Patience with Purpose

Trust that ALL THINGS happen for a reason. Sometimes we just want it right now, but it's all in Gods timing, not ours

God says, I will never leave or forsake you, so put your trust in me. Give full devotion and you shall never waiver.

In this world, there is very much a great force living among us.

The force? God.

The setting? Earth. Everything.

The battle? Good and Evil

Have you checked out the weather lately? Tsunami’s, Earthquakes, Lightning storms, Global warming, Hurricanes, and plenty more! We can’t deny that there’s some pretty crazy stuff going on around us. I don’t believe natural disasters are a question of good or evil. It’s just a reminder to us that we aren’t in control of everything. We cannot plan out every single little thing in our lives because we really aren’t in control. Every person on earth has different circumstances that we are born into, but it’s the choices we make throughout life that guides us to where we should be.

Trust

We all have to make progress in life, however we can. If we don't, life just isn't very liveable. Life is messy. Get ready for the messiness.

This quote I always keep in the back of my mind for just a little reminder that we only see a microscopic image of whats happening in our world,  but God (and only God)  can see from beginning to end.  If life starts getting chaotic,  thats when you know God is using you.  Trust in him,  and you will never waiver!  In other words,  take a leap of faith!  

It takes a very special person to have blind faith.  It's them being big enough to say,  "God,  I have no idea what's happening in my life right now,  but I'll trust you to guide me to where I need to be. " 

  I have a lot of trust issues,  and because of that,  I kind of build up a wall,  or force field around me.  It could be how my perfectionism came about!  But about 9 years ago,  I decided to let God take the reigns.  Boy have I ever gone for a wild ride!  But had I not trusted,  I would not be where I am today! 

I'm not suggesing everyone go out and live like a hippy and "Trust God" with everything in life!  What I am suggesting is to stop running the race of life so much and try being still,  living in Gods presence.  This could mean doing devotions,  setting time out to pray,  or even turning on some worship music!  Anything we do,  if we are doing it for God,  and it is to fulfill the world of his love,  it should be done.

Go with God! 

The Invisible Battle

In life, we feel conflicted to choose our own way, or choose Gods way. I struggle with this concept and if we just remember that we will never be complete unless we choose to go his way. Why wage war with the invisible battle? Life has never been up to us. Just like Amy Grant says, Why try so hard?

Oops!

I apologize to anyone that read my last post.

I wasn't thinking and didn't mean any of it.

I was just on a rant.

It makes me see how easy it is to press that publish button and things you never even meant to say get put out there for anyone to read.

Please accept my most sincere apologies.

Everyone makes mistakes; the important thing is to learn from them.

How facebook affects us

I always new social media skews your perception in life, I'm just glad there's finally a video for it. It can be very addicting, but sometimes its hard to resist the temptation.

Find your meaning

Very inspiring video

TRUST

Trust

We can only see what's happening to us in the present, and things that have happened in the past. Only God can see our lives from a

3 dimensional view, that is past, present, and future. We may not know exactly what our present circumstances are leading us to, but God does! That gives me a lot of comfort, knowing the it is him who steers the ship, not me! So far, he's done pretty well on my life, so I think I'll continue to let him drive!

How about you? Are you putting your faith is Jesus? Has it had a positive or negative aspect to your life?

Change Your Outlook on Life

We all have circumstances in our lives that can weigh us down, and it seems to overtake our day, our week, our year, our life.

When we give in to those transgressions, bad habits form and monopolize our mind, causing us to question our abilities. 

In any crisis, we want to have the ability to challenge the conventional tools we are given.

Sometimes something so innocent as a cheap cup of coffee can become a little habit, then more and more and more, it starts to fill our entire day and a molehill soon becomes a mountain.

Habits become isolating, in one form or another. We don't realize it until we are in so deep that it starts to destroy exactly what we try to achieve.

Enough already with all the decisions, life is aggravating  

Another big example is customs the world vows for us.

This video is the perfect tool to empower that very subject.

There are two little words that make a big impact on the decisions you make

We need to take a stand and strip away the expectations others have for us and just

...enjoy...

