expect even more the next year.

Luckily, we're catching our children at good ages to start a new Christmas gift tradition in our home.

This year, each of my children will be receiving three, yes, JUST three gifts on Christmas morning. Laced only with a stocking full of goodies!

Now before too many people begin feeling sorry for my children, I invite you to my house at anytime to see their rooms slam full of toys and clothes! They have gracious plenty!

Besides, I'm not exactly sure when Christmas became about the amount of gifts stacked under the tree with your name on them! But somewhere between the birth of our Savior up until now, Christmas has morphed into something so commercialized it's no wonder people fail to recognize the meaning of the season! With it's super commercialization, I struggle to see the benefit of creating such expectancy for gifts in my children!  I want their expectancy to be preparation of their hearts for His return, not the world's latest and greatest toy that will be played with for ten minutes then tossed aside or broken the very next day.

Now don't get me wrong, THIS IS HARD!! The commercials and store ads work on me as well! Narrowing my selection down to three things has been most difficult for me, but we are aiming to drive home a message with our children that will stick for years to come.

Holding fast to our priorities of keeping Christ the center of Christmas in our home, we thought three gifts would be most appropriate seeing as how baby Jesus received three gifts on the blessed night He was born! In Matthew, it tells of the wise men who traveled to see this baby:

Matthew 2:7-11

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

 

 

After reading this story most recently to prepare how we would teach it to our children this year, I wanted to look up the meaning of the gifts given to Jesus.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. 

I've read over it so many times, but never considered the value of the gifts.

All three of these gifts were of such extreme value in these times. Only fit for wealthy adults, not a lowly child, lying His head on the hay in a stable. What were they thinking?

Gold. A gift of Royalty.

Frankincense. A valuable incense used as a direct connection with the worship of God according to Jewish customs. It's smell was so sweet when burning in the temple. A true representation of sweet worship.

And, Myrrh. The strangest gift of all. Myrrh was used for burials in that time. It was used to rub on the bodies in order to cover the stench of death. So, why would they give this to a newborn baby? Could it be that the wise men knew He was BORN TO DIE?

Though these three gifts have such new and powerful meaning to me now, I think over the years I have always failed to see the first and most important gift on that star-lit evening. This gift was bestowed voluntarily without the thought of compensation. This gift was.......WORSHIP!

Before the wise men could even manage to hand over the first of their treasures, they bowed down to worship this Emmanuel!

THIS is what I want my children to know of Christmas gifts! 

We will take the time to focus on Him and give Him these same gifts. This year we will acknowledge His royalty. We will acknowledge that He is God with us, and we have a direct connection with Him through worship. We have a "real"ationship! We will recognize that He was born on this earth to die; to die for all of us! And although He left this earth in His death, He sent His sweet holy spirit to abide with us with a promise to return one day for us. Because of all this, I can't help but first worship Him in the beauty of his holiness!

Worship Him together as a family this year! Before you unwrap gifts, spend some time in prayer together. Thank Him for your blessings of life! I don't want my children to recognize Santa as a bearer of gifts; I don't even want them to recognize us, as parents. I want them to recognize Christ from whom all blessings flow! Take the time to tell your kids about your salvation stories. They need to hear them, especially at Christmas time! What better time to share of this redemptive love! Act out the story of Jesus' birthday with the Nativity set. Buy samples of the oils at a wholefoods store and let them smell the fragrances of the gifts. Find every way possible to expose the true meaning of Christmas; it IS in fact, about the gifts! THE FOUR GIFTS! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Do whatever it takes this year to stray from these man evolved traditions, and hold true to meaning of this season!

WORSHIP HIM!

*I'm sure some of you are already wondering why I'm only giving my children three gifts if I mentioned four gifts for Jesus. They will also be given the a gift of money in which they have to decide how to spend in order to give to someone else or an organization of their choice! We'll see how that goes! 

 

 

 

Now, tell me. What are some of your Christmas traditions of how you incorporate Christ?

Please consider linking up with us today! As long as it's an encouraging post, it will fit right in!

The Long Ride Home{Link-up}

Is it Monday already?

We just drove in last night from a mini family vacation, and I'm feeling the drag of this Monday morning!

A typical day back from vacation with a young family: cranky kids because of arranged nap schedules, lots of laundry to catch up on, and bags stacked to ceiling in need of unpacking!

Though VERY tired, my heart is FULL!

Regardless of how crazy vacations can be with little ones, it's all worth it for the long ride home!

With worn out kids from a weekend of fun, it's always my favorite part of the trip when we head back home! Not because I like traveling, but because I just know "it" will happen on the long ride home!

Moments in time that I will always look back on!

With kids sacked out in the backseat, my husband and I are guaranteed uninterrupted time of conversation. 

Good wholesome conversation.

No laundry to throw in the wash, dinner to cook, or kids to really tend to; just me and Wesley.

It's always meaningful conversation.

Not a list of "to-do's", or run down of the week's schedule, but a chance to recapture dreams and talk about things that have true value!

