mixed emotions

"And the Word was made flesh,

and dwelt among us, and we

 beheld His glory, the glory

as of the only begotten of

the Father, full of grace and truth"

(John 1:14)

~~~~~~~~~

Like many other people tonight, I am sitting in a warm house, comfortably relaxing on my couch. As my husband and I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" the lights on our Christmas tree bring a soft, peaceful glow to the room. We are anticipating a wonderful day tomorrow with our children and grandchildren. The day will be full of fun and excitement. Joyful chaos will descend upon our household in the form of 6 amazing grandchildren.

Love will abound. God's goodness will be evident. The presence of our Savior will be welcomed and embraced.

We will enjoy good food and fellowship. We will have a good time giving and receiving gifts. We are abundantly blessed and generously graced by our Lord.

As I sit here tonight and think about all of this, I am struck by the reality that although many families will be experiencing a joy filled day as well, there are many families that won't have that privilege.

There is a family that is still mourning the loss of their 21 month old  boy just a few short weeks ago. A little boy that was full of life until a tragic accident at his house took his life.

There is a little girl named Jessica, who at age 4 was just diagnosed with cancer a few days ago. Tonight her family is in the hospital waiting for test results so the doctors can begin plans to treat the stage 4 cancer that is in this precious baby's body.

There is a family here in my town, that is still grieving over the loss of their 10 year old daughter, Zoe, in a car accident about a month ago.

There is a little boy named Skyler, who is 4 years old and battling leukemia with many complications. He and his mom are spending Christmas in the hospital. And they spent Thanksgiving there, too. And her birthday. And Halloween. In fact, little Skyler has been in the hospital since August.

There is a family whose little 20 month old twin girl, Evie, died in her sleep a little over 2 weeks ago. She evidently had meningitis and they didn't know it.

A precious lady named Cindy experienced the loss of her husband today as was swept home to be with the Lord.

It breaks my heart to realize that these families aren't sitting in their comfortable homes tonight, watching Christmas shows, drinking hot chocolate, enjoying the lights on their trees and anticipating a grand celebration of our Lord's birth tomorrow. Their precious children aren't nestled snug in their beds in new pajamas, with smiles on their faces.

Instead they are struggling with raw emotions of grief. Stark emotions of disbelief. Trying to get through another day with no bad news.  Trying to smile when they feel like crying. Instead they are cradling their little children as the chemo they are taking is making them sick. They are praying for a good nights sleep. They are praying for their children to just make it through the night. Some of them are gazing at the empty beds that should be filled with their precious children that are now in the arms of Jesus.

And my heart is heavy for them as they experience what no parent should have to experience.

But for the grace of God, any one of us could be in that same place in the blink of an eye. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. None of us are immune to tragedy. None of us exempt from suffering.

But the one thing we can know for sure is that we can place our hope in Jesus. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even in our grief and our sorrow, He is there. He will cradle us in our sadness. Comfort us in our mourning. Give us peace in the midst of uncertainty. Embrace us with His sweet spirit. Where there seems to be no hope, there is God. When there seems to be no answers, there is God. When all appears lost, there is God.

As we awaken in the morning to our healthy families and overwhelming abundance, let's remember to say a prayer for those less fortunate than us. Let's pray for all those children that are battling life threatening illnesses. Let's pray for their parents as they try to remain strong. Let's pray for those parents still in shock at the loss of their precious babies.

Every day God gives us an amazing gift. The gift of life. Every blessing He bestows upon us is one not deserved, but one so graciously dispensed to us. God is so good. May we be ever thankful for the greatest gift He gave us in the form of a baby. His only begotten Son. Fully God. Fully Man. Born to be our Savior. Born to be the redemption for our sins. Born to give us eternal life.

Thank you, Father, for the gift of grace. May I never take lightly the sacrifice you made for me. May I be ever mindful of your infinite power and your unending mercy. You are everything to me and I love you with all that I am.

May the peace of God flood your hearts. May He be so evident in your life that He blows you away with His presence. May Jesus be the focus of our celebration.

 Merry Christmas!