{"id":434,"date":"2013-12-18T18:45:58","date_gmt":"2013-12-18T23:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/?p=434"},"modified":"2016-11-02T18:50:38","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T23:50:38","slug":"pause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/18\/pause\/","title":{"rendered":"Pause"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fullmoonreflectionsweb2\"<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he moon came out again tonight to say \u201chello!\u201d in a big way. Playing coy. She slipped in and out of the wispy clouds high in the December sky. She began the night full round, golden as she started her climb; fading to silvery white as the night grew cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

December nights in the northern hemisphere are cool to downright cold to the bone. Tonight the temperature is energizing in Texas, hovering right around 60 after the sun went down. Folks out and about; scurrying to find the perfect present and grabbing a bite to eat while they map out their strategy to find said present.<\/span><\/p>\n

We were no different- I\u2019d been shopping for the grands and the husband met me after work to sit across from each other with a salad, a homemade pizza and a glass in our hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

That moment, the pause, that does indeed refresh, was needed. I love how God orchestrates those pauses in our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may have noticed that since the new little man was born, I\u2019ve been quiet.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is my favorite time of year. I love the built in pauses at this time- the few days respite to pause and give thanks for all the good gifts He\u2019s brought to us this year, to stop and consider how much we\u2019ve been spared in His providence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pause of the ice storm that made us huddle in close to each other- some to keep warm because the power was out, some just because of the forced rest and the time to re-connect.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, now comes the best \u201cPause\u201d. That space of time when the kids are out of school, we take a deep breath in the middle of the hurry and time seems to stop. When we sit watching the school pageant or the Christmas musicals at church, and the couple of days before Christmas when we feel like we are in slow motion (at least I feel that way). After the pause of the Christmas Eve service we move into high gear until after the ribbons and paper have been picked up and the last dish is washed after the Christmas Feast. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I take a deep breath as everyone returns to their homes and the pause I relish is upon me. I long for it. I race to it. The house is quiet, the music is on, the candles are lit. It\u2019s Christmas. I sit, finally, and drink in and absorb the Gift of forever life He gave to all of us. No matter how much or how little we\u2019ve had, the Gift still came and I pause for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The celebration of the birth of one little baby boy a long, long time ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

The birth that changed forever the world we live in.<\/span><\/p>\n

The moment when Love, Peace and Joy exploded into our atmosphere and gave skin to Our God and named Him Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Immanuel-God with us-Redeemer-Savior-the One who takes away the sins of the world-the whole world-not just a few people, not just certain people.<\/span><\/p>\n

FOR EVERYONE who ever drew a breath or has yet to breathe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Redemption has already arrived and will draw near to each of us. Even to those who don\u2019t know they need Redemption let alone a Redeemer.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to pause, look around, see the gift and reach out and grasp it for ourselves and wonder when we open it and all of that Love and Peace and Joy spills out over every thing and every one. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are you waiting for?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects\u2014bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints\u2019 inheritance in the light.\u00a0He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Colossians 1:9-14<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I know that my redeemer lives<\/span>, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>I myself will see him with my own eyes\u2014I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!<\/strong>\u00a0Job 19:25-27<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAnd there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves. People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for\u00a0the powers of the heavens will be shaken<\/em>. Then they will see\u00a0the Son of Man arriving in a cloud<\/em>\u00a0with power and great glory.\u00a0But when these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near<\/span>.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Luke 21:25-28<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The moon came out again tonight to say \u201chello!\u201d in a big way. Playing coy. She slipped in and out of the wispy clouds high in the December sky. She began the night full round, golden as she started her climb; fading to silvery white as the night grew cold. December nights in the northern … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[154,25,75,156,11,155,93],"class_list":["post-434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-christmas","tag-god-with-us","tag-gods-gifts","tag-immanuel","tag-jesus","tag-redeemer","tag-redemption"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":435,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434\/revisions\/435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}