Finding Joy

Christmas Eve 2014…

Mr. Wonderful calls me Mrs. Christmas. It is a title I wear with pride. Christmas brings me joy like no other holiday. What is it about lights on an evergreen tree in your living room that can inspire such nostalgia and wonder? As busy as the season can get, that sparkly tree beckons us all season long to sit and rest awhile in the glow of its twinkling lights.

How gracious that God set aside time at the end of a long year to celebrate. No matter if it was your best year ever or one you would never like to repeat, we have been given the opportunity to celebrate life. The life we have been given and the life of a baby boy who came into this world to save us all.

The wonder of Christmas is something that never gets old. Even the years that totally sucked don’t damper the anticipation for the Christmases yet to come. Our kids are getting older and I was thinking the other day about how much Christmas is going to change for us in the next several years. As much as I am a sucker for traditions I am looking forward to what the future brings and how we can continue to make memories in different kinds of ways.

A teacher in our local elementary school passed away this week, two people have died and many people are displaced due to the California fire that is still continuing to burn up the Los Angeles area. There was great loss in our country this year due to natural disasters and acts of violence so I am well aware that many will be struggling to find the wonder and joy in the midst of this holiday season, and that’s okay.

The goal isn’t to pretend that everything is great because there are some twinkling lights in your living room. The goal is to take several moments during this season and just be. Take deep breaths and remember how much you are loved. There was nothing simple or easy or clean about giving birth in a stable, nor was it easy to flee the country because you feared for your child’s life. But just as there was a plan for the life of Jesus, there is a plan for you and for me. So take a minute or two this season and reflect on the love and the life of a little baby who came to right the wrongs of this world.

My prayer for you is that in those moments of reflection you will hear the voice of God reminding you that in the midst of it all he’s still there. There is a plan, a promise and a future hope.

Merry Christmas My Friends!