Depression, not something that most people want to admit they feel. Depression is not something that most people want to talk about. Why is that? Is it because they are afraid that if they say something about it that they will be treated differently, looked at like they have a plague, or even that they will be put on medication and deemed unfit to do a job, or even worse that they will be deemed unfit to care for their child?
Depression: it's something we all feel. It is something that EVERYONE deals with at some point in his/her life. It is something that needs to be able to be talked about without fear. It is something that can be dealt with, more often than not, without medication. Depression is real, and those that deal with it need to be able to talk about it. So, let's talk. Let's have a real, honest conversation. Right here. Right now. My family has a for years dealt with depression. My family has hid for years that many of its members deal with depression. I deal with depression. Did you catch that? I DEAL with it. Yes, I have depression; no it's not something that I have been diagnosed with, because I DEAL with it. I have days where all I want to do is sit and do nothing but sit. I have days that all I want to do is cry. I have days that my body aches. But I DEAL with it. I don't let others define me because of it. I don't seek medication to drown it out. I don't define MYSELF by or because of it. Now, I realize that there are some people out there that do need medication to help balance hormones and other chemicals in the body that cause them to feel depressed, and that is OKAY. But when that does happen, they shouldn't feel ashamed or fearful. But with society today, they do. They fear loosing their jobs, friends, kids, etc. Today is one of those days for me. I just want to sit, and snuggle with my puppy. And she is more than willing right now, as she is laying next to me on the couch. :) But I have chosen to DEAL with my depression. I have decided to play with my puppy when she brought me her ball; decided that maybe a nap after writing this wouldn't be such a bad idea, etc. I have chosen to not let my depression that I am feeling today not limit what I do. I have decided that instead of keeping it quiet, I'd shout it from the mountain tops, and see who answers back. I don't need medication or a label. I need to talk to someone, I need to play with my dog, I need to eat, I need to....you fill in the blank. I Deal with my depression. You may be reading this and say "That's great for you, but I just can't", or "That's great, but how?" Well, there are a few simple ways I DEAL with my depression: 1) I lean on my Savior, my LORD Jesus Christ. I remember that He is always there for me to hold me up when I fall. To love me when I feel like no one else does, can, or will. I remember that He gave His life to pay a debt that I never could or can; a debt that the only payment was my eternity in Hell, or HIS life forfeit on Calvary. I remember that He gave this freely to me, and Gives it freely to anyone that seeks it. (If you want to know more, please contact me, I will gladly tell you the whole of it.) 2) I find things that make me happy, like my puppy. 3) I go and do. I don't allow myself to just sit. I do #2, then go and do; example: I love playing with my puppy, so I do. I love sewing, so I do. No I may not get the dishes done, or the laundry put away, but I also don't just let my depression control my day. So let's talk. Let's have an open, honest conversation, right here, right now. What are you dealing with today? Depression, anxiety, loss, fear? Let's talk.
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I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. My husband and I sure did! We spent some much needed time in Ohio for Christmas with my family and our Friends, then spent some much needed time in Charleston, SC with his family and our friends over New Years. You never realize what you have, most times, till it's not there, or hard to get. The time we spent with friends and family was not just physically refreshing, but spiritually as well, that one being the more important and more needed of the two. For those of you who know Christ Jesus as your personal savior, and have a relationship with Him daily, never take for granted the relationships you have with other Believers; you may never know how you touch their lives, and how they touch your's. The encouragement that we get from other believers is vital to staying strong in the LORD.
