As Christmas has approached, there's so much I begin to reflect on and remember. A year ago today, I was celebrating Christmas in the hospital with my sister and we were looking forward to a better and brighter year in 2020. She only had one last set back before she could head to rehab then home. After a couple more weeks, my sister made it to rehab and made it home to be with us for one last month then we had to face the reality of saying goodbye. Last year I wrote about how celebrating the holidays in the hospital was better than not having my sister around and it's such a crazy realization that my family and I are faced with the harsh reality of enduring our first Christmas without her.
This year has been a difficult one for many. People had to say goodbye to a mom, dad, sibling, child, cousin, significant other, friend, and or a co-worker. Some to different types of reasons and most due to COVID-19. My sister passed away because of the tumors within the brain returned and were very aggressive the second time around.
It's hard to imagine all that has happened in the last year when grief is at the surface of life in this season. As I write this post, I can recall rejoicing in the successful surgery my sister had when the UCLA medical team removed the large tumor she had on the left side of her brain and how amazing it was for her to come out of her surgery with no complications. She woke up singing and praising the Lord that she was alive, reciting bible verses from memory, and talking to us with no speech problems. To most, I'm sure you will see this experience I am in a bit mind boggling. How is it that this God that I believe in made a way for everything for my sister's situation to be so successful and miraculous only to see her suffer a bit months later until she took her last breath?
Trust me when I say it has been a journey this year with the passing of my sister and the many other things happening in this world. I honestly questioned God, asked where He was in this time of need, and truly wondered why He couldn't save my sister when He saved both my grandfathers from dying when they endured critical heart surgeries in their late 80's. No matter how many times I play what could of been and question why God didn't do, I begin to realize more and more as to why it possibly had to be.
My sister didn't have to die so young but the fact of it all is this world is not heaven. It is fallen, not perfect, and definitely isn't eternal. But my sister passing has placed me in areas where I have to pursue God more and dive deeper into reading and studying His Word more. I really don't know if I would have looked at my faith in the way I do now if my sister was still here and I don't know if I would be fully realizing God's purpose for myself and this life.
I fall into the category of someone who probably needed to wake up from the comfortable life I was living. Without trials, there's no need to depend on God which is the incorrect way of seeing things. I've gone through many trials throughout my life, but my sister's passing has been the greatest of them all. I've realized I need to continue depending on God on all things even when life is good. How many of us really prioritize our relationship and time with God when we have everything that we need and have all the people we love around us?
Within the last nine months, I've questioned, I've learned, I've wondered, and I've realized so many things within my kingdom journey. I believe that in this generation we are sucked into this mentality of questioning God "WHY" instead of realizing that He honestly doesn't owe us anything. Have you ever approached God about something you haven't received as if He owed us a favor? This was a huge realization I came across within my journey this year. We approach God like we are bigger than Him and question why He couldn't do this or that when this whole time we never put into thought that God gave us more than what we could of asked for.
As we celebrate Christmas today especially this 2020, it brings more clarity that Christmas is beyond the get togethers, the gifts we open, and the trips we take. When all is gone, what is left? This is the year where we were all shaken from our normal lives on so many levels and still experiencing this pandemic not knowing when life will ever be the way it once was. There are so many things in life that can change and that has changed; however, there is one thing that will remain unchangeable until the end of time, a day in history that literally changed our lives FOREVER whether we believe it or not, and that is the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus came into this world with a purpose of sharing and showing that life on earth and living a kingdom journey here is what we're supposed to do. He came into this world to be the example and the light the dark world needed to see and to save us from our sins by giving us a chance to be forgiven so we can experience a life perfect for all of eternity. For us to get a glimpse of His unconditional love, He chose to be born in a manger within the stables. In a place that was not of riches, perfection, or comfort. I've taken this story for granted many times by not truly realizing that this God literally came into this world and lived a life like our own. He endured pain and suffering like we do, was bashed by people the way we are, mistreated like most of us are and yet He still came to this world to show how much He loves us.
The birth of Christ continues to give me hope for myself in these dark times. His birth is the reason why we are able to receive the greatest gift of all which is our salvation, the chance to enter the kingdom of God and experience heaven on earth when we join ourselves to him and his kingdom project. This gift is given to us at no financial cost. This gift is given to us without any expectation of proving ourselves or having to be a certain level of "perfect". This gift is given to us all no matter where we are in life. Jesus came to this world so that we can have that ultimate gift of life. He came here to share the word of God and tell us all of the journey we will face on this earth and the perfect destination we will arrive to once we pass away on this earth.
May this unfortunate moment in time bring gratitude and thanksgiving for what we have, and to be grateful for the birth of Christ. I want to be one of the lights in this dark world that shares about the source of this light. Why live in a dark world without hope of a greater future beyond our own thoughts and dreams? This Christmas I am sharing the true reason for the season because I want you to be able to have that chance of the greatest gift that was given to us. My kingdom journey this year has been rough and again there has been a lot of learning for me but through my experiences, this is why I am sharing this with you.
Whether you have known about Christ but just didn't really walk in relationship with Him, or even if you never knew about God, it's never too late. While we are still breathing on this earth, take that chance to get to know more of God. Here is a fantastic sum up of the reasons why Christ came into the world by Kevin Halloran https://www.kevinhalloran.net/31-reasons-why-jesus-christ-came-to-earth/. Merry Christmas to all!
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