Happy, happy birthday and a Merry Christmas!

When most people hear that my birthday is on Christmas Eve, I get the response, “Oh, I’m sorry.”  Other than never getting to have a birthday pool party, I’ve always enjoyed having my birthday the day before Christmas.  Sure, I’ve gotten plenty of “combo” gifts, but I’ve also gotten to spend plenty of birthdays surrounded by loved ones; playing games and eating sweets.  It’s like one BIG celebration and I get to have my own, little special part in it.  Growing up, my Mom and Dad made sure to wrap my birthday presents in birthday paper, and no matter how many cookies, pies and sweets they had already made, they still made me a birthday cake.  Now that I have my own family, I spend much of my birthday preparing foods and presents for our Christmas.  And I don’t mind.  I want my family to enjoy some of the same Christmas traditions I looked forward to when I was growing up, and we’ve made some new ones of our own.  And even though we have pies and cookies and presents to come, my sweet husband always bakes me a cake (this year, cupcakes!) and wraps my birthday presents in birthday paper. 

This birthday, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about “hope”.  At this time last year, we were hoping to travel to Ethiopia soon to bring home our son.  For hundreds of years, God’s people hoped for a Savior; diligently keeping God’s laws and practices while they waited.  I’ve been thinking about how so many of those people who had hoped for the redeemer completely missed Him when He arrived because He didn’t come as they had expected. He didn’t save them the way they wanted, but the way they needed.  They hoped for something earthly and God gave them something divine, and so many of them missed it.

I hope you don’t miss Him this Christmas.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Merry Christmas!