Have a Very Jolly Christmas

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the sense of wonder. I love being a parent of a toddler especially because his sense of wonder is magnified so much more at Christmas time. The Christmas lights, the bells being rung at the doorways to the stores, the music, the colors, the textures of all the ribbons, the tree that is inside the house for some reason, the smells ... it's all so exciting & wonderful! I love watching his eyes get big at the sights as he attempts to take it all in ... while furiously pointing & talking about everything he sees. It's just wonderful, isn't it?

I also love to wonder about a God who chose to enter our world in such a wonderful way at Christmastime. I've recently heard several passages of scripture that I love. The first occurs in Genesis 18:14, when Sarah asks if "anything is too wonderful or difficult for God," upon learning that though she was, shall we say, "advanced in years," she would bear a son.

And, then there's Mary. If you haven't read Mary's song, found in Luke 1, recently, I highly recommend you read it this Christmas. I love her words after she learns she is pregnant with the Messiah. Just before her song, however, as she is speaking with the angel, Gabriel, & learning that not only would she be the mother of the Messiah but that her cousin, Elizabeth, who was believed to be barren, was pregnant as well, she exclaims, "For nothing is impossible with God!" (It has also been translated, "Nothing is too wonderful for God." (Luke 1:37)) I'm pretty sure she was quoting Sarah here. I love her sense of amazement and, well, wonder!

To be wonderful is to literally be "full of wonder." Webster's defines it as something "marvelous & astonishing." I like thinking that my God pulls off things that are marvelous & astonishing. I believe that too often, as we grow up, we gradually lose our sense of wonder. I don't believe that is God's plan. I think he takes great pleasure in doing wonderful things for us & he wants us to take notice- to behold marvelous & astonishing sights. He made infertile and old women and a virgin pregnant. He caused the water in the River Jordan to rise on both sides so that the Israelites could cross. He loves doing the miraculous. Just as I take so much pleasure watching Will discover & be astonished & amazed, God must certainly take pleasure watching me ( and you too) wonder at his wonderful works.

I am learning to live my life full of wonder. If you've read this blog for very long, I hope you are aware of what a miracle Will is. To be honest, every now and then, in a weak moment, Satan knows where he can attack me - I prayed very specifically for a miracle to occur while I was pregnant - that Will would be "healed." It would be easy for me to claim that Will is not a living proof of a miracle because he does have a syndrome affecting his hands & feet, despite fervent prayers from so many. Incidentally, after composing this blog entry last night, I was running this morning & "reading" via my ipod a Beth Moore book, Believing God. Beth calls this concept the "Greater Yes." In other words, sometimes God may say no to a temporary miracle in order to bring more glory to Himself in an eternal miracle. I pray Will's life will bring great glory to God & be a series of eternal miracles, affecting people hopefully for eternity.

I think, that God wanted to take great pleasure throughout Will's life as he watches all of us live in wonder at what He can accomplish through Will. The fact that Will can eat though he has a narrow airway, is a miracle. The fact that he can smile & frown even though his syndrome sometimes results in children being unable to do either of those things, is a miracle... and boy, can he smile! The fact that he can talk despite having a fused tongue, is a miracle. The fact that he can crawl & cruise & pick up even small objects like coins or cheerios, is a miracle. Just last week, he managed to pick up a fork, with food on it, & get it to his mouth - miracle! And, let's not forget our recent miracle... he took his first independent steps! Definitely a miracle & still makes me cry just thinking about it! Perhaps one of the reasons God chose not to answer one of our prayers while we were pregnant is that God knew the miracles He had in store... things too wonderful for me to comprehend (Jeremiah 33:3.) And you know, I think, sadly, that I might have taken a lot of things for granted had the ultrasound simply been wrong (as we prayed for.) God is too good for that. I don't believe He cruelly wanted to put extra challenges in Will's life. I believe He wanted to perform miracles and wonders through Will's life- He wants others to see His glory through Will. I believe He is a creative Creator & He takes great pleasure in Will's creativity as Will learns different ways of accomplishing tasks. Nothing is too wonderful for God- so I am going to enjoy my journey - my opportunity to have a front row seat as the story unfolds. God is doing wonderful, amazing, astonishing, things in Will's life. (In fact, one of the biggest blessings in being Will's mommy is that I no longer take such things for granted. We do a lot of celebrating at our house for every seemingly "minor" milestone & development!) Tonight, I stand "full of wonder" at the God who chose to know me by coming as a baby and sacrificing His life for me & for you. My Christmas prayer for you would be that you too would find the wonder of Christmas... and that, together, we would hold each other accountable to keeping our sense of wonder all year long.

Just prior to performing a miracle at the Jordan River, Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves (set yourselves apart), for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing (wonderful) things among you." (Joshua 3:5) I think that is a pretty good way to live life, don't you? We are set apart, as Christians, and maybe we should try living each day as though tomorrow God is going to do something wonderful. It may be a different kind of wonderful than we originally planned or anticipated but, based on my experience, His wonderful is better than any kind of wonderful I ever could have imagined. Enjoy the wonder of Christmas tomorrow. He is wonderful, isn't He?

Merry Christmas & may it be very Jolly!