My friend is Judy Harris, and she has endured decades of a multitude of health challenges. AND YET…I have never known her to grumble or complain. She has had an opportunity to share the love of Jesus to every person, in and out of the hospital and care facilities, with grace and love that is unfathomable. She was able to let God shine out of the cracks in her human frailty. I have known only a small handful of people with such intense love for God and those He has put in their path. God trusted her with a mission that only a few could fulfill.

Christmas is where God’s earthly example of Love begins. Jesus laid down His divine nature and took on the nature of man. He did this to show us our who our Heavenly Father is and His love for us.

Finding myself drifting off dreaming, sipping my coffee, I began thinking about how grateful I am.

Grateful for the little things like the cool crisp morning air. Grateful for the not so little things, Steve’s and my health and our relationship is growing as each year passes. Grateful that in the good times and the not so great God has never left me on my own. He is a constant in my life.

I am grateful.

We can trust God with our emotions, fears, sadness, or joys; strengths and weaknesses alike, all of it. He not only understands but has made provision for all of who we are: the good, the bad and the ugly.

He meets us where we are and loves us enough not to leave us there.

In most 12-step recovery programs “progress not perfection” is a common slogan. This slogan is not only for those recovering from addictions, but it is for all of humanity that is recovering from the first bite of the apple.

There is something spectacularly satisfying about serving with no expectations of getting anything in return; it is remarkably freeing.

The joy in serving comes from meeting the needs of people with authentic humility and knowing you are blessed with time, talent or treasury to meet those needs with no expectation or need of anything in return.

I have enjoyed stock option trading over the years. The thing of value is the trading rules that I set up for me. Rules have adapted and implemented from those that are extremely successful at the trade. It has served me well. Our lives need the same rules or guardrails, so to speak. The Bible is a valuable resource to use as a guideline for setting up rules for living. I don't need to make rules for others. It is not my place as I have enough to do with my life. What I know is this. God has the big picture of my life.

I am saddened today by the horrific loss of life and unimaginable pain and suffering that has come in the senseless deaths in the Las Vegas massacre. It is not just in that massacre that causes me grief but the frequency increasing over the years.

The families who face overwhelming emotions from unbelievable pain to rage at the unthinkable acts and for some coming to inconceivable grace and forgiveness.

We often get weary in our challenges. We are sometimes inclined to quit; give up. It’s just too hard to keep going. Even when we’re willing to “tough-it-out,” we need a new perspective. We all need to remember that we have everything we need inside and around us. When we have God as our partner, He shares the journey with us; inspiring, empowering, and keeping us close to His heart.

We come into this world full: full of everything we need to accomplish all that God created us to be and by the end of our lives we need to be empty: all poured out. When we are fulfilling our God-given purpose, we pour into other people. We bring them help, hope, and love. Listening to this, as a pastor was preaching a eulogy, my thinking was considerably challenged.

I would like to pass the challenge on. Have we considered this full to empty living as a life journey?

What would that look like? We are all so different, our challenges, gifts, and talents are even more diverse. How do we start?