on the 10th day of Christmas . . .

my True Love gave to me ...

10 Lords a leaping . . .

 

did you know that Leaping Lords were 'hired' entertainers for the kings' court -  professional dancers that performed in between the courses of a feast.  their common appearance during their time made for an easy correlation for the new, young Christians to remember yet another important aspect of their faith .... the 10 Commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20.

1.You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3.You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.
4.Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5.Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
6.You shall not murder.
7.You shall not commit adultery.
8.You shall not steal.
9.You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10.You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

the 10 commandments are not a list of Do's and Don'ts designed to make life miserable .. or impossible!  perhaps it's yet another "perspective" lesson in which we, as mortals, are confronted with the very core of our selves ...  we can fall prey to the 'victim' side of things, where Satan tries to seep into our minds so that we feel more like failures rather than conquerers  OR

we can see the Commandments as a Mirror that reveals our weaknesses based on our sinful nature, desires and choices BUT upon closer inspection into that mirror we see, due in part to a broken and contrite spirit, that we have the Beauty of a Savior standing right over our shoulder ... casting an admiring glance of reassurance that He can and will and wants to extend grace, mercy and even forgiveness for our less than stellar choices ... for the selfish desires we so often succomb to .... and yet He so willingly offers help, assistance, reassurance, forgiveness . . .

this time of year often brings tension as time seems to be crowded by more and more 'things' .... attitudes get shifted far from center, desires and affections are torn and/or questioned based on gifts given or received ... we easily grow disillusioned - - the more we do, the more behind we get ... the less appreciated we feel . . the more overworked we are . . why is it that "they" seem so much better off?  why do "they" have all the good things and i'm just sitting over here doing without?   busy = lack of focus = OUT of focus = LOSS of REALITY! 


SOLUTION:  Back to Basics!   Dirty dishes are ALWAYS finding their way back to my kitchen sink ... so spending some time in front of the soap suds helps to slow me down .. and remind me of all the blessings i have right now .. today .. that fill my life and my heart! 

soft and soapy circles

 or why not  Run a tub full of bubbles and hot water, and slip into a few moments of quiet so that you can ponder on all the ways the Lord has made your life free from the law of sin and death and Old Testament rules and regulations. 



And  Who can turn down a warm cup of tea?  Why not tuck this precious little hand knit washcloth into a beautiful mug overflowing with handmade soaps and tea bags ... invite a friend over for a

quiet afternoon to just sit and knit ...

0r perhaps share some precious Christmas memories ... or .... just find your way to your favorite rocking chair and sit simply ... quietly ... expectantly .... to enjoy the solace of a few moments of solitude, reflecting on the True gift of Christmas, the bondage that His birth broke ... and the redemption He is waiting to offer to you.

what IF you Turn the Page?

Do you have those tried and true patterns in your repetroire that you always 'revert' back to in an emercency?  i  Love my Basic Washcloth Pattern for quick and eash washcloths . . the Mistake Rib Stitch works great for scarves .... I have a Basic Toboggan Pattern that i can just sit and knit on auto pilot when i need to crank out a quick hat . .

however, in a recent search for one of these patterns i decided to 'turn the page' and just SEE if there was another option to consider . . and i found a really neat little lace pattern that i can use for a prayer shawl . . all because i turned the page.  i realized that i had grown very complacent with the 'comfortable' and had lots some of the adventure from a new stitch . . or trying something in a new way . . .

i just found a verse that i'm sure has always been there .... but i've managed to overlook because the preceding verses are more 'famous' ..... and although they are good ones, i'm actually quite intrigued by my new 'discovery' ....
Heb. 12:1-2 ... begins with "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses . . . . Let us fix our eyes on Jesus . . . and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
howEVER ... i just found verse 3

Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful man,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Consider: a word that implies an on-going action .... a point to ponder Yesterday, Today as i'm sitting here, Tomorrow as i think ahead on things . . . . Consider. It would seem that this pretty much puts an end to my excuses and pity parties ..... not really sure i can play the 'they're picking on me' card anymore ..... or the 'why me?' question when i Consider what He endured for me . . . Consider - to do so with regard to the rest of my day will leave me counting blessings rather than self perceived burdens .....

Considering will plant a seed of hope in the middle of my aching heart because i feel betrayed or neglected by friends . . really? wonder what Jesus felt by my betrayal . . and everyone else's that he ENDURED!!! Really? [too bad i can't type inflections into all my "really" words? because this is DEFINITELY an inflected tone . . . ]

i think this is the place where i bow my head and with an incredibly HUMBLE HEART simply say Thank You Father that You would even CONSIDER me .... despite what i've done to You .... Thank You for demonstrating Love in such a way that i can Always have a picture to refer back to and be Inspired .. not weary; so that i can continue moving Forward and not give up! Thank You Father for letting me DWELL in Your Presence so that i can CONSIDER Your love for me .... with each step i take and each stitch i knit!  Thank You Father for turning the Page for me so that, because of Your Son, You now see me in a new and forgiven Light!