Hope, Light, Joy, Peace, Comfort. Do these things still ring true in a year that has been anything but normal? A year with so much loss, so much fear, so much anxiety?
Yes! Yes they do ring true! They rang true during the first Christmas, Jesus’ birthday. It was not a warm and comfortable and peaceable time in history. The Jewish people were being ruled by the Romans. The Roman rulers had just called all Jews to return to the city in which they were born just so the Roman government could tax them. Their lives were utterly disrupted. The city of Bethlehem was in chaos. Yet, God was working out an idea He had begun at the beginning of time. A plan to allow His Son to live as a human and then die for the sins of the world. God was not absent in the days of Caesar Augustus, He had been working for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Our lives have been turned upside down by a virus. Our government has told where we can and can not go, shop, or eat. We are told to stay home, and for those who are alone, that is a tough sentence. We are asked not to travel, and to not visit with people outside our “bubble.” People are losing their lives. That is BIG!! Will I get it next? Will I infect someone else? All of this causes fear and anxiety in the hearts of men and women around the world.
God is still at work. In many ways this has been the year of the Lord’s favor. When your schedule is suddenly laid bare, only the most important things get done and focused on. God has been one of those things for all of our family. Cady got to step down from leadership at her salon and do a Bible Study with a pastor’s wife from Charlotte (on Zoom). Becca was not exposed to COVID for the first eight months (though she was working throughout) and when she was exposed, tested negative! Andy has been able to lead two teams of IT workers from his home office and I have stayed busy with ministry work from the dining room table. People from around the globe are searching for hope, and are looking to Jesus to provide it. The internet and smart phones are providing people from closed countries, remote locations, and isolated groups to hear about the hope found in Jesus.
As this year ends, I encourage you to look for the places of God’s favor. I have challenged our girls to write in a daily Gratitude Journal with me, turning to thanks rather than focusing in on our losses. One of our losses was that, due to her internship and COVID, Rachel could not join us for Thanksgiving. That is when we usually take our family photos. So this year we had to adjust and take them just before Christmas. All of the girls helped Andy with one of my Christmas gifts, they painted the inside of our home!! It is now a warm, cozy “Cream de’Caramel.” Thank you for the continued partnership you have with us in the ministry to which God is calling us. May God’s favor be loud in your ears.
Some additional pictures from our family photo shoot that didn’t make cut for the Christmas card:
The Kelloggs 