Isn't that the purpose of why we're here?

I would love to hear your remarks in the comment section below!

~ xo Marcia ~

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!

Proverbs 2:6

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”

We all have choices!! I couldn't have said it better myself. This video says it all:

Choices that can Change your Life

Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments

Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

 ~ Kent M. Keith

Motivational Speaking!

On Tuesday, March 27, I spoke to the grade 5 students at Langley Christian Elementary School. I really felt I touched them with my story, and the feedback I received was so positive!  I can't wait to work in other peoples lives

Letters the children wrote to thank me for speech:

dear mrs. Groeneveld

Thank you for coming to the grade 5 classes to talk about your story. it was very interesting to hear about your life well you're disabled I learned it must be really hard to get around  and to do lots of things. And I learned that you must have had a really interesting life.  I have a goal handicap people and I'm going to hold the doors open whenever  I can and whenever I see people that are handicapped or disabled. well I guess that's all but thanks for coming out to talk to the grade 5 class about your life and your story. 

From Grace

Dear Miss Groeneveld 

  I learned that it is a lot harder to have any disabilities than people assum.

I also learned that you have a lot of things to you.In the future I will talk to handicap people more often

                              From jane

To Ms. Groeneveld

I will not park in handicap spaces and I will not drive fast When I see a handicapped person.

I learned how good we have it here and how we take it for granted 

Thank you for teaching us about handicapped people 

From Anthony B.

Dear Ms. Groeneveld 

I have learned that I can help people like you so much more than I do now.I also learned that there are some very lucky people in this world like you that have gone through some tough times and if I was in your position I would be so scared so that would make you so brave. So from now on I will help people like you more.So thank you. 

Sincerely mary

Dear Ms Groeneveld,

Thank you so much for coming to our school and teaching us how hard it is for handicapped people everyday. I learned many things about people who have disabilities, and one of the things we're finding a parking space and having enough room to get out of your car. I’m going to be more aware of handicapped people and open doors for them and pray for them. I greatly appreciate you for coming to LCS. You really taught me to never give up and trust in God.

Thanks again, Elise 

Dear Ms. Groeneveld,

Thank you for coming to LCS to tell us about your life. I really appreciated. I learned that you can’t swallow anything and I also learned that when you get a stroke it takes a very long time to heal. One goal that I have about handicapped people is to help them if they drop something, need help reaching something or something else like that.

From, Alyssa

 Dear Ms. groenveld  

Two thing that I've learned from you is to not park in handicap because some people who need to then can't.The second is to hold open the door for Handicap because it might be to hard.one goal is to hold open the door for handicap and thank you for coming.

From MATTHEW

Dear Ms. Groeneveld

I’m going to open doors for more people who need help. And help people who drop things .thank you for visiting

 And telling us your story .from Jakob

Dear Ms. Groeneveld

I have learned lots of things about your life and other people with disabilities. I learned that people with disabilities have harder lives than I thought ever, I thought that the handicap washrooms had big enough room but no, so I hope that they will fix it and the sidewalk curves.

I bet soon you will be able to walk on your own without any help from anybody, and I hope you won't need a wheelchair to get places. Like you said people with disabilities can be whoever they want.

                                From Iain Heuving

                                                                          

THANK YOU FOR VISITING!!

To Ms.Groeneveld

Thank You for coming to our school to tell the us about you. I learned how stroke works and that it takes a long time for it to heal. I also learned how you eat if you can't swallow. Something I am going to do in the future is help someone who has dropped something to pick it up. 

         From: Joe

       To: Ms.Groeneveld

Dear Ms. Groeneveld you are such a perseverer you are so strong it is hard to adapt to things like not being able

 to swallow but you have done so well you have taught me that even if someone might be in a wheelchair you don't have to change who you really are now you have shown me that when I see a handicapped person I will talk to them and make their day better than before Thank you for visiting our school

                           -Sophie Thomas 

Thank You !!!

Thank you for sharing your life with us you have helped everyone in grade 5 so thank you so much and  hope you get stronger and one day to i do believe you will stand and i do believe you  are and always will be just like everyone.  Ms. Groeneveld

From, Payton

     Thank You!! 

