Tis the Season

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!!! Oh my goodness, I cannot believe how fast Christmas came this year!

So much going on and so much to look forward to.

I enjoyed decorating our house for the Christmas season for the first time EVER!

My students enjoyed making ornaments at our school Christmas party.

We did our annual girls' brunch thang and ornament exchange. I can home with this ornament:

Fun times!

My husband and I did an advent calendar that we received at a class we took at Watermark Church called "Thriving Through the Holidays." I highly recommend it for young married couples if you haven't taken it, do it next year. Some of the awesome, yet somewhat cheesy advent activities included: kissing every morning for 6 seconds when you leave the house, making a ginger bread house, write a love note and placing it on your spouses pillow, buy something at the dollar store that reminds you of your spouse, make a Christmas wish that doesn't involve spending money (we watched a Christmas movie and looked at lights), slow dance to the Christmas lights on the tree, make a snowman out of pineapple rings, photobomb a nativity scene, recreate santa's beard, make a picnic next to the Christmas tree, see who can lick the stripes off of a candy cane the fastest, Saturday selfie in Christmas pajamas, etc.

Here is our gingerbread house:

That was all of Tyler's engineering mind right there, old fashioned icing and graham crackers! Yes, that is the garage. And, as for the other pics.. We will keep those to ourselves. Hehe.. It was a blast spending some creative time with my hubs and doing things a little out of the ordinary. I must say, this has been the most relaxing holiday we've ever spent together. I can't say we finally got this marriage thing figured out, but we are learning how to be better spouses for each other.

Through the business that comes with the season and on to a serious note:

Have I taken the time to sit and ponder what the Lord did, is doing, and will do for us? Have I truly thought about what Christmas means? Have I thought about anything this season that does not involve selfish desires?

We always hear that famous saying, "remember the reason for the season," BUT what about all of the craziness going on in our world: those who are hurting throughout this season, those that will not be re-united with family members who have passed, the police officers who are literally giving up their lives at work because of the racism issue that is tearing America apart, those that are bearing financial hardship, those that will celebrate Christmas on the streets of the city you live because they do not have a home to go to, the relationships that are broken and crushed, families that are separated during the season, angry hearts, misunderstood people, abused hearts and minds, the people that are working through the holidays, etc.

The things people endure, the way others are treated, the injustices that come with life...

My thoughts always wander here.. and stay here...

Listening to one of my favorite Christmas songs changes my perspective as the lyrics become clear:

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining."

sin: a transgression

pining: suffering with longing

"Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth."

soul: simply us (what we do, how we behave, what we think) separable in existence from the body

worth: having value

"A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,"

hope: a feeling that events will turn out for the best

weary: physically and mentally exhausted

rejoice: to be glad

"For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

new: unfamiliar or strange

glorious: delightful

Jesus came. It was new. It was glorious. It was delightful. It gave us worth. It gave us value. It gave us something to be glad in. It gave us hope.

"And in HIS name, all oppression shall cease."

oppression: injustice, cruelty

cease: to stop

"His law is love, and His gospel is peace."

Christmas means different things to different people. It is a time that we see good. It is a time when we can live peacefully in a world that does not offer peace. It is a time that we can love one another the way Jesus taught us, without limits, without race, without oppression, and without selfish ambition.

"With all our hearts, we praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we."

Blessed Assurance

I recently read a blog post about the word "blessed." (The link is below.) What does this word truly mean and when/how often does our generation misuse it? If I were being honest, I have thrown this word around so frivolously during times of abundance just as the author describes in her post... "We've created a culture in which we measure God's 'blessings' in terms of dollars and cents, comfort and pleasure, wealth and well-being. So, if we're happy and healthy and have everything we need, then we're blessed, and we should thank God on social media. We tend to ignore the secondary message this sends to those who are unhappy or unhealthy, or for whom things are just generally crappy." This comment genuinely captured my attention and thoughts throughout the past couple of weeks. For one, although the author makes a valid argument, I do not view the recognition towards God for "happy" blessings as pervasively negative as the author makes "blessed" Americans seem. However, there are many justifiable statements. For example, "You would never come across a status update that says, 'Feeling lost and alone. I wonder if God is even listening. #PoorInSpirit #Blessed.'" If we were being truthful, how often do we genuinely feel this way?

