I've said it before, but Christmas is my favorite time of year. I just love the Advent season. Advent implies waiting for something expectantly and hopefully - our Emmanuel. God with us and for us. I just love that part of Christmas: that the boundless, limitless, timeless God who named the stars and knows them all by name considered our plight and climbed into time and space and human skin and lived with us and for us and then ultimately saved us. And that God - that Emmanuel - came to us last night. He was with us.
He was with us in the volunteers who took lists and money from my hands and fought traffic, cold, and rain to find the best gifts possible for this family.
He was with us in the generous amounts of gift cards and monetary donations that were given to help off-set the financial burden of a life-altering illness.
He was with us in one of our volunteers who, immediately after walking in the door, was sent back out again in the cold and rain on a hunt for candy for stockings - and did so with an eager spirit, a generous heart, and a smile on her face. [Then she wrote about it here - check it out!]
He was with us in the time we spent just hanging out, talking, snacking on hot chocolate and Christmas cookies, and simply loving each other with our words and our presence.
He was with us in the conversations about kidneys, medications, side effects, G-tubes, anesthesia, consultations, transplants, vomit, and lines.
He was with us in the mom who hugged my neck and cried.
He was with us as we loaded everything into their car - and packed it completely full.
God is here with us. He is love, hope, joy and peace, and He came for us. Hallelujah, we've been found!
Let hope rise. Let love be the difference.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
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