Dear: Ms.Groeneveld

Thank you so much for coming to LCS! 

I really appreciate it. It was so interesting to hear about your life, and what you’ve been through. I learned how hard it is for you guys to park, move around, walk your dog, get ready for the day, and more! You have helped me realize to have more confidence and not to give up! After you came, you helped me realized how hard it is for some people to get around, and that I should really just pray for them!

Thanks again, Olivia

Thank you

-Ms. Groeneveld

Thank you so much for coming in to speak to all of us  grade five kids!I really appreciated it. Two things that learned was that we should treat people and disabled people all the same way and not to look down on disable people just because they look different.One goal I have is to open doors for elders and disabled people. Thanks again!   

From Matthew

Thank you so much for coming you taught me a lot and you made me feel more for Disabled people. I will try my best to help people like you. You made a great speech and I hope you come again Thanks so much Ms Groeneveld. 

From markus   

To: Ms. Groeneveld

Dear Ms.Groeneveld thank you for coming to our school you are so strong because it is so hard to adapt to things like being in a wheelchair  you're doing so great so far you have taught us that even if you are disabled you can still be yourself FROM:Anthony

Dear Ms.Groeneveld,

Thank you for visiting us you gave us many ideas about how to help handicapped people more and more often. I have a question do you think that God planned for you to have a stroke in your life?There is someone in my church that is handicapped and can't see so she has a guide dog.I learned a lot from you today and I hope you recover fully soon 

Thank you from Kate B

 Dear  Ms Groeneveld,

I learned it is hard getting around When you have disabilities.

And that it's hard to find a parking space and Doing other things that normal people would do.

I bet it's hard getting around in a wheelchair all the time.

When I see handicapped people I will hold the door open for them and smile because I know it can be hard for them.

Thank you for coming to our school to tell us your story and telling us what happened.

From Cole

Will definitely have to do this again!

The Secret to Success

We all want it: that big pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow!

It could be a promotion at work; working less; having more time to care for our loved ones; gaining financial freedom or fulfilling personal morals. Everyone wants it, but only a few can actually attain it. We feel like we have an imaginary boulder stopping us from progressing in life.

Why is it that there are some people who have absolutely no problem bypassing the boulder while others can’t even go within ten feet of it? Is there a giant secret that only a few people have and the rest of the world doesn’t? Yes!! But – no not really.

Actually, every single person has it.

The secret is, ATTITUDE!

Attitude has got to be the biggest possible game changer in the history of the world. This life was not meant to be easy, and the attitude you set in motion will derive your outcome. If you want to be a pessimist, you will get a crummy attitude in return. If you’re an optimist, the world will give you a break!

The only way you can advance in life is by taking the necessary steps, and not shunning your past, but looking ahead toward the future.

First step to change is your mindset. Our minds are so creative, so capable to constantly grow and learn and adapt to any type of situation.

Carol Dwecks book Mindset gives a fascinating perspective on how abilities can be developed. YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU CURRENTLY ARE!!  Our brains are so malleable that we need to recognize that the brain is like a muscle. It constantly needs nourishment (a.k.a. NEW information) in order to have a growth mindset.

We are born with the growth mindset; we are so curious as we develop and grow into this captivating world we live in. The thrill of having a sleep over with our best friend; the fun of tying a red towel around your neck to become superman! 

We are so eager to learn about this world and what it has to offer. We become engrossed in using our talents to better off the  world!

But something happens as we age. We grow a chip on our shoulder and we start to think the world owes us something. Greed overtakes, and somehow, that chaotic puzzle called life just ain’t fun anymore, and we look for shortcuts as if this will make our time here on earth go just a little bit quicker. This is the fixed mindset.

We have the ability to be whatever we so choose to be in life. Depending on our attitude, it “affects what we want and whether we succeed in getting it”.

If we want, we can have the fixed mindset; if we want we can have the growth mindset. We shape our futures, quite literally. Everyone has a choice, try to make the right choice. And maybe, be mature in making your choice.

