Who needs grace, raise your hand.

My hand is up high. I need grace upon grace!

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In my newly released children's book Christmas Morning, a little girl unwraps her final gift. She opens a box to find...a crimson red rode. It's velvety soft, and on the pocket, her name is monogrammed in white. After all the other gifts she has opened (see previous posts) she is humbled that this exquisite robe was hand-stitched, made uniquely for her.  When the little girl puts the robe on, she feels like she is wearing love itself.

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Symbolically, the name of this gift is the robe of amazing grace and it is meant for each one of us who knows Jesus as Savior.

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Can you believe the King of kings took off his royal robe and gave it to you and me? But even before he did this act, he, in his lovingkindness, first took off our own filthy garments. All our sin was removed and placed on him at the cross. He dealt with it there completely. It is finished.

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Then he robed us in his righteousness. Now that's amazing grace!

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Here are a few verses that speak into this truth:

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I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness... Isaiah 61:10

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Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” Zechariah 3:3-4

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‍For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9.

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‍And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants,‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:21-24

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All too often, we choose to keep our dirty clothes on. We're too comfortable; we're too guilty; we're too passive; we're too self-righteous; we're too afraid to take the risk. If we really knew what it meant to wear his robe we would not hesitate to have Jesus himself wrap us in it. He's holding it up for us to put one arm in, then the other. Will we?

In the story, I chose crimson red for the robe because it represents royalty. When we accept Christ, we belong to a kingdom that will out last and out shine anything this world has to offer.

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Become the little girl in Christmas Morning. Marvel at his amazing grace and humbly wear his robe. It's yours--your name is monogrammed on the pocket.

You are his.

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In my previous posts, you can read about each of the different gifts in my newly released children's book Christmas Morning. (Now available on Amazon!)

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In this post, the little girl in the story picks up the brightest yellow bag she has ever seen and unwraps...

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a beaming lantern of light.

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‍With much excitement, she decides to test its power by walking into a pitch-black closet. And sure enough the light overcomes the darkness, and she shouts "Joy to the World!"

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Just as the other gifts in the book have symbolism, this lantern does as well. This light is meant to represent the Light: Jesus.

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He says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

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Also, hear these words of truth:

God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Genesis 1:3

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...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

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In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

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Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

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How difficult it would be for us to walk around in complete physical darkness. Spiritually speaking, it's the same thing. Our souls, without Christ, are formless and void. Without him, we wander, we flounder, we fall.

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But then, the light of life enters in! He gives us Hope! His word guides our every step! When we look to him, we are radiant! And amazingly, we become his ambassadors. We now have a purpose much greater than ourselves. Jesus says to you and me today, "You are the light of the world...Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14,16

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Become the little girl in the story. Rekindle your lantern of glory if it's been waning. The world is dark and needs you. Be a part of the incredible privilege of overcoming the darkness in your time and place in God's redemptive story. It's why you are here.

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There is no greater mission in life than shining his lantern of Light.

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In the continuation of sharing my children's book Christmas Morning, the little girl in the story delightfully opens up the fifth gift. (See previous posts for the proceeding gifts). She tears the pink and purple striped paper and opens a dainty box to find...

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a small bottle of perfume. This heart-shaped bottle is attached to a necklace so she can wear it everywhere she goes.

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As I have mentioned in my previous posts, each one of the gifts in Christmas Morning symbolizes a faith-based truth. In this case, the beaded necklace and bottled perfume represent the love of God in our hearts. When the little girl sprays the perfume, the whole room is filled with a beautiful aroma. The idea of this gift came from this verse in Scripture: Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3

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Both the expensive ointment of Mary's and the little girl's perfume in the story, when poured out, result in a sweet smelling aroma. Everyone present is affected by the scent.

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Take a slow moment to think on this truth: the Spirit of God abides in our hearts. He is love. He is beautiful. He is powerful. He is alive. He is kind. He is good. He is joy. On and on. When we submit to His Spirit, all these things stir up in us... and then exude out of us! We "smell" good! It is by no accident that God calls this outpouring the "fruit" of the Spirit! Doesn't all fresh fruit smell wonderful?

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These verses emphasize God's love and its effect on us and others:

...And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

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‍For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing... 2 Corinthians 2:15

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‍Let my prayer be counted as incense before you... Psalm 141:2

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We can be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19)... for the purpose of being poured out! How wonderful to know that when we do this, whether it's through praying, serving, or using our unique gifts and talents, we will give off a pleasing aroma, first to God, and then to others in our appointed realm of influence. Let's not hold back!

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Become the little girl in the story. Humbly, yet boldly, choose to fill whatever room you enter with the sweet smelling aroma of his Spirit.

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**Guess what? Christmas Morning is now available on Amazon! The official launch will be November 1st, but feel free to beat the Christmas rush and purchase it now if you'd like! And if you love it, I would kindly ask you to leave a review, as this will continue to help this treasure book of truth move forward.

link: bit.ly/3VzhyW1

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I pray that it will be a beautiful fragrance of God's love for all children and parents who open it.