So, in the midst of my circumstances today with whiny children and piles of dirty laundry, I will be refreshed with thoughts of the conversations we always share on...the long road home!

Romans 5:3-5

 ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Please take the time to link-up today with us, and invite your friends to do so as well! The rules are simple: just link your favorite encouraging post from this past week! Let's encourage one another on this 'Messy Monday', and turn the usual "drab" to "FAB"!

Linked with:

I FORGET YOU

My son ran to me in a panic. He was screaming in pain.

He and his cousin, Xander had been playing so well together, but even in the midst of having fun, they had a collision and Nate got hurt. Nothing severe, of course, but he thought it was intentional and he came running to tattle (and get a little sympathy)! Xander ran in the opposite direction for fear that I would side with my 2 year old, but I needed him to clear things up for me. After he filled me in on the details, I explained to Nate that it was just an accident, and Xander eagerly apologized immediately.

I couldn't "make" Nate forgive him, but it's just a practice in our house that when someone apologizes, the offended person needs to respond with, "I forgive you". Nate knows this practice, but needed a friendly reminder.

Me: "Nate, tell Xander, 'I forgive you'".

Nate: (reluctantly) "Okay....I FORGET you!"

With all my strength, I tried to maintain my motherly demeanor, but instead I burst into laughter. In fact, we all did. His little 2 yr old brain and mouth fumbled on his words!

Oh my! How often this happens to us all. Someone hurts us or our feelings and we come running to God. Sometimes it really is unintentional, yet other times we're justified in our hurt. Regardless, His answer is always the same gentle reminder; FORGIVE them! 

If you're anything like me, it doesn't come easy! I want some sympathy for my hurt. I want to tattle! But I'm always reminded that I too, have needed forgiveness from time to time! Even times when I didn't deserve forgiveness! Oh, amazing grace! It sure would be much easier just to mark our offenders off our list, nodding goodbye, screaming, "FORGET YOU!" Yet, He asks that we "be kind and compassionate to others, forgiving one another just as Christ forgave us!"(Ephesians 4:32)

I'm so thankful for that forgiveness extended to me. How amazing it truly is! 

So, as bad as you may want to FORGET someone, FORGIVE instead!

Colossians 3:12-14

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

Messy Monday Link Up

Each Monday, we host a linkup here at The Evatt's Beautiful Mess!

Fellow bloggers may link up one of their favorite post from the previous week.

Monday's are usually a dreaded day, but our goal is to share encouragement on this seemingly gloomy day, thus making it beautiful!

If you choose to link up, please use the Messy Monday picture, or the Evatt's Beautiful Mess button to link back to our site!

Let's share from the abundance of our hearts and rejoice with one another.
If you do link up, be sure to check out some of the other linked blogs and show some love to fellow bloggers! 

Linked with:

The Trash Truck Comes At Naptime

* The winner of last week's giveaway goes to Debbie! Debbie, please email me at wes.lindsay.evatt@gmail.com to redeem your book! Thanks to everyone for your participation! Keep praying for our World!

Naptime is a precious time of the day! I cherish it, really! The little ones get some much needed rest, and I get some much needed time of silence. I'm not sure how naptime works in other homes, but for us it's super quiet! I like to zoom around the house getting some chores done, usually get my plan for dinner going, then plop down in my favorite chair with a  book or catch up on blog reading! All VERY QUIETLY, of course. You see, I have some light sleepers, and too much noise equals a short nap for them, and short "Mommy time" for me; which in the end, makes for a VERY LONG afternoon!

We've had a problem here lately since we've moved though. First off, noises just generally seem a little louder in this home. Not as much insulation, I guess. And secondly, our trash pick-up seems to like my nap schedule! I'm pretty consistent with putting them down, and every week, without fail, they come busting down the driveway to collect and smash our trash! AT NAPTIME! I should be happy to see them come, right? They are coming to take the stinky stuff off my hands and out of my sight, but when they come at naptime with their noisy truck, I usually fail to see how they are really helping me! I can't tell you how many times this loud truck has disturbed the peace and given me VERY LONG afternoons! I've even tried pushing naptime back to allow them to come during "awake hours", and without fail, those are the times they are running behind as well or they just come on a completely different day altogether! Argh!

It somewhat reminds me of our Christian walk! In those times we just seem to be at rest and happy with the flow of life, something comes in to disturb the peace we feel! Sometimes it may even be something helpful, but because it's not on our time schedule, it completely "rocks our world", and leaves us feeling like we just can't catch a break! The truth that hurts is that it usually destroys our plans for "me time"; our selfish plans. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has ever felt this way?!

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

When I find myself in these times in my Christian walk, I have to gain strength from this verse! I'm so tempted to get angry, and lose my sense of self-control. Though my plans have me smooth sailing all the time, He regularly comes calling for a "trash pick-up". I never understand why, nor will I. I've just had to realize that:

He is infinite- I'm finite.

He sees the materpiece puzzle put together, while I see scattered pieces everywhere.

He knows the 'whys', while I grasp for wisdom.

