My 4 year old Christmas

It was quite a few years ago, on a very cold Christmas Eve night. I was four years old, at best. As I walked into the sanctuary of our small-town church, trying to keep my wings on straight, I saw a scene that I had heard about in the weeks prior. There was a bright star hanging on the curtain - sheep and cattle placed around a tiny manger where a baby would soon lay. I remember being cold, and excited, and afraid. Perhaps that was how the Shepherds felt when they saw an angel appear before them.

I'm sure that my parents told me not to be afraid ... that I would do just fine in the Christmas pagent. I'm sure they hugged me, comforted me and wrapped me warmly on that cold night. I know they did - not because I remember - but because that is the very same thing I did for my daughter. And it is the very same thing that God did when his Son was born. He sent comfort and warmth and love. He sent a bright and shining star to interrupt the cold darkness. He sent angels to calm the fears and to praise the birth of His son.

Isn't it comforting to know that God never changes? He still hears our praises, calms our fears and provides the light in the midst of the darkness we encounter. It may not be in the form of angels from Heaven - it may be a hug from a mother; a kind word from a friend; or a smile from a stranger on the street ... but God's love for us is always present. When our hearts are turned towards God, He will always calm our fears.

Gracious Father, help us to remember the birth of your Son ... a light in the darkness to guide us to you. Hear our praises, oh Lord, as we rejoice in knowing that you hear us as clearly as the Shepherds who praised you so long ago. Guide us, Lord, through this Christmas season. Help us to slow down and remember that You have already given the greatest gift. No gift we purchase, no dinner we cook, no card we write can compare to the gift of Eternal Life that you have given us through your son, Jesus Christ. May each gift we give, each meal we serve and each card we send allow us to reflect your light into the hearts of those we meet. -Amen

One More Day

I wrote this two days ago ... the day before Morgan's birthday...

Morgan was so excited this morning … she came running down the stairs ‘tomorrow is my birthday!’ “I know”, I told her.

And then I thought … thirteen years ago at that moment, I didn’t know. I’d been in the hospital for almost a week waiting. One more day. One more day. One more day. The goal was to find that moment where keeping my blood pressure down and giving Morgan more time for her lungs to develop collided. That moment would come the next evening.

This year, I made that comment as well – but for a very different reason. This year, mom is very sick, her emphazema is worse, and although I don’t have the rule book, we keep looking for ‘one more day’.

What a difference one more day can make. Thirteen years ago, ‘one more day’ put the most wonderful gift God could give in my arms. One more day brought the welcome sound of screaming lungs from a tiny little baby … a baby we weren’t sure had lungs strong enough to survive. How ironic that today we wait one more day hoping that a very different set of lungs is strong enough to survive one more day.

We all assume that we have one more day. One day we’ll be wrong. Quite often we say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow, or I’ll tell them tomorrow.’ Make sure … especially through this Christmas season … that you say what you need to - and do what you need to … today. As you go about the Christmas season, make sure that you are living your life in such a way that when there isn’t ‘one more day’, there will be no regrets.

We know that Jesus is coming back ‘one day’. We assume that it isn’t today. One day, we’ll be wrong about that, too!

Countdown to Christmas

Well, here we are – December is here – and you know what that means?!!? The countdown to Christmas begins!

I wonder what Mary was thinking on this day, two thousand years ago. There was no ‘countdown’ yet. I wonder if she sat with her hand on her belly thinking ‘just one more month.’ I wonder if she realized just how special this baby would be.

There was a quote in the movie The Nativity Story – Mary said “I wonder when it will happen, I wonder when he will be more than just a child”. I know that before Morgan was born, I dreamed of what she would be like – what color her hair would be, would she be tall, what her passions would be, what would she want to do with her life – her dreams and her thoughts; and what kind of impact she will have on the world. I would talk to her and tell her how much I loved her – even before I laid my eyes on her.

I wonder what Mary whispered to her baby; what she dreamed about for him. I wonder what kind of impact she thought he would have on this world!

As you rush through the malls, the grocery store, e-bay and prepare for Christmas this year, stop and think about what Mary was doing to prepare for this day. I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t thawing a turkey and fighting the crowds at Toys-R-Us!

Take time to think about that last month before your child was born. Think about what you and your family were like – what you did and thought, what you dreamed about and prayed about as you counted down those last days before your child entered the world. Remember what those whispers were, what those prayers were; that feeling of hope that your baby would bring into your lives. Remember the anticipation, the excitement and the fear as you counted down the days before you would hold your baby in your arms. Relive those memories – and share that with your child.

God gave us three things – faith, hope and love. I don’t think I ever felt that so strongly as the day my daughter was born. I remember looking at her for the first time – so tiny; so perfect; so innocent – it took my breath away. If I was so overwhelmed by the hope and love that my baby brought into my life – I can only imagine what Mary felt like when she first saw her baby!