The Lord seems to speak to me lately through the oddest of circumstances. When I least expect a nugget from the heavens, it comes without warning. In the slightest of ideas or in the simplest of deeds. So with that, I give you this blog post.
December is a WHIRLWIND for the Bauguess family. Camdyn's birthday starts off our month and from that point onward it's usually hustle and bustle and organized chaos (did you expect unorganized chaos? Really? It's me!) Even before the month of December begins, I'm usually making preparations. Preparedness is comfortable to me. It's my security blanket. It means I have a plan. I have a checklist of things to do, presents to buy, parties to attend, this to do, that to do. October is usually when it begins for me. I map out my gifting list and start disassembling it piece by piece. I.am.a.planner. It's who I am by nature.
Aside from being a planner, I'm also a giver by nature. I love to give gifts. I like watching the excitement of the person receiving them, the smiles that a gift can bring, and the anticipation I have in waiting to give out those gifts. As the planner and giver in me combine and intertwine themselves together, it brings forth joy for me. I try to be personal in my gift giving and tend to steer clear of giving the ever mundane gift card, fruit basket, or just plain cash. I want my gift to exude the thoughtfulness I put into searching for it and the time I spent searching for just the right thing.
Opposites attract right? My husband is one of the most thoughtful men I know of. His heart is of gold and he would give the shirt off of his back for anyone who may need it. He would go out of his way to make sure someone was taken care of. When it comes to planning however, he likes to take life one day at a time, or as it is thrown to him. We balance each other in this way. I am always ahead of the game and he is always reminding me to slow down and enjoy the minutes of each day.
Each year, I wait for him to wake up on Christmas Eve and announce he is going shopping. Yes, Christmas shopping. He usually waits until the last minute, mostly because his job doesn't allow much time to shop. I could see and hear his stress today as he asked for the laptop so he could see if by chance he could order some gifts online and have them here by Christmas. I left him alone to sort out his list.
I was laying in our bedroom with Camdyn, trying to coax her into taking a nap. In case you haven't already heard, steroids are the ANTI sleep drug. If you need to stay awake - try them! Camdyn is on day 7 of a steroid for an ear infection so I was desperately trying to catch a quick nap. William came in, obviously conflicted in his gift searches, and asked a simple, yet practical question, "How much did you spend on me?" I knew why he was asking. He wanted to spend an equivalent amount to what I spent on him. I explained to him, I honestly didn't know, but that it didn't matter. The cost of the item doesn't matter.
But it does. It didn't settle in right at that instant, but his question kept rewinding in my mind throughout the evening. "How much did you spend on me?" When that little nugget from God fell in my lap, talk about a humbling and spiritual experience.
I pictured myself as a little girl, accepting Christ into her heart in June of 1997. How much did you spend on me Lord? Out of all the gifts I've ever been given, my salvation has been the most expensive. Jesus, who came as a man, and died on the cross for MY sin, paid the ultimate price for my life and my eternity. What a gift!
I saw myself each time I brought my old sinner's heart to the altar. How much did you spend on me Lord? Each sin I have committed was nailed to that cross and forgiven. What a price for someone to pay for me!
I envisioned each time I let him down and begged for his forgiveness. How much did you spend on me Lord? Who else would look upon my grievous acts and grant me forgiveness? That price tag was a hefty one.
I saw myself giving thanks for the blessings he has bestowed on me. How much did you spend on me Lord? My greatest of blessings have no monetary value. Only an eternal value for which I will forever be grateful.
As I sit and listen to the click of the keyboard and type to the glow of a Christmas tree with gifts wrapped neatly below, I can't help but to imagine a tiny little gift sitting neatly wrapped at the foot of the cross. The inscription on the tag, written in blood, is addressed to me and is given by the Lord. What a gift! Even if I was the only one to accept the gift of his salvation, I still believe he would have chosen to die on that cross just for me (talk about getting holy ghost goose bumps!) GLORY!
I imagine that one day he will ask me, "How much did you spend on me?" Just as William wanted to spend an equal amount to what I spent on him, he deserves a little more of us. Although we could never repay him, shouldn't we do all we humanly can to serve, worship, and love him? Not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. How much time do we spend on him? How much praise do we give to him? How much love do we show him?
