My greeting was going to be Good morning. But as I started writing,  I looked at the clock and it was 12:25 pm CST. So good afternoon! I wouldn’t say my morning got by me for surely nothing of great importance “got by me”. My morning has been in prayer and richly deep in the Word. I received forgiveness, correction, clarity, and a deeper relationship with my Lord and how to go forward in this new year.

 Now I am ready to write.

As a couple of weeks have passed since Christmas and I look at my first week of the new year, a certain poem came to mind that I would like to share with you. It is one I wrote on December 27^th, 2016, in my first book, “Inspire Me”. The title is “Post-Christmas Reflections”. If you have my book, it is found on page #27.

It goes like this…

When Christmas is over now what do you see?

Are we still laughing and singing our praises to Thee?

Or are we like old Scrooge, still living in greed

Are we living in peace where striving has ceased?

Where the love in our hearts, we have finally released?

Or are we back to the old ways of living for self?

As we mindlessly place our idols high on the shelves

Did the reason for the season slip quickly away?

As we, like sheep, go blindly astray?

    PLEASE LET IT NOT BE!

Now this day is a great place to start

To share all year long, the love of God, straight from our hearts!

As I read what I was inspired to write eight years ago, I have some thoughts about the message in this poem. You guessed it, I’m going to share them, also.

1. Are we still laughing and singing our praises to Thee? Were we ever doing this? Or instead stressed or worried about finding just the right gift for people that we love but didn’t need any material thing. Wearing ourselves out not only physically by shopping for gifts but how about decorating our yards and homes and writing cards and letters? Worrying about how we would pay for all of it and accumulating debt we should never have? We wear ourselves out not only physically but emotionally and financially. How about spiritually?
2. Old Scrooge? Greed? Maybe we need to consider the better gifts.
3. Living in peace? The peace of God is through His Son the Prince of Peace. He’s the only way to peace by having a relationship with Jesus Christ by faith. Through receiving and giving forgiveness, obedience, and loving others more than ourselves. And it is a fruit of the Spirit so allowing the Spirit of God to rule in our hearts will bring peace. No living in strife when walking by the Spirit. The Bible has much to say about peace and how to live in it.
4. How about releasing the love in our hearts? If we are lovers of ourselves, money, material things, greed, and unforgiveness, we don’t have the love of God. So how can we release something we don’t have?
5. Back to the old ways? Or were the old ways the only way we knew because we never knew the true meaning of Christmas, or Jesus Himself? We must not be deceived about this!
6. The “idols on the shelves”  are anything that we put before God, like pleasures of life, money, education, and even other people. Everything that people hold in high esteem or that can draw our attention away from God. Think about that for a while. Bring it to the Lord for correction. 2 Timothy 3:16 ESV “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Revelation 3:19 ESV “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” I thank God for the love He poured out on me for the correction I received from Him again this morning by humbly repenting.
7. Again, did the reason for the season slip away? Or did we ever know the true meaning of the season? Was it Santa, snowmen, parties, and Disney movies? Hmm
8. Talk about blind sheep going astray! Or were we ever on the right path?

Wow! I don’t know about you but this was a very close examination of my heart, lifestyle, and where I’m heading in 2025 and thereafter.

Now, this day, this post-Christmas reflection with examination can be a great place to start!

Spend some time with Him in His Word first. Humbly letting Him examine our hearts giving us His loving correction. “To share all year long, the love of God, straight from our hearts!”

I recognize that there is a possibility of condemnation in my thoughts and words about this poem. And please know that I do not believe the Lord does not want us to enjoy any of the things I listed that we sometimes do. The point is why and how we do what we do to celebrate Christmas! This is the reason we come before God for reflection and examination. He knows us far better than we know ourselves. My poems “Dark to Light” and “Cleaning Out the Clutter” point out these truths.

And I would not dare finish this reflection and examination without pointing out some all-important facts about myself.

Some of you may remember that I have said the messages in my poems speak to me as well. As my Pastor has said, his sermons speak to him also. I only share these things as a way to draw us closer to Him, His Word, and a better understanding of who we are in Him. No casting stones here, as my poem says in “Casting Stones” in Blue Skies, Butterflies, and Battlegrounds. Books. Or how about “Harvest Seed” (in the same book)? “Your guiding Word to follow Jesus Showing others the way So there will be an abundant harvest For Your return on that glorious day!” pg. 156. Or the poem with the odd-sounding name, “Walking on My Knees”? “Walking on my knees might sound really odd, But it’s clearly a way to walk humbly before God. You see if I start in prayer on my knees His strength for this day is mine to be seized. Humbled, surrendered, dependent on Him…” pg. 77. “Distractions” gives us some explanations as to why we have so many distractions. Have you ever noticed how distractions are ramped up during Christmas? This poem helps explain why distractions and how we can overcome them.

Another fact about myself is I have done many of the wrong things that I listed starting with #1! Ouch, that would really sting, but again, let’s look at what God says when we are forgiven. FREE FROM INDWELLING SIN: Romans 8:1 “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Only the enemy condemns, God lovingly corrects. And the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” What if Paul had allowed the regrets of his past mistakes to hold him back from his destiny in Christ? I need to consider the same for my life. Did you know Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament? That should speak volumes to those of us who would allow the enemy to condemn us of the past. It does to me! And I have heard Andrew Wommack say it this way, “I haven’t arrived yet, but I have left the station.” Lol! I’m joining Paul and Andrew in pressing forward and I hope you will too.

So back to the beginning of the day. My time with the Lord, His Word, and all that He has given me, prepared me to write. The purpose is for a deeper relationship with Him in His Word, Holy Spirit guidance correction, forgiveness, freedom from indwelling sin, and “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Here in this new year 2025 and thereafter.

Are you with me? I do pray that you are and that this time of reflection and examination has stirred you and given you a hunger like no other for His Word and His Way. Did you read my blog titled The Word, The Will, The Walk, The Way? I told my testimony of salvation and how you can be saved and I mentioned we all need clarity of the Word of God so we can know the Will of God and Walk with Him in His Ways.

I do look forward to our time together after my time with the Lord. Meanwhile, I am continuously grateful for your time and responses. If what I am sharing has benefitted you, please share my books and blogs with others.

God bless and keep you,

Reba