"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27
Christmas is upon us and the energy of the season is thick in the air. As Christians, this is a time of year when we are preparing to celebrate the gift of new life and the birth of Christ. But instead of being filled to overflowing with joy and peace, at the Pak house there is a gnawing sense of of stress and anxiety that has been slowly building since the day after Thanksgiving.
The season never starts out in a bad way, in fact it really begins quite innocently. The trimming of the tree, the careful scheduling of holiday outings and events, the meticulous planning for those "just right how did you know" gifts for friends and family. But then the tree topper gets lopsided and events get double booked and all that last minute gift buying turns into frantic overnight shipping fees. Soon, before you know it, all those good intentions and hopeful wishes turn into a stressed out Liz, an overtired Kayla and a bewildered and exhausted Sam.
Last night, Sam had a seizure. A frightening middle of the night ordeal where for that haunting hour everything we should have been holding close but were really too busy to think about hung in the balance. For that brief moment in time we were gripped in terror, unable to worry about tomorrow because all of a sudden today was no longer a guarantee.
As the family spends today recuperating from our late night ordeal, we have had time to reflect. The seizure was a brutal reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and the blessings we have received from our merciful Father. Sometimes we get so caught up in our day to day we forget His promises and provisions. Yet He is patient to remind us and for that we are thankful.
So what if the gifts don't arrive on time or the Christmas cards don't get sent. So we don't hit all the tourist stops on the Seattle Holiday Must-Do List. It's a little late in coming, but this year, the Paks have decided to forego the usual holiday madness and spend some time cherishing the real gifts of the season: salvation and sanctification in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Blessings to you and your family and Merry Christmas from the Paks. Hope you all have a fabulous Holiday season and a wonderful New Year!
Christmas is upon us and the energy of the season is thick in the air. As Christians, this is a time of year when we are preparing to celebrate the gift of new life and the birth of Christ. But instead of being filled to overflowing with joy and peace, at the Pak house there is a gnawing sense of of stress and anxiety that has been slowly building since the day after Thanksgiving.
The season never starts out in a bad way, in fact it really begins quite innocently. The trimming of the tree, the careful scheduling of holiday outings and events, the meticulous planning for those "just right how did you know" gifts for friends and family. But then the tree topper gets lopsided and events get double booked and all that last minute gift buying turns into frantic overnight shipping fees. Soon, before you know it, all those good intentions and hopeful wishes turn into a stressed out Liz, an overtired Kayla and a bewildered and exhausted Sam.
Last night, Sam had a seizure. A frightening middle of the night ordeal where for that haunting hour everything we should have been holding close but were really too busy to think about hung in the balance. For that brief moment in time we were gripped in terror, unable to worry about tomorrow because all of a sudden today was no longer a guarantee.
As the family spends today recuperating from our late night ordeal, we have had time to reflect. The seizure was a brutal reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and the blessings we have received from our merciful Father. Sometimes we get so caught up in our day to day we forget His promises and provisions. Yet He is patient to remind us and for that we are thankful.
So what if the gifts don't arrive on time or the Christmas cards don't get sent. So we don't hit all the tourist stops on the Seattle Holiday Must-Do List. It's a little late in coming, but this year, the Paks have decided to forego the usual holiday madness and spend some time cherishing the real gifts of the season: salvation and sanctification in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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2 comments:
Merry Christmas to our wonderful friends. We are so sorry to hear about Samson and hope he is feeling much better. Thank you for reminding us all about what is really important at this time of year. We love you three and pray that 2008 will be full of peace and joy from knowing Jesus!
The Robertsons
We are thankful that God takes good care of us in His own way. I am blessed to have all of you and mighty proud of you and your faith in God. The future is in His hands, and everyday is a present from Him, the greatest gift from Him is having family and friends, and great friends you have up there,you are blessed. Take time to care for one another. We had a great time up there and miss you all already. Keep up with this blog, we check them often it helps close the distance of being so far away.
love always.
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