Christmas

Today is Christmas. I am sitting here in a warm house, with my grandparents, parents, sisters, and brothers standing around, joking and talking with one another.  My dad is cleaning pans from breakfast, and the boys are playing with battery-operated cars they found in their stockings.  The dog is successfully (for the most part) dodging the little missiles, one eye on the cars and the other shut as she tries to get in her mid-morning nap.  If you sat down and looked around, it would look like a peaceful day in the life of our family.  But if you got up and started talking among the children, you would find out more.  They are joyful in the celebration of Jesus, excited at the remembrance of His birth.  They know that this is more than a fun day off school with new toys to play with and grandparents to visit—it's one of the most important days of the year.  Christ the savior was born today—is there anything more that matters?  Is there any birth that was special enough to compete with the joy and love that came in that small package one Christmas day thousands of years ago?  Never!
Today is Christmas.  We celebrate with joy.  I pray that you and your family have a merry one, filled with new memories and the remembrance of old ones.

Gibberish?

"De delo-dopper!" my 2-year-old brother yells, pointing out the window.  "De delo-dopper!" 

To most people, his words mean nothing.  But to me and the rest of my family, they mean exactly what Isaiah wants them to mean.  We understand the gibberish perfectly, and to us it sounds pretty much like our own language, though he's definitely not a master yet.  I can make out his carefully thought out speeches easily, but if it were another child, in a different family, I usually can't make heads or tails of the excited gabble.   The reason?  I'm not around the other youngsters 24/7.  The parents and older siblings of a toddler will almost always be able to tell you in perfectly translated, understandable, modern-day English what the child is saying.  They are around the child (or children!) all the time, and because of this are able to completely understand their needs and desires, and the words that come out of the toddler's mouth usually sound (to them, at least) near to their own words.  When we are around a certain child long enough we can understand what is repeated to us over and over. 

This reminds me of our relationship with other people—and God.  At times, we all become frustrated with the inability of other humans to "understand" us.  But this shouldn't be a surprise to us.  Those people aren't around us 24/7, only when we're at work, or come home from school, or when we go somewhere or do something with them.  People are not able to fully understand each other.  Maybe they can understand each other well (can translate the other person's "gibberish,") but to be able to perfectly and easily work together at all times is virtually impossible. 

God, however, is with us all the time.  He understands us totally, because not only is He with us 24/7, but He created us!  He knows what our likes and dislikes are, what we want, and what we need.  So the next time that you need help, are feeling misunderstood, or are looking for a friend who totally "gets it," go to God.  Chances are, He knows what you're talking about.

(And by the way—"De delo-dopper" can be translated as "The helicopter.")

Lucy Lane's Gotcha Day

This is one of the most amazing adoption videos I've seen yet. It's so stirring! I found it a while ago on a friend's blog and knew I had to share it with all of you!