With the New Year comes new goals, and hopefully, new products and sales! I am currently working on makings some candles with Sea Shells in them; the Shells were found mostly on Sanibel Island, FL, but may be from other beaches such as Folly Beach, SC, Isle of Palms, SC, or Sullivan's Island, SC. All the shells were gathered by myself, or close friends of mine, and are in the original condition they were found. I am also going to be working on getting more Natural wood products going as well. So, be on the look out for new items, as well as sales on some of the items that are already available in our store. -Jen How often does life actually goes as planned? Hardly ever in my case, but isn't that what makes life interesting? The fact that, unlike a Hallmark Movie, life is never predictable is what makes it real. Well that's exactly what happened in my life. It didn't go as planned, but that's okay. I was all set to do a blog a day about the REAL Christmas, and then a freight-train of a cold hit me out of no where. I was out of commission for several days. So that meant no blog posts. That meant no to a lot of things haha. My poor puppy had to think I didn't love her any more because she got ignored (not played with as much) most of the time. But this was God's plan for me, so I will praise God for the time I had to relax, and the time He gave you all to ponder my last post.
Because I have been sick, I have not been able to study out what I was going to post on for the next post, so I will get back to the Real Christmas Posts hopefully later this week. As an aside: If you plan to order anything, please do so by next Wednesday, as I will be unavailable to get to the post office to ship anything after that day till the second week of January, Due to the holiday season. -Jen First, I would like to apologize for missing a day. Yesterday was a little crazy for us around the house.
Tonight I am going to be going through Luke 1:26-31,34-35 and Matthew 1:18-25. For your convenience I have included the passages below. I know this will be a little longer than normal, but it's well worth it, I promise. I am basically going to let Scripture speak for its self, and only comment on a few key points. Luke 1:26-31, 34-35 "26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." Matthew 1:18-25 "18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man,and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus." There are some very important aspects from this passage that you should not miss. The first being: Mary and Joseph were not yet married; while the Jewish tradition of marriage is different from ours (I will not go into it for fear of confusing the matter more than making it more clear), this time period that is spoken of is loosely like our Engagement period. We see this laid out for us when the Luke passage in verse 27 says" ...betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph..." and in the Matthew passage in verse 18 "...After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph...." The second important aspect is how Mary became pregnant. There are two VERY important details that tell exactly how this happened: 1) Mary's question to the angel in Luke 1:34; the word 'know' here means to have intercourse with. Also in Matthew 1:18 the phrase 'before they came together' means the same as the word 'know' in Luke 1:34. And 2) the explanation given to both Mary and Joseph by the angel(s). Gabriel answered Mary's question in Luke 1:35 "...The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." This is also explained to Joseph after the conception in Matthew 1:20-23. The angel tells him that the child is of the Holy Spirit, and that the child is the Son of God. Knowing the Old Testament like he did, and as I assume Mary did, judging by her Magnificant (which we will look at later...), this was what everyone had waited for. This is what every woman since the promise of a redeemer, in Genesis, was made, hoped for; to be the mother of the Anointed one, the Son of God. Yet, no one believed it, and even thought that Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph. Even Joseph thought this. This is a great commentary on how we hope for a miracle, yet deny it, refuse to see it, or even call it a lie when it happens. Why is it so easy for us to just brush off what we don't understand, or is it that we just don't want to understand? Why is it so easy for us to have Faith in people that constantly change and disappoint, yet to doubt the very existence of a God that never changes, and never disappoints? -Jen And no, I am not talking about the stupid movie where the father gets a trashy leg lamp, the kid gets his tong stuck to a frozen poll, and asks for a BB gun for Christmas. I'm talking about the true Christmas story that you often hear read for Christmas Eve/ Day Church services. This story, sadly, is fading quickly from the minds of our culture today, and just as quickly from the Churches in our nation. Want to know something cool though? It's not just a story! It's history! It's true! And over the next 23 days I hope to tell it to you, and explain why it is SO vital that we not only remember it, but Believe it.
This 'story' can be found in several books in the New Testament, but I will be looking at only two of them: Matthew and Luke. Here are the first couple passages that I will be going through, if anyone gets the inkling to read through them before I go through them: Luke 1:26-55, 2:1-20, 3:23-38 Matthew 1 & 2 I will be going through Jesus' heritage, the announcement to his mother and to-be step father (and why Joseph is his step-father), the announcement of His birth and much more. I hope to tell the true Christmas Story in a way that shines forth the light of Christ and is honoring to Him. -Jen |
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