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Wow, sweet ladies, we are approaching the Holidays faster each year. In the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to focus on what I say, where I go, and what I am doing.

When we gather with family and friends, share our delicious dishes, give thanks for our blessings, and open the gifts we receive; I am seeing more daily blessings than ever before.

You may be given several gifts this year. Two of my gifts that I am striving to implement in my life are:

Wisdom: Wisdom is knowing God. One of many parts of wisdom is words we say in response to someone and to many situations we face everyday. By our words do people know God? This is a challenge for all of us. I am asking God for His wisdom to honor Him by my words.

Love: Without God, we do not know how to truly love. He is love. We have the option to show His love by our actions. In order to show love, we must go to Him in prayer and ask Him to show us love, care, protection, provision, and faith.

A couple of happenings, I want  to share with you, were made more real to me than in the past:

A couple of weeks ago, I was checking my Facebook page. I did not recognize a name of a lady that liked the blog I had written and the upcoming mom’s meeting we were going to have in a few days. So, I decided to contact her and see how she knew about me. Wow. Who would have thought or remembered what happened four years ago. I had my It’s 4 uMom display table set up outside of a LifeWay store in Oakleaf. I was promoting my It’s 4 uMom manual. The lady on Facebook said that she met me that day at LifeWay. She had  been following me on Facebook all this time. Well, I wanted to see her again face to face, so I invited her to the mom’s event as my special guest. She came and I want to tell you, that made my night. This situation made me realize that we have an impact on people every day, even when we do not remember; or to think we may have said something to someone to either help, encourage, or hurt them. A friend said to the two of us that night, after the meeting, that someday when we meet God,  it is going to be revealed to all of us, the impact of our words and actions. That is so true.

The other incident I want to share is what happened to me last Sunday night. We are getting ready for our children and grandchildren to visit us. They have been out of the state for a couple of years. So we are decorating our holiday house and yard for this wonderful season. We have a combination of Thanksgiving decor along with a Christmas tree, wreaths, and stockings. (Please note that the lights in the yard and the tree will not be lit until the day after Thanksgiving.)

Well, Sunday night I was going to decorate the tree since my husband, Jim, had taken special care to set it up. I was on the fourth ornament that was being placed up at the very top, when the 1 1/2′ kitchen stool I was standing on broke.  A side note: I am currently under physician’s care over a back injury. I definitely did not need to fall. In my descent, I tried to take the string of Christmas lights down with me. My head hit a plant pot that was near the tree and my right leg is all bruised up after smacking it against the broken stool. I crawled to the couch to get my cell phone to call Jim. After sitting on the couch for awhile, I realized that I had just missed hitting my head on the fireplace. I was thankful that I did not break a bone. Being so thankful that I was not hurt worse than I was, I started wondering if someone was praying for me during that hour.  I asked my daughter. She said she had not been praying for me at the time, but that she had been thinking about me. I then sent a text two of my sisters and a friend in Colorado. After receiving word from my mid western friend, that she had not been praying at the time; one of my sisters told me that she had been praying for me.

Dear friends, these two incidents reminded me of an event in the Old Testament when Elisha was going through a challenge with the Syrian King. The Syrian King heard that Elisha was giving the King of Israel information about him. So the Syrian King sent his horses and chariots after Elisha. Well, Elisha’s servant was concerned and fearful and asked what they were to do.

And Elisha then prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.  II Kings 6:17

We do not always see or remember what positive or negative influence we have on a daily basis by our words or actions. We need to take time to pay attention to our contact with people and to remember to uphold one another in prayer. In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let us be thankful for the gifts of wisdom and love our God showers us with, even when we do not  always recognize it. God is always at work in our lives.

The gift of wisdom can be ours for the asking. ( James 1:5,6)   We need wisdom to make right choices and to handle situations. Thanksgiving is a time to share blessings, and to be thankful for our lives, family and friends.

The gift of love, began when God gave us the gift of His Son, Jesus to come to earth, be virgin born, die for our sins, raise from the dead, ascend to the Father, and some day will return to earth to get those who have received Him as their personal Savior.

For God so loved the world,  that he gave us his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.                     For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16,17

Be blessed in realizing the life you have been given and the influence you have in your connections with people. Be blessed by the unseen way God intervenes on your behalf.

What is in your gift boxes?