Every year around October, I start to complain about how busy this season is. In the span of less than two months, our little four-person family has three birthdays and two major holidays. Unless you count Halloween, then that makes three.
These two months also have been packed with emotionally-charged events. One year, we miscarried out first child just before Thanksgiving--a grief like none I had ever experienced. One year the church we attended and loved was faced with a national scandal. The following year a gunman entered the same church just two hours after we had gone home. He killed two girls and injured two more people before he was shot by a security guard. Even though we weren't at the church when it happened, I spent months thinking what I would do or where I would go if there was another gunman every time we went to church.
Now, several years later, I was once again faced with the mixed bag of emotions I always face this time of year.....until worship one Sunday. We were singing "Overcame"--an anthem said church declared after the scandal and shooting--and I was bemoaning the fact that this season has so many hard memories for me. And you know what God said to me? (No, not an audible voice anyone else could hear, but it was such a clear impression on my heart that He may as well have been talking out loud.) He said, "Why do you think I gave you so many things to celebrate in these two months?!"
What a sweet answer to my mixed bag of emotions. And let me tell you, I am so DONE complaining about all the birthday cake in my house because it represents my three greatest blessings here on earth and the thoughtfulness of a loving Father to give me their birthdays to celebrate in what could otherwise have become a very difficult time of year.
So, bring on the cake and the parties and the presents...... I'm ready to celebrate!!