Thank you Lord for showing me something out of seemingly simple situations and conversations.
December is a WHIRLWIND for the Bauguess family. Camdyn's birthday starts off our month and from that point onward it's usually hustle and bustle and organized chaos (did you expect unorganized chaos? Really? It's me!) Even before the month of December begins, I'm usually making preparations. Preparedness is comfortable to me. It's my security blanket. It means I have a plan. I have a checklist of things to do, presents to buy, parties to attend, this to do, that to do. October is usually when it begins for me. I map out my gifting list and start disassembling it piece by piece. I.am.a.planner. It's who I am by nature.
Aside from being a planner, I'm also a giver by nature. I love to give gifts. I like watching the excitement of the person receiving them, the smiles that a gift can bring, and the anticipation I have in waiting to give out those gifts. As the planner and giver in me combine and intertwine themselves together, it brings forth joy for me. I try to be personal in my gift giving and tend to steer clear of giving the ever mundane gift card, fruit basket, or just plain cash. I want my gift to exude the thoughtfulness I put into searching for it and the time I spent searching for just the right thing.
Opposites attract right? My husband is one of the most thoughtful men I know of. His heart is of gold and he would give the shirt off of his back for anyone who may need it. He would go out of his way to make sure someone was taken care of. When it comes to planning however, he likes to take life one day at a time, or as it is thrown to him. We balance each other in this way. I am always ahead of the game and he is always reminding me to slow down and enjoy the minutes of each day.
Each year, I wait for him to wake up on Christmas Eve and announce he is going shopping. Yes, Christmas shopping. He usually waits until the last minute, mostly because his job doesn't allow much time to shop. I could see and hear his stress today as he asked for the laptop so he could see if by chance he could order some gifts online and have them here by Christmas. I left him alone to sort out his list.
I was laying in our bedroom with Camdyn, trying to coax her into taking a nap. In case you haven't already heard, steroids are the ANTI sleep drug. If you need to stay awake - try them! Camdyn is on day 7 of a steroid for an ear infection so I was desperately trying to catch a quick nap. William came in, obviously conflicted in his gift searches, and asked a simple, yet practical question, "How much did you spend on me?" I knew why he was asking. He wanted to spend an equivalent amount to what I spent on him. I explained to him, I honestly didn't know, but that it didn't matter. The cost of the item doesn't matter.
But it does. It didn't settle in right at that instant, but his question kept rewinding in my mind throughout the evening. "How much did you spend on me?" When that little nugget from God fell in my lap, talk about a humbling and spiritual experience.
I pictured myself as a little girl, accepting Christ into her heart in June of 1997. How much did you spend on me Lord? Out of all the gifts I've ever been given, my salvation has been the most expensive. Jesus, who came as a man, and died on the cross for MY sin, paid the ultimate price for my life and my eternity. What a gift!
I saw myself each time I brought my old sinner's heart to the altar. How much did you spend on me Lord? Each sin I have committed was nailed to that cross and forgiven. What a price for someone to pay for me!
I envisioned each time I let him down and begged for his forgiveness. How much did you spend on me Lord? Who else would look upon my grievous acts and grant me forgiveness? That price tag was a hefty one.
I saw myself giving thanks for the blessings he has bestowed on me. How much did you spend on me Lord? My greatest of blessings have no monetary value. Only an eternal value for which I will forever be grateful.
As I sit and listen to the click of the keyboard and type to the glow of a Christmas tree with gifts wrapped neatly below, I can't help but to imagine a tiny little gift sitting neatly wrapped at the foot of the cross. The inscription on the tag, written in blood, is addressed to me and is given by the Lord. What a gift! Even if I was the only one to accept the gift of his salvation, I still believe he would have chosen to die on that cross just for me (talk about getting holy ghost goose bumps!) GLORY!
I imagine that one day he will ask me, "How much did you spend on me?" Just as William wanted to spend an equal amount to what I spent on him, he deserves a little more of us. Although we could never repay him, shouldn't we do all we humanly can to serve, worship, and love him? Not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. How much time do we spend on him? How much praise do we give to him? How much love do we show him?
Thank you Lord for showing me something out of seemingly simple situations and conversations.