The chart below illustrates the difference between growth mindset vs. fixed mindset

To preview this book, click here

How are you spending your time?

We are so blessed with an abundance of food and material possessions living in North America! Yet, we continually buy, buy, buy, more, more, more. Why?

The word for this is Compulsive Hoarding. Somehow, many of us subconsciously think our THINGS will get taken away, and thus we will become nothing. I’m guilty of this too. It’s a very easy pastime, accumulating STUFF that we might need on a rainy day. The truth is that we’re just bored because we’ve been given everything in life, so that is when the compulsivity starts. The bible teaches us that if we have faith, God will always provide enough to sustain us through life.

There are many verses where this is displayed:

·        Exodus 16:17-18 (¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer (unit of measurement – 1 omer = 3.5 liters), the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.)

·        John 6:33 (³³The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.)

·        Ecclesiastes 9:11 (I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.)

Scripture can be highly symbolic, mythic, theological, metaphorical, and proverbial all rolled into one, that you may be very well taking what is written way out of context. So you need to discern what is truly trying to be conveyed. If you don’t discover what is truly being said, you may be misconstruing what the entire religion means based on your own personal thoughts. The bottom line is this: be curious! Go to places that could have leaders with the right information, like, maybe a Church perhaps? Join a small group. Talk to the Pastor, most of all, read the Bible! I believe God gives everyone gifts that they can go out and use to better God’s world. Gifts such as:

administration
creative ability
discernment
encouragement
evangelism
faith
giving
healing
hospitality
intercession
knowledge
leadership
mercy
miracles
prophecy
service
shepherding
teaching
tongues (speaking and interpretation)
wisdom

The purpose of all spiritual gifts is to serve others and glorify God. Our gifts are not our property to use as we please. We have been given them in order to glorify God. I believe in prayer, but also using the gifts that God has given to support the people around us. To sum up, I believe in prayer and action. If we don’t act accordingly and rely solely on prayer alone, are we really doing what God wants? In a way, that is sinning.

We need to bring our gifts together and better off everyone else in the world. As is said, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but if everyone works together, we can create a community of fellowship between each other

So, to sum up:

Life is short, but it’s not that short. Spend your time here on earth doing the right thing. You’ll just end up regretting not taking the leap.

Q - So... What's the right thing???

A - Everyone is different. Find your passion in life, and continue to sharpen your skills at it. There is no one size fits all answer. Lost the passion for what you had before? Switch it up! We are multidimensional people, meaning we aren't meant to do one thing for our whole life.

The last resort is this song -

UltraVibe machine

I love my new Fitness Machine! I've been using it for a week now@10 min 2-3x a day and already we see results. Just need a full-length mirror to help me with my posture !

Break Free!

How would you measure or define the worth/value of a man in today’s society? Ultimately the deciding factor is how confident you are on your own understanding of the world, and executing and producing the desired result. The life we truly desire and deserve cannot be ultimately attained if we lack the self-confidence to move forward with our intention.

The Bible tells us that man was made in the image of God. In many ways, we bear Gods likeness. We gain a deeper understanding of who we are the more we know about him. That is to say, to know us, we have to get to know God. And, to get to know God, we have to first start with ourselves. We have such an interwoven relationship that you can't have one without the other. 

If our understanding of society's rules are inadequate, we end up having a distorted view on truth as a whole. Therefore, ignorance is bliss! Well, somewhat!

Can you put a price on Freedom of speech? Can you put a price on the love of your life? How about watching a beautiful sunset? How about your emotions, energy, confidence and attitude? Accountability? Respect? Some things have no monetary value, but they mean a lot in order to have a fulfilling life. All of these attributes can be summed up by one core aspect: Intrinsic value.

Intrinsic value is a term used in companies to view an assets worth, but not necessarily its monetary value. However, we are people. We are not a company or an object.

The expression we use for people are your gifts, or your spiritual gifts.

The reality is, you and only you define success for yourself! Yes, society has thresholds that say “You can only do this if you have a diploma stating that you're qualified”, but ultimately, it’s up to you to make the agreement and move ahead with the degree. You make the decision to engage in the cultural norm.

