It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

As the song says, "it's the most wonderful time of the year". It seems that right around Christmas, people who are usually miserable have a little bit of joy in their lives.

You wonder why they have that joy. Do they know the real meaning of Christmas and are filled with joy because of it? Or are they just more joyful because everyone else around them is?

It's great to know the real meaning of Christmas - the only source of true joy in the whole world. It's great to know that God sent His Son down to earth as a newborn baby. He was born in a manger. He came here to die for my sins and your sins. He came to earth KNOWING what was ahead of him - that one day He would suffer and die a horrible death for sins that He didn't commit.

If that isn't a source of joy, then what is?

So, this Christmas, celebrate the true source of joy - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Make this truly the most wonderful time of the year by accepting His free gift that He offers to each of us - the gift of salvation.

I'm happy to say that this really is the most wonderful time of the year - only because I know Jesus as my Savior.

- Jenn

Roller Coaster Rides and Country Roads

Roller coaster rides and country roads... you may be wondering what in the world the title of my post means. Well, read on to find out....

People always say that life is like a roller coaster ride. It's full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Well, whoever came up with that analogy was right on. Life definitely is like a roller coaster. On a roller coaster, you slowly go up the hill and it's super exciting. You get to the top of the hill and it's amazing. You're excited about everything, things are great. You're ecstatic to be up there. Then, all of a sudden you drop and you drop fast. You're at the bottom - lower than you realized you were going. Your stomache's in knots and your head is spinning. But before you know it, your headed back up a hill. You don't have time to think about what's going on. You just hang on tight and go with the flow of the ride. You might scream. You might cry. You might close your eyes and tell the person next to you do let you know when the ride is over. Then all of a sudden you come to a stop. You get off the ride and are so thankful that you made it through. You stagger down to a bench and sit down, slowly letting yourself unwind from the experience that you just had.


To me, life truly is like a rollercoaster - although more intense. Actually, life's like a series of rollercoasters that are ridden right in a row. You experience the "ride" - the slow uphill climb, the joy of being on top, the sudden drop to the very bottom, the quick ascent back up, the whips around the corners, and the turns that lead to the end. The "ride" stops. Then all of a sudden it starts back up again. You don't have time to get off and unwind. You're going through it again.

In life, the joys come (the uphill climb). Things seem to be going wonderful - God's pouring out His blessings and things are wonderful. You think to yourself, "Can this get any better?". You're at the top, the tip-top of the hill, and you don't realize what's coming ahead. All of a sudden bad things come your way and you drop faster than you knew you could. While you're dropping you're having second thoughts, wondering if you can just get off the ride. All of a sudden you're at the very bottom and it seems like it can't get worse. Then you're suddenly going back up - you know this is the better part of the ride. As you go up, the bottom is a distant site. The bad things are history. However, you get back up and realize there a loop and a twist in your plans ahead. Then there's another dip. Then you're back uphill and downhill and "BOOM!" you come to a stop. Whew! What a ride life is...

I hope you're following my analogy, the analogy that's been floating around in my head. It may be slightly confusing, but I hope it's not. What do you think? Do you think our lives are like a series of rollercoasters? Or perhaps our lives are more like a windy, country road....

Think about driving on an old country road at night. There's twists and turns. There's deer running out, obstactles of all sorts. There's the occasional drizzle or perhaps the downpour. Then a clearing comes into sight. You can see and drive perfectly fine. All of a sudden the road gets bumpy. Your car is being jerked around and you're starting to feel sick. However, after a few bumps the road is smooth again. You drive through the night and soon the morning comes and everything clears up. You can drive comfortably and see better. It's much better and much easier.

Perhaps life is more like that? As we go along the "road of life", we encounter the twists and turns and obstacles. We never know when they're coming because we can't see around the next bend. We also encounter the storms, times where we have to do all we can to be able to see through the rain and stay on the right path. We have to work hard to keep our focus on the road ahead and our ultimate destination. Sometimes the "road" is bumpy and other times it's a smooth ride. Sometimes it's dark and rainy, and other times the light is bright. The good times are there and so are the bad times. However, the bad times (the darkness) seem like nothing once the good times come (the light).

What do you think? Are our lives like a rollercoaster or a country road? Or perhaps life is kind of a mix of the two? All I know is that, whether on a rollercoaster ride or country road, the ride is always challenging and sometimes scary. But in the end we always look back and say "Wow, that was worth it!" or "Wow! That wasn't as bad as it seemed."

So, whatever we're going through in life - whether we're on the bumpy part of the road or on the uphill climb of the rollercoaster, we can be assured that in the end it'll be worth it. As long as we keep our focus on the ULTIMATE goal and purpose - the Lord Jesus, the ride will be worth it. Also, it's comforting to know that no matter how scary the ride gets, He's right beside us holding our hand the entire way...

- Jenn

Encouraged

I was encouraged today by Candace Cameron Bure's (D.J. from "Full House") testimony and thought I'd share it with you. I hope you're encouraged by it as well!



- Jenn

Praise His Name

I thought of this song this morning while I was processing some things that are on my mind. The lyrics are so true and basically say that in all circumstances, no matter how difficult they are or how hard they are to understand, we should praise His name. So incredibly true! So no matter what we're going through, whether big or small, we should always praise His name! Listen to the songs and the lyrics. I'm sure you'll be blessed by it.

- Jenn

Busy, Busy, Busy

Busyness seems to be our "life story". Sad, I know. It seems often times we get so caught up in the a busy life style that we forget to take time to sit back and enjoy the simple things in life and the things that mean the most. I'm trying to enjoy those things more and more. We only have this one life to live, so we need to make the most of it and not get so caught up in everything and forget what matters most. My encouragement today is to take time to enjoy the little blessings in life - the things that matter the most.

- Jenn