Why would I think buying Christmas presents brings Joy?

My husband & Son golfing together

As a Christmas gift to my husband this year, I wanted to buy him a round of golf. I thought, "It has been while since he has been able to spend time with our now 23-year-old son. Maybe they can resume that old tradition of playing golf together on Christmas morning."

However, a round of Golf is expensive, especially where we live. In fact, I figured I would have to spend around $100.00 on this gift. I wondered, "How am I going to generate this amount of money when I haven't worked since March 2011?" http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/unemployed-mother-turns-down-needed-to.html. I decided to sell some of my belongings to afford the gift. So, I listed items I knew would sell on Ebay.

Perhaps, I became too focused on buying Christmas presents this year. Because, this morning I found myself setting my closed bible aside to curiously inquire about my Ebay Seller account. I noticed right away the bids for the items I was selling had increased. This meant that I would be receiving more money. I would have thought this would make me feel happy. Yet, for reasons unknown to me at that moment, I was feeling a little let down.

As a result, I grabbed my bible and walked away from the computer desk. As usual, I allowed the pages to fall open and land as they may. As God would have it, they settled on 2 Kings Chapter 5. Right away, I wondered, "What does leprosy have to do with my day?" Still, I kept reading. It took me a little while to digest the story. I had to pause frequently. Then when my eyes finally caught verse 26 I knew what God was communicating to my heart!

2 Kings Chapter 5:26

"Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?" (NKJV)

My eyes welled with tears as I quietly whispered to my Lord, "It is time when You say it is time!" Then, the most loving and caring voice spoke to my heart, saying, "Don't you have everything you need?" I simply and humbly replied, "Yes Lord." Then, He said, "Then what is it you need money for?" I thought about how Christmas wasn't about buying presents for others. So, wiping the tears from my eyes, I replied, "Nothing Lord."

The Word of God-A love Story

After that, something happened that had never happened to me before! I heard the Lord say, "I love you, my sweet daughter." Sobbing, I replied, "I love you too Lord!"

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! 

To read the first written and published personal testimony 

please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

"Come on Son, We're going to Mass."

Ephesians 4:1-2 "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love;" (NKJV)

             
            

One morning, I woke up with an urge to attend mass at a Catholic Church. “How weird!” I thought.  I haven’t called myself a Catholic for over three years. Maybe I am craving mass because Christmas Day is drawing near. Could it be all those childhood memories I am missing?      I couldn’t make sense of why suddenly I had to attend a new church. Yet, the Holy Spirit was convicting my heart and I knew to obey His prompting. So, I searched on my computer for the daily service schedule and directions to the nearest Catholic Church. Then, I shared with my youngest son our plans for the day. I expected him to question why we weren’t going to attend our home church, since he hadn't attended a Catholic church for years. However, he instantly grew excited and asked, "Can I put the water on my body again?" Could my young son feel God prompting his heart too?

We arrived 30 minutes before the service was scheduled to begin. A strange and familiar feeling overcame me as I smelled the incense wafting through the air. We comfortably fit right in. At one point, I explained to my son that he was about to watch a sacred reenactment of the Last Supper. He began to anxiously swerve back and forth. He stood up on his tippy toes, trying to witness the moment, peering over the many rows of parishioners. “Mommy, I can’t see.” He sadly proclaimed. 

            Then, a few minutes later, my son became beautifully excited as the congregation began to passionately recite the prayer the Lord gave us to pray. I thanked God, that through my young son’s innocence, I also felt as though I was hearing the Lord’s prayer for the very first time! I questioned, “Maybe, God brought me here to renew my own heart?”

            Next, it came time for parishioners to offer their personal prayer requests. As one woman petitioned the Lord for her two terminally ill brothers, I felt my throat begin to close and my eyes well with tears. I knew then why I was in mass that day. I was there for the woman who was scared to lose her two loved ones!

            Therefore, as my son and I exited the church, I began to scan the crowd, trying desperately to find the woman.  “Please Lord, show me where she is!” Immediately, I spotted her green floral shirt. So, with purpose in my step, I went straight towards the woman. I put my arm around her shoulder and said, "My heart cried out for you when you asked for prayer support for your brothers. I would like to add your name to my prayer board. Would that be okay?" The woman burst into tears. I held on tighter, squeezing her shoulder with the palm of my hand. When she gathered her composure, I patiently listened as she spoke about her painful suffering.

            Then, when the woman finished, I said, "I am going to pray for peace for you! It sounds like your brothers are saved and know the Lord. Perhaps you need God's comforting and loving arms right now." She started to sob. Then, the woman gave me her name. She asked for my telephone number, which I quickly provided to her.  Before we parted, I told the woman, "Call me anytime. That is why we’re put on this earth, so that other Christians don't feel so alone!"

Thank you for reading about my personal walk with the Lord!

To read my testimony in full, please go to:  

http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html