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The little girl in Christmas Morning has another mystery to unwrap! What will it be?

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After dancing to the music box of joy (see previous post: https://www.respitefortheweary.com/post/the-making-of-christmas-morning-the-third-gift), the little girl sits down to open up... a beautiful crytstal goblet. And guess what? This goblet in not empty! Not only that, it is never empty! As a matter of fact, the goblet is full to overflowing! (By the way, Acacia, the illustrator of Christmas Morning, envisioned this picture in her head and then beautifully illustrated it for the book. I'm so thankful for her thoughts because the picture I originally had in my mind was so limited; I simply saw the little girl daintily sipping out of the goblet. But Acacia's picture is so much more accurate! It portrays abundance! This particular illustration ended up speaking into all the other pages of the book, giving Christmas Morning a "Narnia" feel.)

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The name of this gift is: the goblet of living water. And as you can surmise, it is symbolic for the water that Jesus gives us through his word and his Spirit.

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So often, we as believers choose to go through our days with parched souls. The well of water is always available. This water is pure and refreshing, but we opt out and instead live life on the run. His water revives the soul, but we decide that there's no time to linger in his love. Or maybe, we are drinking, but we choose culture's kool-aid instead; as a result, we are actually more depleted than revived. Until we understand that nothing will quench our thirst like his living water, our souls will remain parched.

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Hear Jesus' plea:‍

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

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Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters... Isaiah 55:1

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But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:2-3

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As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

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For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3

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How will we answer his plea? Will we take a sip, then another, then another, until we are so filled up that we become an overflowing vessel of his hope and truth to all those around us? This is God's desire for you and me.

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Open up the gift of his living word. No need to live with a parched soul when each one of us has been invited by our Savior to drink in his abundance.

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In my soon-to-be-released children's book Christmas Morning, a little girl delightfully opens one gift after the other. Each gift takes her on a wonder-filled adventure which is portrayed through the whimsical illustrations. The third gift, wrapped in vibrant paper, is one of my favorites. The little girl reaches in and pulls out a..."happy little music box."

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When the little girl opens it, music like she has never heard before begins to play. It's so melodious and inviting, she can't help but rise up and dance all around her living room. She is filled to overflowing with JOY! This opened-up music box and the dancing little girl is meant to symbolize the joy that Jesus brings to all those who know him as Savior.

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All too often, we go about our days with our hearts closed up. We're all business. We're in a hurry. We're stressed. Pause for a moment to spend time with the Joy Giver? Not an option because there's just too much to do.

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But listen to what Jesus says in his word about joy:

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You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

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A joyful heart is good medicine... Proverbs 17:22

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These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11

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‍Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music. Psalm 98:4

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For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. Psalm 63:7

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I think one of God's greatest desires is to see his children worship him with a heart that's full to overflowing with joy. His joy is not merely a fun emotion. Nor is it based on circumstance; rather, it's rooted in knowing God and believing in his promises, no matter the circumstance. There is both depth and height to this fruit of the Spirit!

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What song can you listen to today that rhythmically proclaims God's truths? Do you need to be reminded of his goodness? his love? his presence? his power? Pick a song, turn it on, and rise up! This choice song may be the very medicine you need!

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Become the little girl in this story. Open up the vibrant music box. Get off the fast track, take some un-wasted time, and dance.

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...For the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

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A long time ago when I was in college, I had a baby blue comforter that covered my twin bed in my dorm room. In my opinion, this down comforter was the best bedspread ever! I loved it so much that I kept it for years. It moved with me from my dorm room to my first apartment, to my first home with my new husband, and then to our next home together with our four children! I remember wrapping my little ones up in it, holding them close, embracing them with all the love I had in me.

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This is why this second gift in my children's book Christmas Morning is so sweet to me. The little girl in the story delightfully unwraps a bright blue package with a shiny white bow and finds... a soft blue blanket. And as I mentioned in my previous post , each of the seven tangible gifts in the story are meant to represent different intangible realities that we have been freely given in Christ.

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The blue blanket is: the blanket of peace.

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Have you ever been given news that stops you in your tracks? Your world is turned upside down and you're not sure how to cope? In this place, and in the moments, minutes, months, and years following, God wants to wrap you in his peace. The way I held my little ones in the soft blue comforter is the way that your heavenly Father wants to hold you, now and always.

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Allow God's word to speak into this truth. Read these verses slowly; unwrap his gift:

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‍Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

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‍You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you. Isaiah 26:3

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‍Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:13-14

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Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God though our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

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For he himself is our peace... Ephesians 2:14

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Unlike my down comforter that finally fell apart (feathers everywhere) after a decade of good use, God's "blanket of peace," will never wear thin. It's eternal, but it's meant for today. It's other-worldly, but it's meant to help us in this world.

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Envision yourself wrapped up in God's strong, caring arms. In this safe place, pour out your heart. Weep. Be held. Be loved.

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For there is no real rest for the soul, except for the indwelling presence of God's perfect peace.

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