đđ«đ€ Christâs peace and presence be with you and fill your 2023. This past week I watched a Netflix movie called The Christmas Calendar. The calendar was a larger, antique wooden Advent calendar, that was given to the main character, Abby, by her grandfather. It was her late grandmotherâs calendar. Once she got the calendar home, she tried opening the little doors, but no matter how much she tried, they wouldnât openâŠuntil midnight the first day, when the door 1 opened automatically, revealing a small wooden pair of boots. Later that day, Josh, Abbyâs good friend, gave her a pair of boots, unbeknownst that she received the wooden boots from the Advent calendar. On day two, there was a Christmas tree. That evening Abby ran over a Christmas tree that fell off a strangerâs car. That interaction sparked a romantic interest between Abby and Ty. Piecing a few items together, Abby started to realize that the gifts the Advent calendar was giving her were âpredictingâ her future, so she started looking for clues to lead her where she wanted to be. Towards the end of the movie, Abby realizes that she was so focused on only seeing what she wanted to see, where she wanted to see it, that she missed the gifts the Advent calendar was actually giving her.
Like Abby, at different times in our lives we tend to look at a situation and only see what we want to see, instead of being open to seeing what it is that God is trying to show us. I believe thatâs partly why God doesnât want to reveal to us the moment of His return. Itâs kind of like learning in school. You have the choice to learn the material just to pass the test or you can learn the material to use it in a practical manner. God doesnât want us to learn, just to pass a test, He wants us to learn in a practical manner, so that we are better equipped to think, make decisions, and apply what He is teaching us, for our good, the good of those around us, and for His glory.
2023 is off to a bright start. Donât allow your blindness to the truth of what God is revealing to you, keep you in the dark. Donât be in a rush. Allow yourself the time see and experience God in time, as He reveals Himself to you. To quote Archbishop Fulton Sheen, âPatience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is âtimingâ it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.â
As you journey your way through 2023, I pray you choose to grow with and experience God in all that He is offering to you.
Bless others and be blessed.
Shelly :0)
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#TheChristmasCalendar â Netflix
#ArchbishopFultonSheen
#RascalFlatts â My Wish
Third Day Devotions 