The unrealistic, view people as one-dimensional creatures, only scratching the surface instead of seeing the magnitude of potentiality we all possess.

       God doesn’t make imperfections; it’s the people around us that distort our view of what we have. We are meant to believe that we are worthless, we have no impact on society and will never emit to any-thing, we aren’t worthy of love, we are not enough, we don’t deserve hap-piness, we aren’t unique or special, Our dreams are too unrealistic or im-practical, our circumstances dictate our success, we are not worthy of wealth. And we believe these lies. Once we start to believe these lies, we gain another dreaded emotion, fear. We fear that we can’t speak up. We can’t wear that. We can’t do that. We can’t learn that. We simply can’t. This is a paralyzing emotion that prevents us from living life to the full. How can we break free from the lies and fear that society as a whole has led us to believe?
Knowing that you ARE worthy of love, you DO deserve happiness, you ARE completely unique and special, your dreams and insight ARE completely realistic and practical, YOU ARE ENOUGH.

We are all created fearfully and wonderfully! Maybe, just maybe, the way each of us is made is exactly what God intended for us!

This world is what we make of it. If we choose to look at and receive all the negativity this world can throw at us (and believe me, there’s plenty), then we will only see the negativity; This is where we need to take dimensionality into consideration in regards to “status quo” or social state of affairs. We are imperfect beings living in a chaotic society. Imperfect people living in a state of turmoil. And yet we strive to be flawless. This measure of success will never be attainable. We may do everything in our power to do every-thing right, but when our world has not been created perfect to begin with it causes problems in us, problems that we can’t get away from. The young grow old, the poor get poorer, people are disabled, relationships get torn apart, friends become enemies, and the inevitability that we are all going to die. Why do these things happen? As Gods chosen people, we are given a strong sense of fulfillment that we need to achieve HIS goals for us. It's not about us. It never has been. We are just little chess pieces on a board called life and Gods the player in hand. 
If that's not the case, then WHY? Why would bad things ever happen to good people? The only answer I can give you is bad things happen to any-one and everyone because we live in a broken, distorted world. Bad things are inevitable to happen; it's how you choose to view it. Is it a tragedy or a blessing? 

I choose to look at my battle a blessing. It was a covenant of grace in disguise. Do you know what I gained from it? TIME. Time to actually digest how fragile and precious life is. How the choices we make affect every aspect of our life, and to make the choice that, no, I am here to make an impact on this earth, not to fall through the cracks that life offers so easily. We literally create our own destiny! To manifest means whatever you take in, you give out. Like what you listen to on the radio, what program you watch on TV, even down to the food we eat, we have a choice: is it positive or negative? God gave us free will, and so it’s our choice on how we want to live our life. That is, until a term called determinism comes into play. It means that the choices you make constitutes what’s going on around you in the external world. Once you become aware that everything connects to everything else, you start to see what’s really important in life.

God has an agenda that we have a duty to fulfill. Put God into the equation of how our lives unfold, and all will start to make sense. That is the way, the only way we can undergo suffrage and face hardships with a strong will, and do it all over again the day after that and the day after that. Without sin in the world, we wouldn’t have free will. Our life on earth is a test. A test to experience…
• Joy. ...
• Interest. ...
• Serenity. ...
• Hope. ...
• Gratitude. ...
• Kindness. ...
• Surprise (Pleasant) ...
• Cheerfulness….
• Love…
Just as important as positive emotions are, it is also imperative to face the struggle of negative emotions. Emotions such as…
• Fear
• Anger
• Disappointment
• Guilt
• Feeling Overwhelmed
• Feeling Uncomfortable
• Remorse
• Insecurity
• Struggle with identity
• Discouragement 
• Hopelessness

This is not a list of all emotions by far, but this is the beginning of regarding every essence of your being. If we learn to tap into every single one of these emotions, we can unlock our full potential and become whole brained users. You create your inner genius! Your brain is more flexible and multi-dimensional than any supercomputer. If you learn to tap into your 
Imagine if God took all trials away from you. Imagine if he provided every-thing you wanted and needed at the moment you needed it? Would you be strong and resourceful, or weak and dependent? Would you become the best person you could be, or simply live from day to day seeking only your pleasure?

