Matthew 1:18-23
I grew up a military brat, and the middle of my sophomore year my dad received PCS orders for Fort Knox, Kentucky. When were we moving? Christmas break.
Now Christmas is, and always has been, my favorite time of the year. I love celebrating Christ’s birth. I cherish the family traditions—from decorating the tree to fixing monkey bread for breakfast to hearing the Christmas story one more time. How were we going to maintain those traditions if we were “on the road”?
Over 2000 years ago, a young man faced a situation he dreaded as well. Joseph took a wife who was already with child, a mark of shame in their culture and grounds for divorce.
God had other plans.
An angel appeared to Joseph and revealed the joy in his situation. This baby was the answer to the prophecies of old. His destiny would be to save the nations from sin.
As for me, my parents made the trip memorable. They gave my sisters and I a set of small ornaments and strung a wire around the interior of our van—our mobile Christmas tree. They stocked up on Christmas CDs, goodies, and a couple of presents. We got to spend two weeks visiting family, both in Kansas and Virginia. I had my family.
What I had anticipated to be a horrible holiday turned into one of the best. Even in the darkest of moments, there is joy to be found. Is your heart searching for those possibilities?
Your parents sound amazing. I'm sure it must have been equally stressful for them, but they created a sweet holiday for you all.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Sometimes all we need is a little creativity and an open mind.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome story! How great to know that it's not about where we are!
ReplyDeleteOpen Ideas, open mind, and open heart--a perfect hattrick for letting God show up, and show off. :)
ReplyDelete