Merry Christmas 2013 ! It will be a different Christmas this year than in the past. We will have my folks driving in from KS, Rhonda's dad is flying in from MD, and Nate, Jacqui and Adam will be arriving on the 26th. The difference will be that we will be hosting Christmas for the first time in 6 years. Our Christmases have been busting our way to FL to spend time with Nate - since it is hard for him to get away from his Pastoral duties.
This year my family making a huge effort to get where we are! Yes, they want to see our new life in Bakersfield and get somewhere warm and sunny, but what a blessing it is to be on the receiving end from people who love you. I have to admit is is not easy for me to receive. My selfish nature tends to steer the outcome to my own desired results. To receive means to accept whatever you get - with appreciation. My nature usually puts some level of expectation on me or on the event. One application might be for me to imagine what expectation anyone had that first Christmas?
Were Mary and Joseph expecting to find no room in the inn?
Were Mary and Joseph prepared for their baby to be born in a stable and laid in a manger?
Did the shepherds expect to see angels in the sky that night?
Did they expect to see the Savior of the world laying in the humble dwellings of a table?
It was not as they expected because they had no big preconceived expectations - they went on with the routine because that's what you do as people of faith. You just trust that God will provide what you need, when you need it. When a surprise is needed, then a surprise will take place. When you look back, you recognize God's provision was greater than your feeble expectations. So it is when God is intimately involved with us. That's the beauty of the incarnation - God in flesh - joining us where we are. May He bless your Christmas beyond measure! - meaning beyond your feeble expectations!
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