"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son..." (John 3:16).
Well, it's that time of year! Yesterday I was jolted back into reality as I took Isaac and Ethan shopping with me (yes, I'm a little bit of a last minute shopper). The mall was packed...the stores were a wreck...people were everywhere and some even frantic...all for the purpose of buying those gifts.
Christmas is quite the gift-giving holiday. Most reports indicate it is the sales at Christmas time that propel most stores through the rest of the year. Everyone is looking for the right gift; the perfect gift. When found, the gift gets placed in a box, wrapped in nice paper and a bow placed on top.
Recently as I was speaking in chapel for the preschool at our church, I talked about gifts. I actually took with me a nicely wrapped package. I asked the children what I held in my hands. Each responded, "It's a present." Then I asked them how they knew it was a present or a gift. The classic answers were given. "Because it is wrapped in paper." "It has a bow!" one boy exclaimed. "Would it still be a gift if it didn't have those things?" I asked. Just about every child said, "No."
And as I shared with them, so I write it here, that the greatest gift ever given was given by God to all of us. Yet when Jesus was born, He didn't look much like a gift. He wasn't in a gift box. He was in a manger. Jesus wasn't wrapped in fancy, flashy Christmas paper. He was wrapped in human flesh. You would not have found a bow upon Him at all. Instead, He wore the humility of a servant who would serve all humanity.
There is one aspect that is very similar about Jesus, God's gift to all humanity. Every gift is given for the joy of the recipient. How many individuals ever give true gifts knowing the person will not like it or enjoy it? So it is with God's gift of His Son. Jesus was given that we might have joy and that our joy might be full. Free from the bonds of sin...free from the destruction of sin...free from the death due us by sin. New life to live...new love to know...new hope to experience. We can have joy unspeakable because of the gift of Jesus. He is The Gift. He is the greatest, costliest, perfect gift man has ever known. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus!
Micah is doing well right now. We're still in the process of regulating rejection medicine and administering antibiotics to treat what is believed to be an infection (which is believed to be the culprit behind both the sinus and lung issue). He's doing much better this week than he has the last three. Hopefully we'll be able to stay out of the hospital for Christmas and many more weeks to come.
The CT Scan did show some issues that are still being discussed and monitored. The spots in his lungs are still present, though apparently are smaller than the previous CT Scan. His abdominal wall is inflamed. This is believed to be a result of the elevated EBV (Epstein Barr Virus) that is elevated in his body. Hopefully reducing the amount of rejection medicine will allow his immune system to fight this back.
All in all, we just continue to be thankful for life--our lives, our children's lives and the life we have in Jesus Christ! Thank you for continuing to pray!
Merry Christmas!
1 comment:
My name is Shirley Cox. My son Mike Cox graduated with Justin from Sullivan East High School. I will never forget the words Justin spoke at the graduation. I knew then as now that God has great plans for him and his family. I have been able to keep track of his son's progress through this blog, but have seen nothing since before Christmas. I pray that all is well with you all.
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