Thankful Thursday

I thought I’d try to get back into blogging while I still can.  I’m now 37 weeks pregnant, which is called full-term, and the baby could be born any time now (though they say most first babies don’t arrive early).  So here are some of the things I am thankful for this week:

Making it to full-term
Whenever anything seemed abnormal in our pregnancy I got worried about the baby’s safety.  I’m so glad that we’ve reached full-term now and the baby can be born with minimal complications.  Now it’s just a waiting game!

Skills to make gifts
We went to a one year old’s birthday party on the weekend and I made her some crochet shoes (oops, I should have taken a picture).  I have often loved receiving handmade gifts from people and I love being able to do the same.  At the moment, it’s also easier for me to make a gift than walk around the shops trying to find something, so that’s a double win there.  I’m thankful for the brain that God gave me to be able to learn skills such as crochet, and hands with the ability to do such things. 

My husband
This week I’ve had swollen feet, a sore back, tired limbs and J has been wonderful to me through it all.  He massaged my feet and back, let me sit when I needed to and took over things such as the dishes so I could rest.  As my capacity to do things has decreased J has stepped up, even at a time when he’s gearing up to start college in less than two weeks and has a lot of work to do before that.  I’m so thankful for his love and care for me, now more than ever. 

What are you thankful for this week?

Christmas time

Not everyone enjoys Christmas time.  There are a variety of reasons for this.  Stress (have you seen Aldi's Christmas ad this year?), grief over lost loved ones, disappointment that the family get-together didn't include reconciliation.  I'm sure there are many more.

And it's only made worse by those Christmas songs that call this "the most wonderful time of the year".  Those who don't find it wonderful feel pressure to enjoy this season, but it seems in the act of trying the joy slips out of reach.

We think we should be happy at Christmas time.  We should enjoy time with our friends and family and good food.  And these are right and good desires.  That's why it hurts so much when they're not fulfilled.

But I think it's okay to have a good Christmas without these things.  It's possible to have a good Christmas without these things.  Because there are a number of things that we think Christmas is about that are actually wrong.

Christmas is not about your happiness.
Christmas is not about family.
Christmas is not about food, or presents, or generosity, or friendship.

Christmas is about Christ.

That little baby, whom God sent into the world as a gift.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Christmas is about Jesus.  But you can't understand the gift if you only look at the baby in the manger.  Take a look at Jesus' life, what he did when he grew up, how he died, and what happened next.

When we understand the gift God gave the world at Christmas time, we see that to truly enjoy Christmas is to receive this gift and thank God for it.  So go and check out God's gift, you might be surprised.