My Heart is BURSTING!

My heart feels heavy, burdened yet so happy and light and it just feels like bursting.
(YES, it can be all of those at the same time! I'm a woman.)

Christmas was just wonderful. We're still celebrating and I am just overjoyed at how everything has turned out. No stress, the Lord has provided for everything, just as He always does! I was able to get my shopping/wrapping done a week PLUS in advance and got to make homemade goodies for other presents. We have been able to see ALL 4 sides of our family and both of our sets of grandparents in just 4 days. It may not sound like great to some of you, but it's amazing to me!! To see that many people in 4 days and have it not feel stressful! AMAZING!

I just love our families and am so thankful for them.

And the Lord. The main reason why my heart feels like bursting. This Christmas I just wanted to cry at how amazing, good, faithful and SWEET our Father is! Just think! Before the world was even FORMED He knew my little frame, my little body, what my life would be like, the choices I would make, good or bad, and he LOVED ME.

HE. LOVED. ME.
(My eyes are welling up here.)
HE. LOVES. YOU!
(ALL of you!)

He loved us enough to create the Earth, even though He knew Adam and Eve would sin and His wonderful creations would be seperated from Him by sin. He KNEW that the people of the Earth would turn away from Him and to evil and He would have to flood the Earth. He KNEW that the Law, the judges and all His miraculous, saving acts of the Old Testament would not free His people, but merely cleanse them. He KNEW He would have to send His ONLY Son as a baby to a filthy manger and a teenager mother in order to redeem and forgive us once and for all. He KNEW His Son would then have to be killed, crucified and He knew how much it would break His father heart. He KNEW He'd have to sacrifice ONE of His children to save His MILLIONS of other children. He thought it was worth it, but it broke His heart.

He knew, and He decided that we were worth all that trouble, pain and suffering just so He could be close to us, speak to us, hold us, rejoice over us, sing over us, bless us, discipline us and LOVE us.

He wanted to know ME, He wanted to know YOU.
He went above and beyond to save us, know us to speak to us, teach us, just to KNOW us intimately.
He goes above and beyond in our lives DAILY, with his grace, mercy and miracles in each of our lives.

Justin and I celebrated that this year. HIS sweet, forgiving, life-saving and redeeming birth. He loves us.

HE LOVES US!
Amen.

That's one thing that makes my heart burst.