O come O come
Emmanuel
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee
O Israel
Well,
we made it. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure
that was going to happen, but the close of 2014 is coming and I just have to
give an amen and praise the Lord for that fact!! Ha!
This
year, as I reflect on the Christmas season, the role of Joseph has related more
to me than any other character. Not much
is said about him, other than he was a "righteous man". And yet, his righteousness was rewarded with
a pregnant soon to be wife with a child not his own. Let's not forget the humanness of this
situation. Joseph must have been
devastated at the news. Mary was with child.
Had she been unfaithful to him?
How could she do this? This news
changed everything. All his plans for
their lives together were destroyed.
Then the angel Gabriel comes to Joseph and tells him that Mary is
carrying God's Son. And at that moment, Joseph was faced with a choice. Was he going to believe this mess was really
a part of God's plan? Or not?
And
what faith that still must have taken Joseph to believe that this supposed
mess, this disruption to his life, somehow was all a part of God's arrangement
to save a destitute humanity. Really,
God, your idea includes my fiancée getting pregnant? Your plan means I have to
play stepdad and start my family as a blended one? It's so easy to miss the struggle that Joseph
must have had because now we know Mary gave birth to our Savior. But what faith it took for Joseph to believe
in what he didn't yet see.
And
this year in the lives of our household, not a single thing went according to
plan. My plan at least. The addition of Boaz a month early, a wrecked
vehicle that downed a power line, Galen's incurable cancer diagnosis and Bo's
near death experience were certainly not a part of any of our plans this
year. The journey was dark and
uncertain, overwhelming and infuriating at times, but like Joseph, we chose to
believe that God was going to walk us through this year. That somehow God was capable of taking this never-ending
nightmare of a year, and somehow make it good.
And
He did. It's unbelievable to us all the
things that happened. This year, as you
can imagine, has been incredibly expensive. Not only that, but I took an extended unpaid
maternity leave. But somehow at the end of the year, after paying for an
emergency room visit and ambulance ride, appointments with specialists and a
new vehicle, the dream of us buying our
own home came true. I could show you our
pay stubs and you'd sit here as baffled as we are. This year money was supplied by unknown
persons, medical refunds were issued, Galen's very expensive daily treatment
was covered 100%, twice the value of wrecked vehicles were given, Galen was
given ample overtime, and Bo's life was spared just to name a few.
We
have much to be thankful for friends.
Galen
celebrated 10 years at his job working as a carpenter at DJ Construction. Galen's prognosis is looking better. His cancer remains incurable, but he
continues to reach and hit benchmark after benchmark. His oncologist believes Galen has the best
possible chance of getting rid of 99.9% of the cancer. We are most thankful for the fact that he can
be at work and without symptoms or side effects of the treatment he takes
daily. We continue to wait and pray,
believing in a miracle for him. His next
appointment is in January.
Benaiah is a happy 2 1/2 year old who loves being a boy. Between wrestling, tower building, doing 48 piece jigsaw puzzles and pretending to be his alter ego "Power B", he keeps us busy and brings us incredible joy. His excitement in his new daily discoveries is refreshing. He is eager to read and to question. And while he is all boy, it is a gift to watch a tender love and bond develop between him and Bo.
Boaz,
who is nearly a year, continues to grow.
You'd never know he was premature. His smile is contagious and is a shameless
flirt. Currently, he envies his older brother's ability to get around so
easily, but we know it won't be long before they are running around together,
jumping off furniture and giving this momma a heart attack for sure. And if you
want to get on his good side,; he is always up for a rousing game of
peek-a-boo.
And
me. I write this letter with my eyes
filled with tears. I am more thankful
this year for God's grace. I have seen
Him be faithful, even when I wasn't. He
was loving, even when I was angry. This
year, the Lord has humbled me with his extravagant grace and relentless compassion. He didn't give up on me, when I so badly
wanted to quit on Him. He has transformed my faith. I don't look forward to the
next trial I or my family face in the future, but I thank God for this year
because when those trials come I will recall all that the Lord has done in this
year.
I
don't know where this blog finds you, but know that if you find
yourself to be like Joseph, there is hope.
God is the author of the words in Genesis, "You intended to harm me, but God
intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many
lives" (50:20). Trust in those
words and His promises.
This
Christmas may your home be filled with the peace that only our Savior can
bring. May the hope of Christ's birth
fill your days with His joy. Wherever this finds you, there is always hope in
Jesus. May you and your family know the
depth of the hope found in Christ alone.
Merriest of Christmases,
Kelli
