It’s the day before Christmas Eve and I thought I should write something. With ChatGBT it’s hard to tell if what people write is their own stuff anymore. Just throw in some thought, opinions, and questions into an app and like the magic genie bottle an essay or document pops out and most people don’t know the difference and it’s amazing. This one is all me, pure sweat and tears – all b-a-r-b-b-y. (That’s what TCO calls me sometimes.) No help from an app… with the exception of the generated AI image.
I was going to try to create a “T’was the night before Christmas” poem, but that’s been done a million times over. I figured I’d just stick to what’s real. I haven’t blogged much lately and what better time than Christmas time? I had all these thoughts going on in my head at 3AM this morning and I couldn’t go back to sleep so figured I’d put them on paper.
Before I climbed out of bed, I wished TC☺ a happy birthday. He’s 61 today and I know he was concerned about making it another year. His dad died at the ripe old age of 60 and he thought like father like son. Glad to say that that didn’t happen and God willing he’ll make the pass around the moon many more years to come.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s important to people. Health or Wealth? I suppose that would depend on who you ask, right? I mean healthy people probably would say wealth unless there was some point in their life where they struggled with health and realized the importance of it. What do you suppose wealthy and healthy people think is important? Sometimes my mind is just so full of thoughts and they get all jumbled together so it’s important for me to write them down and get them on paper. (This is second draft—I hand wrote all this in my journal before breaking out the laptop). It hasn’t been turned on in months and it’s really hard to get used to typing on a laptop keyboard when I use my work keyboard every day. {Note to self: use laptop more often}. I need to get ready for the A-Z Blogging Challenge coming up in April!
Back to my dilemma; the sick hope for health, the healthy work for wealth, the lonely desire companionship, the childless want children…do you see where this is going? Human nature has always been to crave something we don’t have. That’s a scary thought because then we have the evil-doers who take advantage of that desire. Watch or read Needful Things and you’ll see what I’m taking about. People put things in place to make others think that they will fill that emptiness. Even back in the book of Exodus (chapter 32) Aaron molded the golden calf. Tsc., tsc., tsc.
Speaking of putting things in place to fill the emptiness, there are so many scammers out there who are taking advantage of others. I’ve seen this happen with my family, with my friends family, and I’ve read about it in magazines, and on line. No one is exempt from being taken advantage of. No matter how much we think we are in control and know what’s real and what’s not real, sometimes it’s easy to forget the evilness and corruption going on in the world. We let our guard down and forget where we are and before we know it we are sucked into the deception and it’s too late.
There is an emptiness in every person’s heart ♥. We were all born with it. Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Many people will fill that emptiness with things like golden calves, food, drink, drugs, even relationships. That one thing is never enough. It’s always going to be better the next time. The next pair of shoes that are on sale, the next vacation to Spain, the next promotion, the next girlfriend. The list goes on and on because the worldly things will never fill that emptiness in our heart. I know this from experience because I tried to fill it. I was 42 when I realized what I was doing wasn’t working and the “next thing” continued to never be enough. I was always expecting the “next thing” to make me happy. I finally stopped trying to do it my way and decided to try it God’s way. Talk about an eye-opener. I thought everything was going to be peachy keen and skittles and beer…boy was I wrong. It was hard. I lost everything I worked so hard for. Sometimes it’s still hard, but it’s different. I have a peace now because I know when I die I’m gonna be walking on streets of gold. Heck I might even ask Aaron what he was thinking when he molded that golden calf.
I know a lot of people don’t want to be preached to and I’m no preacher. Go to church if you want to be preached to. I’m just telling ya that if you have an emptiness in your heart, if you’ve always been looking for the next best thing that is going to make everything complete, perfect, make you happy, but after you get it you realize you were wrong, that it wasn’t what you were hoping for, maybe it’s time to check out Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It’s so easy, why wouldn’t anyone take the free gift? This is one of my very favorite Christmas stories. The Christmas Sweater… check it out.
May you have a very Merry Christmas! I love you all.
I’m keeping the good memories of him. I am thankful for all the times we had together and the teaching and corrections he gave me. Sometimes it was brutal, but it was necessary. He passed later that afternoon. Whether or not he accepted the free gift of salvation, we won’t know until we get to heaven. Have you made your peace with God? Have you accepted the free gift? You’ve got 60 seconds. Secure your eternity and say this prayer with me:
CRACKERBERRIES 
