This Christmas was a beautiful and bittersweet one. It will probably be our last time to see all our family and friends together for a long while and we are going to miss them so much. But we had an amazing Christmas eve and day with some of our favorite people. I'm also especially proud of how our tree turned out this year... bright, colorful, snow covered, and filled with collected ornaments and memories.
We used my Grandma's Nativity set this year. It looked so beautiful in front of the tree... I wish she could have seen it.
Leading up to Christmas this year, I read through the story of Jesus' birth in Luke. It tells of how the shepherds saw the angels, went to find the baby Jesus, and ran off to tell all the world about it. Which makes sense. You'd probably freak out too if you had hosts of angels announce the birth of the Messiah to you while on your night shift. It's the next part that really stood out to me though this year. In Chapter 2 verse 19 it says...
"But Mary treasured up all these things in her heart and thought of them often."
She took all of it in... her new baby boy, the miracle of His birth, the angels, the gifts, the people traveling to come see Him and worship Him. She let it sink in and then she held those things in her heart and treasured them.
I can't even begin to imagine all that Mary must have felt that night, but I do know what it is to experience blessings. I know the love of family. The joy of friendships you'll have for life. Most importantly though, I know and treasure the very same thing that Mary did... her Savior. Above all else is the treasure of knowing Christ.
And as we move on from the lights and the presents and back on to the packing and boxes, these are the things I'll treasure up in my heart and think of often.
I hope that this Christmas, you experienced the love of family, the joy of friendship, and the ultimate treasure and meaning of it all in knowing Jesus Christ. How will you remember it?
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Rene & Jess
3 comments:
This is a sweet post. Your blog kind of makes me want to cry though. I think that will be the case for awhile. But I'm also really excited for you guys and your new adventure. I just wish you weren't going quite so far away! Love you. xo
Many prayers for your new life together and what amazing surprises God has in store for you in Lancaster! I know you will grow in your love for Him and for each other as you will be in this new place and space together! Much love to you, Teresa
Jess... I want to thank you for being such a great role model to Randa for so many years. You are family!!! I'm so honored to have been one of your H.S. teachers. May God's peace be with you always.
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