With this couples' permission... I write about them, to them, and for them:

A few weeks ago, the author's blog hit me right in the face as Tyler and I attended a funeral. A couple, whom we've befriended through indoor/outdoor soccer games, had to lay their baby boy to rest. A little background: the mother, Whitney, and father, Adam, received news of their baby (at 20ish weeks expecting) having potter's syndrome. This is a rare syndrome where the baby's kidneys do not form. Without kidneys, there is no amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid aids in the development of vital organs, particularly the lungs. Without drastic intervention, which can be dangerous to the mother, the condition is 100% fatal, and the health of the baby is still not guaranteed. Research shows that this syndrome takes place in about 1 in 10,000 babies. Adam and Whitney knew that their baby would not live for very long, that is, if baby Z were even born alive. There were risks involved with Whitney's health, along with doctors persuading the family towards aborting the baby. 

Adam and Whitney displayed incredible strength, confidence, integrity, determination, and certainty that something "good" will come out of their heartbreaking situation. While many hearts were hurting for this couple and the tragedy yet to come, Adam and Whitney were dealing. By "dealing," I mean praying, living to their full potential, seeking organ donation advice, attending countless doctors visits, and staying optimistic through the struggle. Whitney was always open and willing to discuss the ever-pressing issue with hope sustained in the Lord and confidence that her baby would bring joy to another family through the liver enzyme donations. Adam and Whitney chose to carry baby Z to term, and surely enough, their baby lived for 31 beautifully cherished minutes in his mother's arms on November 5.

At the funeral, Adam's words spoke truth and authenticity to the crowd. There was a sincere sadness to his tone, yet his speech was gripping and eloquent. He applauded his wife and talked about the charming mother she is and will be.. how she is a woman clothed in every trait he could possibly desire and how he saw the most perfect kind of dignity displayed in her throughout the pregnancy. Towards the end of his speech, one of the last things he declared was, "we truly consider ourselves blessed." Blessed! Blessed? BLESSED!? Oh the thoughts that were racing through my mind... And then I remembered the words from the blog below. The author states, "blessed does not mean pleased. Blessed does not mean happy. Blessed does not mean fulfilled. It doesn't even mean fed or clothed or housed or healthy... What it really means is that you are not alone, for God is with you."

When I think of you, Adam and Whitney, I think of this verse: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8. I think of the courage you've displayed and the hope you've given to those who have or will endure the tragedy of loosing a child. You were and are "bearing fruit" without even realizing it. I'm amazed by your faith and generosity. More than that, I am challenged to view your suffering through a different lens.

So thank you, Adam and Whitney, for being a couple who has not bathed yourself in a sea of anger, bitterness, and wrath. You are a couple that is loved by many, admired by many, appreciated by many, treasured, thought of in high respect, cherished, adored, favored, delighted in, and the list goes on and on. The bond you've created between a husband and wife, and the way you've walked with Jesus is just about as inspiring as it gets. Your experience has brought pain, but greater than that, it has brought you a satisfying peace, gratitude, and hope that cannot be obtained in this world. Thank you for being a couple whom we genuinely look up to in more ways than you know. Your influence on the people around you is unbelievably fascinating and impressing. I feel that you have displayed, walked courageously, and drenched yourself in the power of "blessed assurance..." as the hymn sings.

... And... Conclusively... The most powerful statement of all, "He holds you. He sees you. He loves you. And He is with you. For you, indeed, are #blessed." -Jamie

http://www.theveryworstmissionary.com/2014/11/blessed.html#more