Merry Christmas!  Yes, I know it’s a few days late, but the wishes are genuine.  I hope your time of worshipping the Christ Child was indeed joyous, and that it hasn’t ended already!  Jesus is definitely worth more than a passing holiday’s worth of honor and glory.

This year, my most attention-grabbing gift was the flu.  It was not my favorite, nor my most memorable, but I have certainly had to deal with it.  I got more than I wanted, and it wasn’t what I asked for.  I’m sure none of the rest of you know what I am talking about…  😉  This is the third year in a row we’ve had a “robust” flu season, even if you don’t count Covid-19.  Just what we all want for the holidays…

This year, however, I had a couple of additional things happen.  Once I began to feel “normal” again, I had to run errands.  Almost everything is drive-through any more, so I waited in several lines to pick up what I ventured out to get.  Almost immediately, I realized that I had forgotten my phone.  It was strange, not having something in my hands with a screen on it to entertain myself while I waited.  I had to just sit.  It was irritating at first.  Then, I began to remember what it was like before all the convenience of the internet and smartphones.  As I sat, I found myself praying.  I began to list off the things for which I was thankful, not the least of which was the visit of God’s Son to us as we remember each year.  And I realized it had been too long since the last time I had taken a little extra time to do so.

Thanksgiving was a pleasant time, but I didn’t take the time to just sit and be grateful.  We were busy, dashing from one activity to the next.  I had to work at it.  So far, the Christmas season with a bronchial illness just seemed to sap my spirit, so while I was definitely grateful for the blessings I enjoyed, I had little energy to do much more than recover.  Taking the time waiting in line for longer than I expected was a welcome moment to reconnect with my reasons for thankfulness.

So, instead of the items I was waiting for, I got much better – a return to a grateful heart.  God is SO GOOD, and I need to remember it always.  “In everything give thanks…”

So, as I close out this year, I want to share with you the “verse of the year” as determined by the YouVersion app (see more about it here).  God is faithful always, and God reminded the Israelites so when he told them through Isaiah, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10)  This verse takes on new meaning (especially, “I am with you”) when considered at Christmastime.

Take a few moments right now to stop and say a few “thank-you’s” with me.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!