The Frazier family celebrated two miracles this Christmas!
Our Two Miracles
The first miracle we celebrated was that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). To quote the Austin Stone Advent Devotional:
The birth of Jesus, the miracle of Christmas, took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
He has come. The years of waiting and wondering are over. They have given way to the flesh and blood proof that our Father is faithful. And as we wait for His return we don’t wait alone, because our God is with us.
That indeed is a miracle and good news! Yes, Christmas is full of holiday fun, but the main focus of Christmas revolves around the glorious message of a baby born in a manger in Bethlehem.
The second miracle we celebrated was getting Davy home! Davy was not so “merry” on Christmas day, but it has been a complete joy to be all together under one roof. Our days have been filled to the brim with Chelsea and I playing in the “bush league” of parenting because of our amateur status at this point! My respect for parents across the globe has exponentially sky rocketed the last few days! Parents, just in case you didn’t know – or have forgotten – you are rock stars!
Christmas for the Hurting and the Hopeful
This morning, I groggily rose out of bed to make Davy’s early morning meds. Afterwards, I sat down on the couch to spend some time with the Lord. During my time with him my heart swelled with gratefulness while reflecting on his faithfulness to us by sending us his son and answering our “far more” prayer of getting Davy home by Christmas. In my hands I held the Book that pointed to affirmation of one miracle while in my bedroom, peacefully sleeping was my little girl affirming the other. However, I was also grieved upon thinking of our friends who didn’t get out of the NICU in the same timeline as our family and others who are hurting around the globe because of loss or tragedy.
I was grieved because I had been reflecting on this very thought the previous night. Even though this season is supposed to be filled with friends, family, memories and laughter, we know that because of sin that it’s also filled with enemies, foes, tragedies and mourning. In my time with him, God gently reminded me again of this truth- the beauty in Christmas is that God is with the hurting and the hopeful. He inhabits the same space with joyless and the joyful. They call him, Immanuel, God WITH us – no matter our emotional disposition (Matt. 1:22-23). God is not attempting to give us temporal positivity in our present, but to give us eternal hope for our future. The hope that Jesus is returning one day to reconcile all things to himself (Rev. 21:5) and until then he will be with us until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).
So if you are hopeful this Christmas – amazing! – continue to rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Phil. 4:4). If you are hurting this Christmas – I’m sorry. God is close to the brokenhearted (Ps.34:18), sympathizes with you (Heb. 4:15), and will never leave you, nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6). Whatever state you find yourself in – hurting, hopeful, joyless or joyful – remember that God is WITH you – Immanuel.
Lastly, a Quick Thank You
As I ended my time with the Lord, and I could hear Davy rustling in her bassinet, Thessalonians 5:18 was brought to mind. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Chels and I fought daily to be thankful in the midst of the NICU, but I don’t want to stop cultivating thanks just because we are at home. So lastly, thank all of you for interceding on behalf of our family. It’s by the grace of God and thousands, literally thousands, of your prayers uniting from across the globe that brought our little girl home. From the depths of a hearts (Davy’s healing one as well) we say, “thank you”.
#davystrong