Christmas Miracles

It's the most wonderful time of the year...then, BAM! 

And, my dear, what do you have to say about it now?

While most people are bustling about buying gifts and celebrating the season...we're busy looking for Christmas miracles. Well, we should all actually be looking for Christmas miracles. It's quite possible we could all be looking for the same thing while it may actually look quite different. Christmas miracles.

The babe in a manger looked quite different than expected. If you're suffering from disease, you may be looking for healing. If you're suffering from financial woes or longing to see relational tensions ease, that's an entirely different department too. If you have a missing loved one, or a loved one who won't be home this Christmas, you may be hoping for the miracle of an opening door. See? There's all types of Christmas miracles we might be looking for.

A dear friend has pounded this into my head repeatedly. Now, it comes to mind without much effort as I've learned to exercise the thinking pattern. "There's always someone worse off than we are. Without a doubt, thing could be worse than they are," she says sweetly when I've been overwhelmed at life (you know, only a time or two... or 79!) and needed some encouragement.

So, when our vehicle was wrecked twice in a single day earlier this week, I laughed hysterically at the situation instead of letting it get the best of me. I even looked up at the sky and said, "Alright God, it's your turn. What are you going to do about this? How are you going to fix it? We need a Christmas miracle!" (Yeah, I'm learning to talk to God that way.) What are the odds of having two separate claims on a single vehicle in one day? Hello! Instead of a single deductible giant, we were blessed with two giants. Merry Christmas to us! 

Can you imagine the Christmas miracle we need? Guess what? I'm not the only one who needs that type of miracle. My friend also needs a vehicle-fixing miracle, on three cars. Yep, we're all looking for miracles. And that''s the beauty of it all and what Christmas is all about. We're looking for hope! Our hearts are exploding with the need for our Hope to make something beautiful, to write another chapter to make the last one better, to turn our situations into wonderful testimonies we can share with others.

Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year. It's a special time when we can look to our Maker to bring hope into our hopeless situations, to bring light into darkness, to remind us that He is in control of it all and that He's writing us into new chapters which will bring Him glory. What better time than at Christmas?! So, I'm not looking for gifts under the tree this year, that looks a little bit different too, doesn't it? I am looking for hope. Isn't that what the wise men were looking for on that night long ago when they followed a single, shining star to that manger?

My friend, whatever miracle you find yourself looking for this holiday season, know that nothing is impossible when we serve God. He is our hope! Let's encourage each other to find the best in every situation, let's be there for each other - that's a miracle in and of itself. Let's encourage one another to look for the simple ways God moves and shows Himself in our every day - while we're waiting on that big miracle to come to pass. Let's join together, hand in hand, and look for our unique Christmas miracles together.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year...prepare to share your gift of hope.