It's not the way Christmas is supposed to be!

If you are like many that suffer with chronic illness, this time of year can be very difficult. There are so many demands on our emotions, bodies and souls. The cold weather causes pain, the hectic schedule of "to-dos" is taxing, and the desire to keep Jesus as the center of the season sometimes is all we have, or just what we are missing. I have had a whole mix of emotions in the last 24 hours. I have felt like the limits my body sets have let people down, including myself. There is more I want to do,  people I want to see, foods I want to prepare, parties I wish I could host. Yesterday my body crashed hard and I just had to surrender. It didn't feel like Christmas. I was lying in bed, sleeping the day away, not cooking with my kids, not giving cookies to my neighbors, not, not, not...It just was NOT the way Christmas was supposed to be.

Where have I heard that before? Oh my, if I settle down, I hear the quiet tears of Joseph and Mary in the stable. "Did we hear the angel right? How could the messiah be born in a stable? Have we let him down already? We didn't even have a secure, comfortable place for our precious son to rest his newborn head. This isn't the way it was supposed to be." As tears of joy and anticipation, maybe fear and distress flow from the parents of the new born king, so do they flow from us.

I encourage you to consider the larger picture this Christmas. Not just Christmas the way you think it is supposed to be, but the Christmas you have been given. Maybe your body is betraying you? Think of Jesus-Herod was plotting to betray the wise men and kill Jesus. Maybe you can't provide the gifts for your family you want to? Think of Jesus-a manger was good enough for the King of Kings. Maybe you aren't with family becuase you can't travel? Think of Jesus-he wasn't in the town Mary and Joseph thought he'd be born in...they were far from family too. What does your Christmas look like this year? Is it good enough for you? If not, can it be?

I am focusing on small blessings this Christmas. I had some extra energy today and got to bake cookies with my sons. I have some humble presents under our small tree. And though we will not be with family on Christmas eve, we will be on Christmas day. But most of all, I can see Jesus! He is about to be born. We get to hear the cry of the newborn King once again. And yes, for me this year....that alone is more than enough.