This shot was taken from a receptionist's desk. The figurines are tiny, but I felt they deserved to be focused upon.
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Jesus did not leave us with instructions to remember his birth. Quite the opposite. We are mandated a remembrance of his death and resurrection. And we do that frequently... every time we receive communion..
But about Christ's birth... We do not know the exact date that Mary gave birth to her Creator. And it seems that there are so many things competing for our attention today. Like a carefully orchestrated conspiracy, tons of events compete to diminish God's indescribable gift. Things are some of the things on "my desk" right now:- Dear friends and family who are sick and in pain.
- People close to me who have painful memories of Christmas past.
- One coworker is hurting from a freshly broken relationship.
- There are people from the food pantry that are out of work.
- S2's birthday celebration was eclipsed by S1's accident.
- D1 has to work under especially stressful conditions.
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In the middle of whatever you have going on personally, I hope you can temporarily take your eyes off of all the other things "on our desk," and at some level, enjoy this monumental event, that God's love was so great, that He became a man, so that He might later die for those who he came to save..
Update on S1: He has been in the hospital since Wednesday. They're performing surgery today to wire his jaw shut. He chipped some teeth, but that can't be fixed before his jaw heals, so he will have to endure 6 weeks of warm liquid meals. Cold drinks hurt too much.
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15 comments:
Merry Christmas Brother !!
I don't remember the exact place in the scriptures, and I am too lazy to look it up, but this post reminds me of the passage where Jesus tells us that trouble will always be with us. I also read in numerous places that we are to count it all joy when we face troubles, and rejoice when we are going through tribulations. It is hard to trust God enough with all the details of our lives to not worry or fret, yet He wouldn't tell us to be joyful if it weren't possible.
I am sorry to hear of your son's accident. I hope he heals well and quickly. What a horrible time to be down! Happy B-day to Son #2! And Merry Christmas to you and all your family! It has been a pleasure getting to know you through blogging and comments!
TM
PS I was wondering if you chose to put your comments in a pop-up window for a reason? I would love to read the blogs of some of your commenters, but can't get to the url in the pop-up window.
Did I miss something about S1??
"Where is the season's cheer in all of this?"
The painful things in life, as much as they hurt, are there to glorify the Lord.
That's what lifts the soul, when we realize our pain, and our vexed soul, is allowed by God, so that His grace can be abundant towards us, and then there's a glorious light shining and glorifying our Father.
Sometimes words like this are inappropriate, and sometimes they are approptiate.
I hope they are appropriate here considering the intense pain you and your son must be feeling.
Forgive me Craver, if my words sound trite.
May the Lord's grace and love fill you and surround you and your family like never before this Christmas.
So nice of you to drop by, Mrs. Jen2. Hey, what ever happened to Hibby? Do ya know?
Per the request of Ornery's Wife, I turned off the pop-up comment window. I'm open to feedback on this. Does it make any difference to y'all?
I hope I don't seem heartless, but my countenance has not been brought down at all by my son's injury. In fact, it appears that he has adopted a humble, contrite attitude before the Lord, and at the same time, the local body of Christ has stepped up by visitations, prayer, babysitting, cards, meals, etc. The hospital staff is exceptionally warm and kind. The extent of the injuries have not been as bad as they could be. We have a lot to be grateful for.
Spaghettipie, I mentioned it in the comment section of the previous post that my son got hurt while horsing around. He busted his jaw and had to get it wired shut. At the same time, he chipped something like five teeth, and some of that is bad enough that he is sensitive to cold drinks now. (That means no milkshakes on his liquid diet.)
Sandman, you're a good friend. I really love your zeal for the glory of the Lord! My biggest concern, as I typed this post was that I did not want Christmas to get lost amidst temporal cares. So, my question about Christmas cheer was not a desperate complaint, but just a rhetorical tool to adjust our focus off of these other things, and back to the immense, phenominal mystery of the incarnation.
Craver, you're an inspiration to me. Keep on my brother.
And a most blessed Christmas ever to you and your family.
Please also pray for D2 who has been fighting a bad cold; stuffed nose and swollen tonsils.
Thank you!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Prayin' for all of you in the Craver household.
This month has been a difficult one for us as well. I've been sick all month with one thing after another (still awaiting some tests), along with many other struggles. The kids even lost 2 of their pet rabbits (a fox)-very sad.
But we finally got our tree up!! :)
God has used this time to draw us closer to Himself and to show us how much he cares for us.
"...shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" -Job 2:10
yep, kids are wonderful!
good photo
good post
thanks
i like the non-popup window.
Somehow I missed the information pertaining to your son's accident, however I hope he is well and strong again very soon. Too bad about having to miss Christmas dinner, I don't think it will taste quite as good after it's been in the blender.
Happy Days to you all, enjoy Christmas, and continue to blog in 2008.
I'm sorry about your son and all the stress you have been dealing with in your family and those close to you. I hope that you will find some joy and peace anyway in the midst of the pain. I liked this piece that Pastor Marty preached on last year. I hope you and Mrs. Craver will keep this in mind this Christmas (as well as everyone here):
based on 1 Peter 1:3-9
1.) Remember what you greatly rejoice in. (v. 3-5)
2.)Remember that your trials will not last forever (v. 6)
3.) Remember that your FAITH is precious to GOD. (v. 7)
4.) Remember that your trials have a purpose. (v. 7)
5.) Remember that the outcome of your faith is the salvation of your soul. (v. 8-9)
Have a merry and blessed Christmas and new year, and beyond- to you and yours.
Thanks for your humor and above all- your voice and witness in the blog world.
It's Christmas Day here in Canada, the sky is grey, and the sun is hiding behind the clouds. It's cold and there are remnants of last weeks snowstorm still on the ground, making it a rather muddy white Christmas. But it's a lovely day, and I wish you and your family all the best, and may 2008 be a good year for you.
ex-shammy
So hope your son is doing better by now, enough to enjoy the celebration.
Remembering whose big birthday party this is really helps take the focus off our own hurts.
A Merry Christmas to you and the family!
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