Day 359

Day 359 of  The Red Shoe Project just happens to be Christmas day.  How wonderful!  It doesn't matter how old I get, I love waking up on Christmas morning.  There's a unique anticipation and excitement in the air that's like no other day.  This day, my feet were sticking out of the covers, clad in RED socks, of course.

When I first opened my eyes this morning, there it was...
the "BELIEVE" sign.  God's voice is always so clear when I first wake up and today, of all days, He whispered, "When did you stop believing?"  Was God rebuking me?  Ever so nicely, I must say, but a bit of a rebuke all the same.

"What?" I responded.

"When did you stop believing the promises I've spoken to you?  Last week you were all excited in your prayers, professing and believing all that is to come.  Today, you've shelved some of those promises.  Why is that?"

"Ummmm... I guess it's because I don't see any evidence of them." 
I retorted rather sheepishly.

"So what?  You just give up because they haven't come to pass yet?"

"Oooops!"

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not yet seen."

Hebrews 11:1

The other day, I was flipping through the t.v. channels and came across a newer release of "Peter Pan."  In one of the scenes,  Tinkerbell is mischievously flying all over the place creating havoc.   For some reason, that reminded me of a much older version in which Tinkerbell is dying and Peter Pan tells the audience that if they would believe, Tinkerbell would come back to life.
"If you believe,"  he said,  "Clap your hands as loud as you can!  Louder!  Louder!  That's it!"   So now I'm wondering...

Have I killed Tinkerbell with my unbelief?  

LOL.  Well... you know what I mean.  There's just no way to make it sound pretty.  Unbelief kills promises.

"For without faith it is impossible to please Him..."

Hebrews 11:6

Last night, I actually attended two Christmas eve services.  One was at my church and one was an outreach in the park, downtown.  Both events included candle-lighting.  In a candle-lighting service, the minister takes his candle and lights the candles of a few of his leaders.   They, in turn, go out into the congregation and light the candles of those around them.  Before you know it, everyone is lighting the candle of the person beside them.  Within seconds, everyone's candle is lit.  It's absolutely beautiful, and so inspiring!

At the service in the park, however, there was a cool breeze that unexpectedly snuffed out several of the candles, including my own.  No worries, the person beside me leaned over and re-lit my candle.  All was well!  I didn't have any problems after that.  It stayed lit for the remainder of the service.  I was even able to relight someone else's candle that had gone out.

I bet I can use that same process in regards to my forgotten promises.  With God's early morning rebuke to BELIEVE,  I have decided to  re-ignite my faith for those things that I erroneously pushed aside.  I'm putting those lost prayers back into my feed and processing them, once again, in my prayer closet.  I do believe it's all good!

What about you?  Are there promises and prayers, hopes and dreams that you have forgotten about merely because you haven't seen them come to pass yet?  Perhaps this is the sign you've been waiting for that there's still HOPE.   Why not put them back on your prayer list today?  

"May the God of hope fill you 

with all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit

you may abound in hope."

Romans 15:13

In RED shoes, 
Gail