Christmas 2021 -- Realizations

 This year was an unusual year for us.  It was the first year we didn't have two of our children home for Christmas.  It just happened to be our 2 biological children.  We did however have our son in law and granddaughter here for her first Christmas.  Christmas Eve I was singing as part of our worship team and looked down to see all 6 of our children whom came to us through adoption, my son in law and granddaughter.  It hit me that this entire Christmas was happening because Randy and I gave our plans to God in our 20s....We trusted in something bigger then ourselves when things around us were falling apart. So many times in that journey we said yes to God's plan when it seemed, crazy, hopeless, fearful, amazing.....  Without that walk.  This Christmas would have looked a lot different.  I know for a fact we would not know any of these wonderful people who now call us mom and dad, no grandbaby would be looking at her aunties and uncles with love in her eyes. I have doubts that our marriage would have survived those early years and who knows what our biological children's lives would be like.


As I stood there I thought about the worship leader standing next to me, knowing his story as he is also a good friend, without God stepping in his life, he might not even be here, a victim of suicide long before his teenage son got to grow up in his steps, beating on the drums behind me.  I looked at my own husband up in the booth working the live stream so that others can hear of God's love.  Why..... because in that moment I was reminded, its all real....He's real... his plans are for good even when we have no idea where they are going or how its all going to work out.  Jesus saves in so many ways.  Merry Christmas!

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