From The Mud Puddle

So its December 2nd. This day is significant to me, it was to be the day of the coming of our 4th child, Malea Hope. She also died before she was born at 16 weeks along. She would have been 10 sometime about now. That was a very sad time, for see we had looked forward to her. She was our answer to our prayers as we prayed with hope that God would once again give us a healthy baby, especially after our third baby, Grace, died before he/she was born. Our hope and excitement turned to deep sadness to which words cannot explain. Our hope for her to live with us was gone. What we didnt realize at that time was that God had indeed answered our prayers for her, and gave her much more than we ever could here on Earth by allowing her to escape the pains of this world and taking her on to heaven. Oh that she would have lived, we wanted her so, but what a gift to me and her earthly father as we slowly realized she was in a better place and KNOWING we would see her again one day.

I mention all of this, because for the past few weeks, my prayer to God has been that He make this Christmas season what He wanted it to be. It's Jesus' birthday afterall, and what a strange thing that we so often celebrate without asking Him how He would like to be celebrated on His birth. I have with my kids taken efforts to build Christ into our celebrations at home, but I kept having nudges things needed to continue to be different. How though, well we didnt know, and so I prayed. I also prayed God would show us once again WHY we even celebrate His birth. I mean, were we told to somewhere in scriptures as the Isrealites were told to celebrate Passover, or us as believers were told to celebrate communion? I asked, expectantly knowing God would show me, in His time and way what the answer was to my questions. They are such simple questions, but I am not afraid to go back to the beginning if need be to rediscover truths and answers that God wants me to see anew.

God brought to mind the first Christmas, as I pondered and prayed, and how the Heavenly angels celebrated in the sky as they made the declaration to some simple shephards. God brought to mind the wise men who brought Him gifts from afar. God brought to mind even the simplicity of Mary and Joseph as they, in their own quiet way took Jesus to church the first time-Amazingly (I am constantly amazed at God), God, through a song (God often reaches my heart that way first) , showed me once again why we celebrate it, and that it is pleasing and right to do so.

You know how we all have problems from time to time. Often it might take weeks, months or even years for the solution to come....for the beginning of the fix to be started...for us to realize what is really happening, and that the answer is at hand? This is what happened when Jesus, the long awaited savoir came. They celebrated, we celebrate because Jesus, the answer to our greatest need, had finally arrived. Much looked towards, much anticipated, Jesus was here-and so we celebrate His coming, the advent. His coming isnt the whole picture, His coming is just a part of the whole, but was the solution arrived, perhaps not totally understood, but He was finally here, and there was and is much to celebrate!

So now what is left is the how, but I think those are these stirings I feel in my heart that are growing today. God has set this in motion, and I am excited to see what He has in mind as I am mindful of Him . As we celebrate the coming of the Lord as a baby-the answer to ALL of our problems, the solution to ALL we encounter.

Thank you Jesus for coming. I would be nothing without you, and this would would be hopeless. Because of you, we celebrate and lift up songs and hymns and praise in your honor. Amen.