A Christmas of Hope

Merry Christmas to everyone who is reading this! I have finished off the semester and have come out with straight A's - the first time ever in my college education experience :D So I was very happy about that.

Christmas this year has a new meaning for me. Maybe it's because this has been a difficult year; maybe it's because God has shown Himself in many splendid, powerful, and miraculous ways this last year; and maybe it's because I'm older and more appreciative. A few weeks ago I received word that a dear cousin of mine was getting a divorce, which really surprised many within our family. The children are struggling because their mother walked out on them. This has grieved my heart greatly but our family is seeking ways to make this a happy Christmas for everyone. Dad and I have begun to do a daily prayer of Ephesians 1 for our family and extended family because there have been so many things happening lately that have caused us a lot of pain and we're all tired.

But at the same time God has shown Himself so mightily. He has provided me a wonderful job with a delightful family and I couldn't be more thankful. He has opened the door for my parents and I to do some house remodeling which we've wanted to do for years. God has provided money for my education and an open door for my mom to go back to school. God has healed my best friends' dad from leukemia. God has worked on the hearts of a few people who hurt me in the past to the extent that they have come to me to show me the love of God. God has brought an entire University to it's knees not out of desperation but out of a desire to go after God. God has blessed me with prayer experiences where the people I've prayed for have been instantly healed. God has brought me into a dorm room with roommates who fear the Lord and seek Him daily.

This year has been incredibly difficult but God has been so gracious and so good. And so today, on Jesus' birthday, what do I lay before Him? What can I give to the King of Kings, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, etc.? I give Him my heart...that's all He asks for, that's all He desires. Jesus Christ came into the world so humbly and so weak and needy so that we could live in communion with the God who created the world with His own hands.

This is why Christmas is a time of hope. Because I now live in perfect relationship with Jesus Christ I don't need to worry about my future. With so many things happening right now I have something that I can hold onto with faith - that thing is hope. I have placed my hope in Jesus Christ and so this Christmas season I look to the future with expectation and I hold onto faith that God will work all things out for our good and to give glory to Him. This is hope, something that in this present, that we can hold onto that we have faith for something in the future. I hope for joy to come to my family; I hope for healed hearts; I hope for reconciliation; I hope for peace and I hope for provisions.

Glory to God and Happy Birthday Jesus!!