What’s one of your favorite Christmas memories?
I so tenderly recall our first Christmas w/o our daughter Betsy at our side. That year (2000) not only did The Lord take her, but to my unwanted surprise our bus died that December & we were forced to cancel our annual pilgrimage to CO to take intl students skiing w our girls & their new husbands. So we hopped inside our mini van & the 6 of us drove thru the night & came w/in 4 hrs of making it home …when suddenly the transmission died on top of a bitter cold mt pass in NM. While I brushed off the snow from the hood & sank into a drift of depression over yet another loss, Lynn rolled down the window & asked if I’d like to come inside where it was warm & pray.
For the first time in all my life in Christ, I said “No”!
I knew I was upset w loss after loss and cried out “What more do You want? I have nothing else to offer.”
Then the Spirit hit me w a snowball of faith. All I have to offer is praise & thanksgiving. What better gift to offer The King? So when Lynn rolled the window down a 2nd time & asked the same question, I left the blizzard of despair & huddled inside w a family needing to touch the Throne of Grace yet another time. After thawing my frigid spirit, a car stopped, called a tow truck (they had Verizon; our AT&T wouldn’t connect), squeezed us inside & drove down the mountain to a snugly motel where we started a new tradition of praise that Christmas.
May I encourage you to squeeze your children in your arms &, by faith, offer a new song praise to adore our Heavenly Father, Son & Spirit.
(And Dear Betsy, we miss you & look forward to celebrating w you & all the saints who adore The Only Wise God our Savior, who gives us faith & hope for family time around the tree of Life.)