God doesn’t delight in our suffering, but takes pleasure with us in our victories over it.
It’s fantastic to be positive, but we also need to be realistic. Don’t expect to be handed everything you need just by thinking positively, you need to act on these virtues. 
The brain is a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Become more aware of your consciousness, your perception, your thinking, your judgement, and your memory. This is the very essence of your being. It’s what makes you, you.

Once we realize the key ingredients, nothing can stop us from achieving our full potential! That is, except one thing, us. We are at the heart of a moral conflict. We want to do good, but unfortunately as humans we lack the ability not to do bad. Its embedded in us. We humans have free will. Absolutely every human being has the potential to rise up, stand out of the crowd. So why don’t we do it?

Not to be a record-player, but once again, its fear. Knowing that we create our own destiny is in fact a little scary. We have the potential of being the next Prime Minister or a drug addict living on the streets. The choice is really yours, and you only live once, so what’s it going to be?

One thing that we all take for granted: Life is a gift. We should use it wisely to the best of our ability. We all have gifts; gifts that God has graced upon us. The only way to profit from these gifts is by knowing them and putting them into practice. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 says, "7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have."

Maturity

As we live in a day with information so readily available at our fingertips, we often get caught up in all the news we hear or read. With this happening all around us, we seem to get hit with one tragic event after another and so on, and so on, until we get caught up in all the chaos going on with the world. Right? If we look for anything to fill the void of our empty little heads, what we receive from the media is depressing, demoralizing news. If they can put the sadness in, surely we must be able to find our own joy. Well, that’s what they think, whoever they are!

This depressing, gloomy news feels like weight after weight being thrown on our shoulders until that vital spark loses its flame. We all want to be happy all the time, or so we think! If only the world was perfect, there would be no depression, oppression and aggression. To be a fully mature person, we need to have the experience of the world, grow in age, and be mindful.

Full maturity is:

• When inner beauty matters more than just physical beauty.

• When you listen more, and speak less. The quieter you become, the more you hear.

• When you start talking about ideas instead of people.

• When you start focusing on being 'healthy,' instead of being 'skinny'.

• When you learn to forgive and ignore people's rude attitude towards you.

• When you build on your skills and long-term goals, instead of attaining materialistic things.

• When you create a life much more than just earning money.

• When you learn to incorporate patience in yourself during tough situations in life, instead of complaining about it.

Season Expectations

I love this Christmas Season! Christmas music playing non-stop, decorating the Christmas tree, snow angels, baking cookies, the smells of Christmas spices in the air, joys of having family around, winter vacation, and of course, PRESENTS!! These joys can easily be annoyances to many. 

Perhaps it is because we live in a materialistic 21st century that seems to ever-lengthen the Christmas season (ie. grocery stores bringing out mincemeat pies in October). Or maybe it’s because others don't like the pressure of buying gifts for family and friends. Either way we choose to view it, we have to face the music and know that this holiday is over commercialized. The media teaches kids that the only thing that matters is getting that next new shiny thing! That’s the media, and we’re human beings. We do know better. Take away Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus, and the elves. Put aside that Xbox game, and that little kid who wants the newest iPhone. Let go of the gift-giving, the parties, the charities, and a White Christmas. Let’s even forget, for a moment, about our hopes for peace on Earth and good will toward all.

What’s left, and what remains the theological and spiritual core of Christmas, is the Incarnation. It’s the reality that God has taken on human flesh, been born as one of us, like us in all things except sin. We Christians believe that in Jesus Christ, the human and the divine are brought together, are simultaneous realities. The Bible teaches us it was part of God’s plan and purpose that he should experience life as we experience it– being born as a child, living and growing as a human child, knowing all our wonder and fear and joy.

This is something we truly need to reflect on, keep in our mind and dwell with it in our hearts. That is the only way we can remain spiritually whole in times where the world tries to sway us of our true values. We know in our hearts the right thing to do. The question is… can we?