The perfect gift…

For Matthew there are two things that would form the definition of the perfect gift. Discovery Toys Place and Trace puzzles and Signing Times books or DVD’s. This year Matthew received a few of both. Theresa even capped off the perfect Christmas for him with his very own elf jammies.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”   Luke 2:8-11

Matthew opening a new Signing Time book

After reading this passage more than a few times over the past several weeks something occurred to me while reading it on Christmas day…Many are acutely aware of the significance of this moment in history and what series of events that took place over the next 30 or so years after. What hit me was the incredible gift of sacrifice that was given as the result of this birth.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

I was overwhelmed with what the thoughts may have been from our Heavenly Father. The thoughts of joy, but also the pain of knowing what his fate would be. He knew, if Jesus was obedient, that ultimately he would die a cruel and shameful death…a sacrificial death on behalf of you and me. Our heavenly Father took a gamble. There was risk involved. Jesus was human in every way possible and could have made the decision not to fulfill what was foretold. Mary and Joseph took a risk and believed what an angel spoke to them in person and in a dream. Jesus took a risk and stepped into his public ministry by taking that step into the Jordan River and be baptized not only with water but by the Holy Spirit.

I read a book recently by adventurer and mountain climber Eric Weihenmayer. He has, among other challenges in life, climbed the “Seven Summits”…the tallest summits on every continent in the world, including Mt. Everest. A demanding and challenging feat for any climber. Years of conditioning, training, sacrifice and failed attempts were all a part of this journey to tame these mountians…what I haven’t mentioned yet is that Eric is blind…blind since his teenage years when an eye condition claimed his vision. Eric has to rely on other senses and on a fellow climber or two who are his “eyes” at times during the climb. This excerpt particularly struck me;

While facing the challenge of jumping across a river that had cut a path through the ice and scree path 10 feet deep and 9 feet across…”You just have to trust it” he was told by his climbing partner. Eric later wrote about this experience…”There are moments in our lives when we can move forward in small increments, increasing the challenge bit by bit, but there are other times when security is merely an illusion, when we must summon our courage, gather up our past skill, and proceed by the power of sheer faith.”  from the book Touch the Top of the World

As parents Theresa and I were thrust into this journey of raising a special needs child without any warning or experience. The joy of birth and new life was quickly replaced for a short time with worry, fear, pain and a short bleak future as his medical conditions were given to us in list form. But, just as Eric wrote, we moved forward in small increments and as we gained strength and courage we were able to take larger steps. Even take leaps of faith when called to do so. It was a faith community of people who we only knew a little and some we didn’t even know at all who came forward and helped with our immediate needs. This faith community has become our church that has lifted us up when we were down, given us encouragement when we needed it, has allowed Matthew to bless them and have even extended a  hand to meet financial needs as God has prompted.

We have much to be thankful for and celebrate this holiday season. My prayer for you and your family is that you have been able to take some time to focus on the real gift that this season represents. The gift of God’s own son, Jesus.

As we move into the new year…what path of ice and scree has been cut through in front of you? What river is in front of you that you are being asked to take that leap of faith over?