Yet through these times of difficulty, He still has a promise for me.

He promises:

wisdom instead of confusion (James 1:5)
Peace instead of anxiety (Phil. 4: 4-7)
and
The opportunity to rejoice and be thankful even in my darkest hours(1 Thess. 5:18)

So, the next time your smooth sailing Spiritual walk is disturbed by a scheduled "trash pick-up", keep your cool, and realize that His ways may not match yours, but His are so much better in the end!

Please take the time to link-up today with us, and invite your friends to do so as well! The rules are simple: just link your favorite encouraging post from this past week! Let's encourage one another on this 'Messy Monday', and turn the usual "drab" to "FAB"!

On Friday, I had the privilege of guest posting for Sonya @ Becoming a Strong Woman of God. I was able to share our family Thanksgiving Doughnut tradition! Even if you've had a chance to read my post, please take some time to hop on over to Sonya's blog! She has such encouragement to offer for women all over the place! Right now she is wrapping up the month with her 30 Days of Being Thankful Challenge! Enjoy and be blessed!

Linked With:

Burden or Opportunity?{GIVEAWAY}

So guess what?.....

Today is my 100th post! 

So, I thought I would have a little celebration by giving something away!

I hope you enjoy this giveaway as much as I do!

On October 31st, just a few short weeks ago, our world population reached an astonishing 7 billion! The really amazing fact is that it only took 12 years to gain that last billion! 

Most news reports I read about this growth had negative takes. They don't think our world can handle much more! They claimed, "There is too much suffering, why bring more children into this?" One woman, giving birth on that marked day, even named her baby "Enough".

Though there is no denying the fact that our world is in turmoil, I see this recent spike as an opportunity, not a burden!  Christians must see past themselves and their own surroundings and see the crisis at hand as the biggest opportunity to share the message of hope!

There are missionaries all over this world who have responded to this cry of the earth.

How will you respond?

Maybe you can't go miles away to minister the gospel....Maybe you're like me, and "stuck" at home all day with kiddos, finding it hard to even walk to the mailbox! 

How can we have an impact?

WE CAN PRAY!!!

I've always had a heart for missions! I want to GO, but I have never been quite so encouraged to change things in my world through PRAYER! 

I've always known that prayer is such a powerful tool, but when I look at the "shape" of our world, I become overwhelmed and intimidated with how to pray for so many people, and so many issues! (Especially on the days when I can't see past my own!)

But I got a new tool, and I'm wearing it out!

At a recent mission conference, we were given a free copy of the book, Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation. And it simply is JUST THAT! This book is a compilation of YEARS worth of research! It takes our world as a whole, and breaks it down country by country, giving brief statistics, answers to prayer, and challenges to prayer for each one. And if that's not enough, it even breaks it down into a calendar year, enabling you to pray specifics for your ENTIRE WORLD within a year! 

It has already brought some life back to our nightly routine even with our small children! I want to teach them about the world around them! They need to know truth and that suffering around the globe is a REAL thing! More importantly though, I want them to have real faith and real hope in their God who is a mighty redeemer! He may not redeem us all from sufferings, but He can and will redeem our souls and the souls of others around this globe! Hearing their tiny voices pray with authority makes this Mama proud! Will you join me and my family in praying for OUR WORLD?

"The countless prayers this book will inspire serve no purpose in and of themselves. Prayer is not a self-validating exercise; in a world where there is no loving, sovereign God, prayer would be weakness at best and folly at worst. No, each and every prayer is a tiny piece of a great cosmic puzzle, which when fitted together will allow for the completion of the grand picture of the Almighty Lord's plan for humanity and the universe. We do not merely pray about the many points featured herein, we pray toward something, and that something is magnificent - the fulfillment of the Father's purposes and His Kingdom come."

-Operation World

Today, I want to give away a copy of this excellent resource! Though I wish I could giveaway a copy to each person, only one will be randomly selected. However, please take the time to visit their website! There are many other awesome resources available for purchase, or you can visit the site each day for a featured nation to join along in the prayers!

For your chance to win, please share this giveaway on Facebook, and leave a comment back here on the blog that you have done so! When you share, make this a plea for prayer, more than JUST another giveaway! ;) Our world needs our prayers! The opportunity to submit for a chance to win will be open until Saturday, November 26th 11:59 PM, and announced next Monday, November 28th! Good luck!

Don't forget to LINK-UP too!

Our usual MESSY MONDAY blog hop!

Messy Monday Link Up

Each Monday, we host a linkup here at The Evatt's Beautiful Mess!

Fellow bloggers may link up one of their favorite post from the previous week.

Monday's are usually a dreaded day, but our goal is to share encouragement on this seemingly gloomy day, thus making it beautiful!

If you choose to link up, please use the Messy Monday picture, or the Evatt's Beautiful Mess button to link back to our site!

Let's share from the abundance of our hearts and rejoice with one another.
If you do link up, be sure to check out some of the other linked blogs and show some love to fellow bloggers!

Linked With: