Wednesday, January 7, 2015

From Epiphany to Daily Epiphanies.........

Yesterday was Epiphany....have you ever heard of it before?  Have you ever celebrated it before?
What in the world is Epiphany?  Well, it is a Christian Festival day celebrated on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles (people other than God's chosen Jewish people) in the person of the Magi - the Wise Men.  The Wise Men traveled three years to see the Christ Child.....It wasn't until I was in my 40's that I learned that fact.  The Scriptures tell the story as if it happened on the night that Christ was born, but with further research, we learn that it took them three years to follow that bright, bright star!!!
Three years....would you travel 3 years to see something magnificent?  Years ago, I don't believe I would have said yes to that question.  Now, after learning so much from studying God's Word over the past several years, and because I am learning more every day, I believe God's love is worth that journey. Yes, I would travel 3 years to find that gift. Yes, I would travel 3 years to have that experience.  Yes, I would travel 3 years to search for God.  And, longer, if needed.

So, how long does it take for us to learn about love, joy and peace in our lives???  20 years?  30 Years? 40 Years? 50 Years or more???  Love is the ultimate gift of Christmas. Love is the reason why Jesus came into our world so long ago.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believe in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  (John 3:16)  God SO loved the world...not just a little bit, not just sort of, but EXTRAVAGANTLY!!!  God loved us SO much that He gave it all for us.  Why would someone give up their life for us?  Why would someone love us THAT much?  Because He is God.  Because He has a plan.  Because He wants to be our Peace.  Because He wants to reveal His Joy.  Because He came to show us that Love in person.  Up front and personal.  That's quite an epiphany if we think about it....quite an awareness....quite a revelation.  Soak up that knowledge of God's love into your soul....feel it sink in.....allow it to permeate your being.....it is pretty incredible.  And, is definitely an "epiphany!"

Another definition of epiphany is a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
Hmmm......have you ever had such a sudden, intuitive moment?  A moment when you realized something you have been missing for a while???  Or, have you experienced an insight to something that has puzzled you for a long, long time?  Something so simple and yet so complex.  Something you just didn't get and now you do? Clarity.  Wisdom.  Guidance.  An answer.  A knowing - deep in your soul.

Our perceptions of various concepts in this world can be a little skewed at times.....we want what we want. We think our own thoughts and cannot consider some other way or method.  We don't want to hear what other people see or think.  We don't quite get what the meaning is or how something can be a reality in our corner of the world.  And, then, WHAM!  An insight occurs.  We understand.  We finally get it.  It makes sense now.....epiphany!!!

One of my devotions this week talked about "Daily Epiphanies."  Little miracles that occur in our lives - that occur in succession that we don't even notice.  Things we take for granted and don't even realize it.
God reveals His Love to us in many ways every day.  Daily awakenings.  Daily bits of wisdom.  Daily awarenesses.  Little nudges that lead to something we may have wanted our whole lives and never knew how to go about getting.  Subtle changes in our demeanor that we have wished for much of our adult lives and now is happening.  Epiphanies that now are a reality for us.  Consider what God has done.  Consider opening up to a new way of thinking, feeling, or acting.  Consider having an "epiphany" and sharing it with the world!

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