Merry Christmas . . .

I love Christmas. Not so much for all the stuff that goes along with it . . . the parties, the gifts, the food. I do love to visit with family and friends that I don't get to see often enough. But it's not even that. I love that every Christmas everything seems to change. It just feels different after Christmas. I always want to be different and better than I had been the year before. We usually have new stuff to organize in our house, especially since we've had kids. And after the tree gets taken down, we usually take the opportunity to change the furniture around. Everything just changes.

Everything changed on the very first Christmas. I mean one day the world was still awaiting the Messiah, and the next day he had arrived. Some people made plans to come see Him, some plotted to kill him. It was just different. It was crazy different for Mary and Joseph. I can remember back to the first days when we brought our baby boys home from the hospital. Our life changed so much then. I can't even imagine how drastic of a life change it felt to Mr. & Mrs. Joseph. They had become parents and protectors of the Savior. Life was going to be different for every person from then on who heard the news of Jesus' birth and believed what Mary already knew about Him.

So that's why I love Christmas. Everything has a chance to change and feel different. I look forward to that. I know so many of you are going through changes this season . . . new jobs, new locations, awaiting children, waiting to hear word on schools, waiting for what's next . . . I pray despite changing circumstances, our hearts continue to draw near to God. Especially this holiday when we celebrate the arrival of the very Way God made it possible to know Him.

Merry Christmas.