It's a Christmas Miracle!

I have wanted nothing more this Christmas than to see my Grandma. It has been such an all-consuming desire, in fact, that I have often felt like some darling little blue-eyed girl with ringlets and dimples, sitting on Santa's lap in a made-for-TV movie.

"Ho, Ho, Ho! What do you want for Christmas, little girl?" he would ask.

"All I want for Christmas is for my Grandma to be able to travel and be with us."

"Oh, that's a tough one, but Santa will see what he can do." he would say with a twinkle in his eye.

Cut to the end of the movie, where Santa has personally gone and picked up my Grandma in his sleigh and delivered her to me with a big, red bow. My family would all hug and laugh and cry and say things like "Santa Claus is really real!"

Only I haven't sat on Santa's lap. I haven't gone to him with this request. I've gone to the God of the Universe. I have gone to the One who actually COULD pick my Grandma up in a sleigh if He wanted. I have prayed and I have asked everyone I know to pray.

And my Christmas prayer is coming true. My Grandma was not only cleared for travel by her doctor, she was cleared to fly, which we didn't think she would be able to do. My Grandma should be here within the next week and I am going to be able to laugh with her and cry with her and say things like "God is really real!"

Thank you, Lord, for granting the desire of this girl. It means the world to me that I can crawl up in your lap and tell you what I want for Christmas and you actually care. It is humbling. Thank you for being such a personal God.

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A Prayer Request

My Grandma has cancer. I've mentioned this in previous posts. Today I am blatantly and shamelessly asking you to pray for her. And for me. Everyday when I pray for her, I pray that if there is any way in God's perfect will for her to be healed, that she will be, and I would love if He would do that. If you feel led to pray for that, I would be grateful. The prayer that I am specifically asking for today, however, is that she be able to come be with us for Christmas. I have the blessed assurance of knowing that when the Lord decides to call my Grandma home, it will only be a temporary separation for us. I know that she is not young, and if the Lord doesn't use the cancer to take her to heaven, then something else will sooner or later. I would love for it to be later, but I am at peace with the fact that it could be sooner. What I don't want is for her to spend what could be one of her few remaining (last?) Christmases apart from the people who love her. She has an appointment to see the doctor on Monday, and I would covet your prayers. I would ask you to pray that no matter what her physical condition, the doctors would see the value in allowing her to enjoy the holidays. I would pray that we would be able to arrange travel for her that is safe and comfortable (she can't fly because of the circulated air and the chemo having her immune system shot). When I spoke to her yesterday, she kept saying "Pray, Kimberly, pray so I can be up there with you soon." She wants to be here, she wants to be with her great-grandsons, and she wants to enjoy the life she has left to live. Please pray that God would graciously allow that.

It means so much to me to publish this post and know that the handful of you that read it will send up a prayer to the God of the Universe for my Grandma Kay, a woman most of you have never met. It's powerful and it's ministry. Please let me know how I can pray for you. It would be a privilege.

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Oh, CHRISTmas Tree

We have an artificial tree, and I am proud of it. Growing up, we always got real trees, and I truly thought I was the type of person who wouldn't be caught dead getting a fake tree. Boy, was I wrong! They are easier, cheaper, cleaner, cheaper, spider-free, cheaper, better for the environment,cheaper, safer and did I mention....cheaper? We bought our 7-foot tree 5 years ago at an after-Thanksgiving sale, with a 50% off coupon from Michael's, so it cost us only $50. That means that as of now, our tree has averaged us just $10/year and that's just so far. It gets cheaper every year!

So this weekend we put up the tree. We are a week later than usual (another great thing about fake trees...they don't dry out, so you can put them up as early as you want), deciding that one less week of trying to keep our boys out of the tree was a good thing. While the boys ate breakfast yesterday, Mark and I rearranged the living room to accommodate the tree, and I entertained Elijah while Micah napped so Mark put it together. That is where things stopped until both boys went down for their afternoon naps. Finally we could make some progress! The lights went on the tree (over a thousand) and the ornaments went up.

The two of us were sitting on the couch admiring our work when we heard the familiar sound of little boys waking up from their naps. We turned off all the lights in the house except those on the tree before we set the boys free from their room. They came running out and then both -stopped!- right in their tracks when they saw the glow coming from the branches. That lasted only a moment and then their curiosity took over. Micah started pulling candy canes off the tree and Elijah started counting bulbs (which would have kept him busy for quite awhile if he could count above 20). Mark and I each scooped up a boy and snuggled them onto the couch with us to continue enjoying the sight.

I asked Elijah if he thought the tree was beautiful.

He said "Oh, yes, Mommy...it's like I want to hug the tree!"

I asked him if he would like to sing a song about the tree, intending to teach him "Oh, Christmas Tree".

He said "Oh, yes, Mommy!", and before I could start, he began singing..

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world...."

For a split second, I thought about stopping him to teach him the song I had in mind, until I realized that no...he had it absolutely right.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that who-so-ever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

That is the reason we celebrate Christmas and that is the reason we put up the tree. You can try and convince me all day long that it was a coincidence that Elijah chose that song. I will never believe it. I pray every day for the salvation of my children. I pray every day that the Holy Spirit would be actively working in their hearts already, turning them towards the Lord. How tremendous to see the glimmers of that beginning to happen.

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4)

Merry Advent season, friends! May each and every moment of it remind you of Jesus.

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