The King Who Came for You.

It’s Christmas Eve and we’ve put up our trees, wrapped our packages and stilled ourselves in front of the nativity scenes that grace our homes. These nativity scenes seem to cradle the very essence of what Christmas is really all about ... the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. And as our spirits settle down and sink into the presence of God that fills our homes, our hearts seem to swell, as if we could somehow hold the love that has been showered on us, in the story of Christmas.

Christmas is really a love story.  A real, love story of a King, the King of Kings, setting aside His throne, His grandeur, His royal garments, and then, clothing himself in ordinary flesh and blood. The Bible says He came down to us and “moved into the neighborhood.”

He came down to us. 

He became Emmanuel, God WITH us.  

He could have stayed in Heaven, but He loved us enough to lay everything aside and become like us… become a baby. Then live a life on this earth, listening to His Father, as He taught us, healed us, encouraged us, and eventually saved us for eternity by His death on a cross.*

Oh, how He loves us. And Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, because we remember just how very much we are loved. Every single one of us … just as we are.

At Christmas ... a King came down to earth for you. 

Blessings to you on Christmas Eve,

The Velvet Lime Girls

* Philippians 2:6-8

Christmas Eyes

It's almost Christmas time and I'm thinking about what the celebration to come is really all about. The birth DAY of Jesus, the Savior.            The-coming-to-earth-day of Emmanuel, a name that actually means, "God-with-us". A day we pause to remember that God came down to us and "moved into the neighborhood". John 1:14

And it occurred to me, that I don't have a gift for Him, for Jesus, the One who we'll be celebrating. I have other gifts under the Christmas tree for loved ones, but not one for Jesus.

So, I whisper to Him in a prayer moment, "Oh, I want to give you something! I am so grateful, so thankful, so surrounded by love from You...and I just want to do something, give something...just for you. What can I give you?"

The answer comes through a granddaughter. These eyes of Lilly, just 4 years old, looking up in my face with a heart full of love, and an expression that seems to say, 

"Oh, LaLa, what can I give you? I just love you so much!"

There's really nothing a granddaughter can give or do to show me how much she loves me.  I already know. 

It's felt in the way she justs wants to be with me, the way she runs with arms open wide to me, the way she holds on tight when she hugs, and looks deep into my eyes with her tiny blue ones.  Her gift is just her. Just her being with me. There's not a thing, a gift, a "doing" that needs to be done, to show me her love.  I feel it.

My heart seems to hear God say He feels the same way I do.

There's really nothing I can give or do to show how much I love Him.  He already knows. It's felt in the way I just want to be with Him, the way I run to him with arms open wide, the way I hold on to him tight, the way I look deep into his eyes with my tiny blue ones. My gift is just me.  My being with him.  There's not a thing, a gift, a "doing" that needs to be done to show him my love.  He feels it.

He just wants to be with me...to hold me...to love me. 

And I sense His heart swell with joy, as I move with child-like faith into His embrace, bringing Him the gift of just me.

Spending time with Him,

A Velvet Lime Girl

Petite Nativity

We slipped into a quaint little gift shop in historic downtown Duluth, Georgia recently and had the real spirit of Christmas wrap itself around us. This petite little painting by Karen Markum ushered in the tender moment, holding our eyes captive to the gentle reminder of the real meaning of Christmas.

We hope the tender simplicity of this artwork touches your heart as it did ours.

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood”  John 1:14

Christmas Blessings,
The Velvet Lime Girls

P.S. Karen's artwork can be found at The Farmhouse @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Farmhouse/355964181176795?sk=infoAdditional artwork can be viewed @ https://www.facebook.com/KarenMarcumArt