Beholding

Behold The Lamb of God!

Another Christmas Season has come... and sadly is on it’s way out! I love Christmas and all it stands for, so I’m sad that we tend to let it go and move on to other things.

This Christmas has been especially meaningful for me...for two reasons. The first reason has to do with the Watercolor I painted and have posted with this Blog. I find it interesting how the Lord will give me an inspiration for a painting and then while I’m in the zone that allows me to paint and render the idea, He will magnify and expand on the idea until I feel enlightened and so full of love and understanding for the project at hand.

This watercolor painting of Santa, looking upon the Son of God, or the Lamb of God, started out being a Christmas gift for my family. While painting and pondering, the perfect title ‘Beholding’, came into my mind. It was a humbling experience to know that while I was painting and beholding God’s Son, He was beholding me and the things that I needed at that moment. He not only sent me the title idea but, He also flooded me with beautiful insights about the painting that was the answer to many prayers over struggles that I was experiencing and that I knew other people were also having difficulties with.

What do you ‘Behold’ when you see the Christ Child? What has He done for you this year?

In one ah-ha moment, I knew that I had the solution that I had been seeking, I knew that my life would not be the same from that moment forward. My new ‘Beholding’ helped me see my life’s challenge in a whole new light. ‘Beholding’ is a beautiful gift that can help me, and everyone else, embrace joy and peace more fully. This new perception and ‘Beholding’ has taught me that there is a better way to see, perceive, or behold Christ, Christmas, challenges, family, work, our lives and everything in it!

My second reason for having a meaningful Christmas is that I took the time to Journey to Bethlehem...again! Many of you don’t know about this Journey, It was introduced to everyone on my original website and blog several years ago. It came about 11 years ago when I was searching for a meaningful gift to give to my husband and has been a blessing in our lives since that time.

I almost decided against the Journey, since life was busy and I didn’t feel ready to take on such an important project, plus... I felt so undecided about what my Desire was for this Journey. Then as Christmas got closer, I knew I would miss out on the blessings that would come; so I decided to move forward and take the step that would bring me closer to Christ. And now I’m soooooo glad that I allowed myself to be led by the Spirit to my Bethlehem; my desired destination. I was able to truly behold the Son of God more fully, and receive Him with all my heart.

I feel my journey this year was more successful because I took time and asked myself; “How can I receive Christ more fully this year?” It was through my painting that the answer came; I learned to “Behold the Lamb”, the Son of God and everything He has blessed me with on a much deeper level. I realized that, before my journey, I was putting more emphasis on all that wasn’t working the way I wanted it to work...sadly, my expectations kept me in a state of distress and unhappiness! I was frustrated, and in limbo; not able to move in a direction that would bring the joy and peace I was seeking.

With my new eyes, I came to understand the scripture in 3 Nephi 14: 7-11, more fully.

This scripture tells us to ask, seek and knock, and the things we are asking, seeking and knocking for will be given to us. The Lord blesses us with those things we desire...those things we ask for.

But it seems that we don’t always like the way the Lord answers our prayers because we have already perceived in our hearts what we think is the best possible thing to receive. Remember that our thoughts are not the Lords thoughts...neither are His ways our ways. (Isaiah 55:8). We ask, and the Lord may give us bread, but we see it or ‘behold’ it as a stone....it doesn’t look like bread to us. We may ask for a fish, but what we think we receive is a serpent, because it looks different than what we were expecting. Are we truly ‘beholding’ what the Lord is giving in love; with a perfect and divine understanding of what our purpose is here in this life?

Do we truly have gratitude in our hearts for all the Lord blesses us with? We are given so much and yet we get in a state of mind where we only see the negative...the serpent, sorrow and pain...which changes our perception of the gifts given.

It’s when we are grateful for everything in our lives, even if it seems like it’s a tough challenge or trial that we will experience life differently...life will be joy! It is when we choose to see the joy and not the sorrow in everything that life becomes joy...life is what we see or what we choose to ‘behold’.

What are you Beholding today....joy or sorrow?

It is my desire today, that each of us begin this New Year with nothing but gratitude in our hearts for all that life brings to us. It helps us to see or ‘behold’ all that God sees and chooses to bless us with a joyful heart. When we are truly grateful unto the Lord, we will understand the gifts that come into our lives and we will appreciate the challenges and trials for the blessings and healing they can bring.

Make your New Year more magical because you choose to see the joy and not the sorrow.

Love to you and yours,

Jeannie Puzey