December 24, 2009 ~ Twas The Day Before Christmas
Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house plenty was stirring. . .
. . . especially in my heart.
“Are you ready for Christmas?” I asked that of a dear friend at church Sunday morning before the children’s program and she giggled and said, “Well, yes I guess I am ’cause ready or not – here it comes!” No truer words, right?
Can I be completely honest? I’m not ready for Christmas. Oh, the shopping’s all done and the packages have all been wrapped and found their place under the tree, but I still don’t feel ready. But it’s coming anyway, isn’t it? There’s no different timetable for those who are ready for it and those who aren’t. It just is what it is. Without forming a committee or consulting any of us about what we’d prefer, December 25 comes and it goes in its own 24-hours and we’d better be ready or it’ll come and go anyway and be gone for another year.
Life’s like that too sometimes. Whether we’re ready or not, life has a way of coming in its own time and either surprising us with good news and peals of joy, or bad news and sighs of despair. It doesn’t ask or seek our approval, it just is what it is. Life – ya gotta love the way it keeps us on our toes, right? If we had to plan and prepare for the rough times, if we got a say-so on when they’d occur, we’d never ever pencil them in – and we’d never grow either. We’d never know what it was to share another’s pain because we’ve been through it too. Never have the empathy to cry with a friend, or rejoice to the fullest when a deeply troubled time ends. We’d never know that life can bend us but not destroy us if we have faith and hope in God – and that’s a big, BIG thing to know and to share with someone else who needs to hear it because life has dealt them the harshest blow.
So I’m happy that Christmas is almost here, ready or not. I’m happy that the season doesn’t consult me but come
s with its story of peace, comfort, and joy just when the world needs to hear it. Just when I need to hear it. If I received no other gift this Christmas, I have come to the knowledge of His love for this world. For its people. For me. And that is the most precious, important, profound gift I could ever have wished for and been given.
