Joy to the World

It’s Christmas- how did that happen? It was just Thanksgiving! Life is moving faster, another evidence of my body healing from treatment ☺️ I’m grateful to be able to do more these days, including baking! The fresh baked goodies around my house are physical evidence that my feet are healing from chemotherapy. What a sweet way to celebrate improvement 🥧🍪

We sat around with a group of people recently and discussed our favorite memories of Christmas. We didn’t know many of the folks in the circle very well. By the end of an hour that had changed. Almost everyone shared something- stories of special traditions like elf on the shelf or when they got caught sneaking into unwrapped gifts.

Many of the stories were funny, some were sentimental but all of them included an intangible gift. There were stories of singing Christmas carols in hospitals or a senior mobile home park, and stories of being Santa to children or helping the Elf on the shelf do funny shenanigans. The stories included the joy of Christmas and that wasn’t found wrapped under the tree.

On the first Christmas the angels told the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will bring joy to all the people“ (Luke 2:10). Jesus was and is the best gift ever. The angels knew that He’d be the answer to all that terrifies us. Each day He gives us reason to rejoice. God choose to join us in human form and save us from ourselves, offering hope that doesn’t disappoint.

I continue to need these truths. Life continues to have challenges. (Shocking, right? 🙄) I’m doing great, but recently had another health scare that took several appointments to figure out I was ok. This is our first Christmas without Brent’s mom. Grief swirls. A good friend’s grandson has cancer, another friend is undergoing treatment and her body is struggling to receive the medications she needs. Both need our prayers. Pain abounds around us and I’m not even talking about the news.

Simultaneously our son, Tanner, just got engaged to an amazing woman. I continue to heal, and am loving learning to paint. Time spent in my studio is extremely life giving. Our son, Neal, hosted Thanksgiving in a home he bought and is renovating. Brent and I have gotten to travel and have new adventures together.

We recently went to Muscatine, Iowa where Brent’s Great Great Grandparents started a department store in the late 1800’s. It was a special time of celebrating his mom’s family’s legacy. We arrived late at night and came upon a farmhouse with single candles lighting the windows for Christmas. My heart overflowed because his sweet mother so enjoyed putting single candles in her windows each Christmas. She told me it was “to light the way for the Christ child.”

The best Christmas memories happen when we experience joy. Sometimes it happens when we do something for others to make them smile. It can also happen when we see His light clearly and help to shine it in other’s dark places. My favorite Christmas verse is, “Because of the tender mercy of God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1: 78-79).

May you experience the intangible gifts of Christmas this year. I pray that joy will overflow in your heart, no matter how hard your circumstances are. May you have eyes to see the light of heaven coming into your dark spaces giving you hope and peace even if you “should” be terrified. Hopefully others will see and be encouraged to believe.

Joy to the World, our Savior has Come!