Long after most of my friends and relatives had smart phones, I still carried a slide phone. I couldn’t access the internet, and it didn’t take good pictures. The screen was so tiny you couldn’t see them even if it did. When it broke, I had Ian search for an exact replacement online. It wasn’t until it became obsolete that I finally switched to an Iphone.
I don’t cart around a house full of boys anymore. I don’t have a trunk full of baseball equipment. I really don’t need to drive a minivan. Yet, I don’t want another vehicle. I like my “Bessie.” She gets me where I need to go, and I know what all the knobs and buttons do.
From favorite shoes to old utensils, the older I get the more obstinate I become, the more I resist change. Consistency comes with its own set of problems, but at least its comfortable. Change forces me to move out of my comfort zone. I just don’t like change.
However, regardless of my feelings about it, change has always been and will always be a fact of life. Our lives are not a stagnant pond but a flowing river, taking us from birth to death and beyond into eternity. Life never stands still. Whether we are sailing through smooth waters or traveling through turbulent tides, life is ever-changing and, therefore, a constant source of stress.
In 2009, I was a young mother with a hectic lifestyle of managing, raising and teaching four sons. My babies had been replaced with four rambunctious boys. In the midst of all the good that came with the task, there was also a fair share of hard times, nothing catastrophic mind you, just the discomfort of day-to-day difficulties. Even then, I felt God’s presence reminding me to cling tightly to Him, to trust in His plan for my future, to find hope in His presence with me, and to lean on His love in the midst of change.
Here’s part of what I wrote that Christmas.
Merry Christmas 2009
I can’t believe another year has flown by. Time seems to go so much quicker as I get older. I started writing Christmas letters in 1996—the year Sjon-Paul was born and my Aunt Marlene died. I printed them all out the other night and read them. It was an interesting experience, like reading a condensed diary of our lives.
This year, of course, has been like many others. It has had its highs and lows, but the greatest blessing by far was the salvation of both Ryan (in the summer) and Braxton (this past fall). They both were baptized together about a month ago with many family and friends celebrating this commitment with them. What a joy it is to know that all of our immediate family has secured an eternity in heaven and an irreplaceable hope and help in this life through our Savior Jesus Christ…
Well, it’s official. I have no more babies. My youngest, Braxton, turned 5 in March of this year, and Sjon-Paul, my oldest, turned 13 in April. The dreaded day came, and Sjon-Paul finally passed me by. For weeks he would come in and measure himself against me to see who was taller. Finally, I had to admit that he had made it. I quickly reminded him though that he wasn’t too big for me to bend him over my knees! Brandon just turned 12, and now he’s the one asking, “Am I taller than you yet?” It seems to be a great accomplishment to look down on Mom.
Ryan turned 7 in July and told us just the other day that he is almost 12! One of his favorite pastimes is racing his dirt bike around our yard. Brandon is still very artistically inclined and recently demonstrated a gallery of his artwork here at the house for family and friends attending his 12th birthday celebration. Sjon-Paul has become quite the entrepreneur and has his own e-bay business. Thankfully, Braxton is still content to snuggle with Mom and Dad and play with his toys.
This past spring we had four boys playing baseball on four different teams. It was quite an adventure. Braxton actually finished this year and received a trophy. While it wasn’t an easy endeavor, he says that he wants to play again next year. He still remembers how good it felt to run across home plate. The three older boys helped lead their teams to successful seasons, and the two oldest made their respective All-Star teams. Sjon-Paul’s year in Babe Ruth turned out to be one of the most fun baseball seasons we have ever had. The three oldest boys are playing basketball now and doing very well. Brandon and Ryan play for Optimist club teams and are leading scorers.
Sjon-Paul is playing on the homeschool team this year and also doing extremely well. Recently I was having a conversation with him about the importance of continuing to practice. I ended with, “After all, you aren’t Michael Jordan.” To which he quickly replied, “I know, but can’t I be the Michael Jordan of my small world?” That statement gave me pause to think. While my boys aspire to great ambitions in sports, ultimately, as Christians, our greatest ambition is to be like Christ. As I encourage them to work hard so that they can become as good as Michael Jordan in the realm of basketball, I am reminded of how hard we should be working at being like Christ in our small world.
You see, I have to admit that I as I look back over this year, I just keep thinking of how hard it has been. There have been some scary times, but nothing really catastrophic. Overall, it just seems that the daily grind is a little more pressing these days. Satan is on the attack, and he seems to be targeting families first. Sometimes I see the difficulties piling up like a mountain, dark and foreboding, an obstacle to our happiness. But then I realize the daily struggles of life are really more like steps, building one on top of another, forcing me to walk upward, growing closer and more dependent on the Lord.
Life is hard, and I sure wouldn’t want to go through it without Jesus guiding me, helping me, comforting me, and strengthening me. We don’t want you to go through it alone either. We love you and pray that if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you won’t put it off one more day. God is so faithful to help us when we rely upon Him. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) It is our prayer this Christmas season that you will seek to know the Lord personally. If you already know Jesus as your Savior, we pray that you are trusting in Him and celebrating with joy this season of His birth.
We’d love to talk to you about it some more. Keep in touch and have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Read “A Family Flees,” this week’s Advent Lesson. Also, if you’re looking for a great devotional guide to help you study God’s Word more, purchase Tricia’s book, A Year of Yearning, available on Amazon.