Day 21

Christmas is over. But, the message of Christmas is not! The greatest gift of salvation through Christ—eternal life with Him—is never over. Once we, by faith, receive this gift, it does not end there. The gospel keeps giving. Everyday, hope and life anew.

The journal continues...

This world is not my home. This world is temporary. My citizenship is in Heaven. And that amazing day when I see Christ, in a moment my lowly, weak, earthly self will be changed—I will become like Him and will receive full salvation. 

That is what was on Paul's mind as he sat in his dusty prison cell, encouraging his friends at Philippi [Philippians 3:20-21]. And that is what energized him to daily gaze upon Christ and to lead others to do the same.

'But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.' II Corinthians 3:18

We have a double benefit of Christ:

1. Justification and
2. Transformation 

As I gaze at the glory of the Lord in the mirror (glass) of the gospel, I am changed into the same image. It is ongoing...God working in my life each day through the Holy Spirit. This is progressive sanctification. This is life-altering hope to the mom who can't seem to gain victory over the chaos! 

I deeply, oh so deeply, desire a peaceful household. I do not desire a spa day, time away from the children, a vacation from life—I want to experience peace in the midst of reality. My hope of change is not in my ability to change, but in Christ's promise to transform me. While this seems so obvious, the expectations I put on myself prove that my faith is wanting.

My Dare:

To expect everything of Christ. To realize that no amount of good parenting or personal maturity will guarantee the hearts of my children. God must do the work. The weight and the strain were meant for His shoulders. With this knowledge, I am energized to live and to begin this next day anew—not tired and worn out—but alive. A mere glass reflecting the glory of the Lord.

Life is in the waiting. And, it seems we are always waiting, hoping for something—a new home, a better job for our husband, a raise, a move to a different state, a child out of diapers or that no longer wets the bed! Regretfully, as we wait, we often wait to live too. We hold our rejoicing for the moment we receive what we want. Join me tomorrow as we learn that hope is filled with rejoicing in the now.