The End Is in Sight!

 

Tonight will mark the 105th New Year's Eve ball drop in New York City's Times Square. Jubilant choruses of "Auld Lang Syne" will be sung, a ton of confetti will descend, and the deafening cheers of a million partygoers will usher out the old year and ring in a new one. But for most of us, 2012 will take its final bow and make its quiet exit virtually unnoticed and with little fanfare. Some will embrace its passing with only a nod as they pull the covers more snugly over their heads while hoping 2013 will offer brighter days for which to wake up.

 

For me, 2012 has been quite a journey. It has provided exciting new avenues and challenges, sometimes tempered with dead ends and unexpected sadness. There were days when I thought I had it all together and others when I wondered if I would even be able to hold on for the ride ~ days when making a strong finish seemed doubtful. And then there were days when I wondered if the God who had launched me from the start would even show up in the end. However, in those eleventh hours, he proved himself faithful time and again.

 

I would not trade my journey for any other. I have seen my Lord in some of the most unusual places. I have been awed by him in the ordinary and humbled by him in the extraordinary. Throughout this process I have been changed ~ for the better, I hope ~ and yet, I have found my Lord to always be the same: loving, steadfast, true, full of mercy and grace, and ever faithful!

 

So I will move on! I know not what lies ahead, or whom I will meet along the way, but one thing I know for sure: my Lord will make the journey with me, and beyond that he will be there to greet me at the end. Upon my arrival, there is but one thing I long to hear him say: "Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21, NIV).



Star Search

 

We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)

 

Over two thousand years ago, Magi living in the east marveled at the appearance of an unexplainable star which prompted their search for the prophesied newborn king of the Jews. Departing from Persia, they began their five-to-six-hundred-mile trek westward toward Jerusalem.

 

Matthew's gospel account of the Magi stopping in Jerusalem to ask King Herod for directions suggests that the star they saw "when it rose" disappeared and was not actually visible for the greater part of their journey. King Herod, noticeably disturbed by their questions, personally did not see the star.  However, after consulting with the chief priests and scribes and hearing the prophecy, he sent the Magi on their way toward Bethlehem. Soon the star reappeared, going ahead of them. "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy" (Matthew 2:9-10, KJV).

 

Many of us can relate to the uncertainty of being lost on the highway. Yet, the apprehension we experience on one of today's well marked multilane highways pales in comparison to the Magis' sense of remote isolation in the vast, rugged hill country of Judea. Our immense relief on seeing a familiar landmark or road sign holds no likeness to the "exceeding great joy" that washed over them as they saw the star shining overhead once again.

 

For much of their journey, the Magi were not guided by what they saw, but by what they believed in their hearts to be true. Consequently, they journeyed to Bethlehem by faith, continuing through uncertainty until they found the king they were seeking.

 

Can you relate your journey to the Magis'? Where is your Bethlehem? What are you seeking? Is your terrain uncertain?

Walk on! Follow what you believe in your heart. You may see a great light!

 

" . . . for we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV

 





The Remaining Gift

 

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift"

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

 

Last year, due to the busyness of the Christmas season, I was unable to wrap our Christmas gifts before Christmas Eve. Until then, an unassuming red box with a stick-on silver bow maintained its lonely vigil beneath our tree. The box was a gift our eldest daughter had brought to us the previous Thanksgiving Day. Oddly enough, it was empty! 

As Christmas Day arrived and family members gathered, each brought and placed a small object of remembrance and thanksgiving into the box as instructed by our daughter. Later, after an extraordinary dinner, we sat around a beautifully lit tree, opened the box one by one, took out the article each had put in, and shared our thoughts concerning it.

Cherished memories spilled forth, accompanied by gratitude, laughter, and an ocassional tear while the spirit of Christmases past and present wondrously filled the room, our hearts, and our lives.  As a result, those who had passed on took their rightful place within our family circle once again in almost tangible presence, reminding us that they live on beneath everything we do and all that we are.

Today, the red box, after being opened numerous times at two Christmas family gatherings, still remains! It appears no worse for the wear as its profound impact on our family lingers.

The God-given gift of a family is a circle that can never be broken, a gift that will always remain. And just as the impact of the little red box will  maintain a prominent place within our hearts after all else has faded, so will the spirits of those we love.

It is quite astonishing how full an ordinary, empty box can be when the true Spirit of Christmas fills it and pours the contents of his love upon our hearts and lives. This outpouring, is truly an indescribable gift which will always remain!