Not even one.

Luke 2:11
 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

 

I keep telling myself that I am going to blog more,

in fact...

I've even said that to you here on the blog.

 

It seems as though the more I say I'm going to try and blog more,

I end up blogging less.

 

Life seems to get busier every time I say that.

 

So...

I'm done with saying it.

 

You won't hear it from me again.

 

Not even a whisper of a mention of it.

NOTE TO SELF:
Shooosh it already!

 

As I sit here in my comfy spot in my living room,

finally catching my breath after the last few weeks of crazy busy days...

 

I stare at a tree with no presents underneath it.

 

None.

Not even one.

 

I kept putting off finishing my shopping until all of the big events in our life,

the ones that have kept us so busy lately, were over.

 

You know what's amazing about it?

That emptiness under the tree...

it really hasn't bothered me.

 

And more amazing than that...

it hasn't seemed to bother the kids.

 

Usually they are questioning where the presents are at this time.

 

I mean...

we are only one week from Christmas Eve.

 

I'm normally a late shopper, okay...

I'm always a late shopper,

but this is really late, even for me.

 

But, I realized something.

 

Our Christmas is forever changed now.

 

Last year we realized what Christmas was really about.

 

We've always known that it's about the birth of Emmanuel,

the moment this world would experience its Savior.

Christ Himself, the Light of the world. The true Christmas gift so pure, so beautiful.   
 

But we realized, that God wants us to experience Christmas all year round.

 

I used to get so caught up in the hype of the season

 that I would be exhausted and not truly enjoy it.

 

I would rush around and

 buy buy buy and spend spend spend

 for it all to be over in 10 minutes on Christmas morning.

The kids constantly counted the presents under the tree
and competed with one another on who had more than the other.

Christmas became about how much and not why?

 

Last year,

we had nothing to buy Christmas with.

Nothing. No lie.

 

My husband had just had his stroke and he was unable to work.

 

We were unable to buy Christmas for our family.

 

We received gifts from people outside of our little family unit,

and that was a blessing,

but as for us...we couldn't give Christmas to our kids,

eachother,

or anyone else for that matter.

 

 

But, God sent Christmas to us in a whole new way.

 

He sent it to us within the midst of the hardest thing to ever hit our family.

 

He sent Christmas to us within the midst of tragedy.

 

That tragedy turned into the best thing that ever happened to our family.

 

God not only saved my husband's soul,

he saved our marriage,

and our family.

 

All through his stroke.

 

We learned the value of family,

the value of togetherness,

the value of love...

and it wasn't found in a box under the tree or in a stocking hanging from the mantle.

 

It was found in Jesus.

In His gentle saving touch.

In His love.

In the newness that He brought to our lives.

 

Our kids were able to see Christmas given to them in the way God intended it,

in the form of a miracle.

 

In their Dad being redeemed and restored.

In our family finding healing.

Christmas came to us in the form of a swaddling baby in a manger,
 and that baby grew to be a man who died on the cross for our sins,
so that we could have relationship with God Himself and live in eternity with Him.

Christmas is Christ Himself touching our lives each day.
Christmas is His love that we can feel around us at any given moment,
because He promises never to leave us or forsake us.

Because of Christmas,
and that Man who gave so much,
my husband will stand side by side with me in Heaven one day.

 

What present under the tree can ever out shine that?

I'll get out this week and finish my shopping,
and sure,

we will have some presents being ripped open on Christmas morning

 and there will be "oohs" and "aahs" being heard throughout the room,

but nothing,

no presents,

 will ever be as sweet as a new life in Jesus.

 

I'm so thankful for God and what He did in our lives last Christmas.

I'm thankful that our kids were able to witness such a great miracle take place.

 

Christmas doesn't happen under the tree,

it happens within our hearts.

 

Christmas miracles happen every day...

we just have to open our hearts to receive them.

He doesn't want any of us to miss out on the miracle of Christmas,
not even one.
 

 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!