As another year in our lives here at "Happy Acres" comes to an end, we've taken some time to pause and review...It hasn't been an easy year for our little family. That isn't to say that it's been all "hard things", but we have had some (ok, kind of a continuous flow of, lol) bumps in our road.
Years ago, at the end of another of these "challenging" years, our sweet home-teacher came to pay us a visit. "How are the Websters doing?", he asked....I'm sure he didn't expect the dump-truck load of woes Kevin landed on him in answer to that innocent question. It was a year where so much was going on in our extended family, and we felt so burdened with worry and care in their behalf. Our wise-beyond-his-years home teacher asked if he might leave us with a word of prayer. I will never forget that prayer. He said, "Heavenly Father, we thank thee that thou hast trusted the Websters with these trials in their lives..." I don't remember anything else from that prayer, just that sentence. I had NEVER thought of the challenges in my life as things with which Heavenly Father was trusting me....no, I had always thought of them as burdens to be carried and gotten through. Honestly, that simple prayer changed how Kevin and I have looked at the events in our life ever since. I am sure that sweet, faithful brother had no idea how profoundly he changed us. Talk about angels among us.
With that in mind, Kevin and I have been talking about all the things that we've been called upon to endure this year, and we are seeing a pattern in our lives. Each of these challenges has brought new depths of spirituality and faith to our lives. We see our loving Heavenly Father entrusting us with lessons for us to learn and trusting us to learn what He is trying to teach us. We see Him guiding, shaping, and molding each of us into the children of God we are supposed to be. We see our small place in His great plan of Happiness as we put ourselves into His capable hands and allow Him to refine us. It's a matter of agency and freely giving ourselves over to His care. It's acknowledging that He knows what's best and then following His path. Ultimately the goal is for us to live in celestial families with our beloved Father-in-Heaven.
Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Last week, I couldn't have said that it was anymore. I felt so overwhelmed with the bumps in our road that just seemed to keep coming and coming and coming; without any breathing room. At a particularly low point, I cried out to my Heavenly Father, "God, couldn't you at least give us a break, here?!?!" That was when the blessings started to flow. Not that the bumps in the road went away, nope they're still coming. My ability to deal with them and still find peace simply increased. I was blessed, though a series of small, acts of kindness, to be able to see how along with those "bumps in the road" Heavenly Father was pouring out blessings on our little family. There's a scripture that talks about blessings being poured out such that your heart can't fully receive them (or something like that)...I understand how that feels. It's not that the nature of our challenges have diminished, but our ability to learn and grow from them has increased.
Many years ago, on a peaceful, seemingly ordinary night, God gave His most precious gift to His earthly children. He sent His only begotten Son to earth. Born of a virgin, cradled in a manger, the God of Heaven came to earth to fulfill a mission that only He could fulfill. Because of that priceless gift, we can all find peace and hope through all the trials and "bumps in the road" we encounter in our lives. Jesus Christ took upon Himself not just our sins, but He willingly endured all of our pains, sicknesses and sorrows. He did this so that He could have perfect empathy and perfectly succor us in our times of need. It was a gift freely given. All we have to do is reach out,accept it, and follow His way; His path back to our Heavenly Father's presence. That's the reason for the plan...that's the reason for the season...Heavenly Father wants His children to come home and live with Him in peace and joy forever.
I am grateful beyond words for the great plan of Happiness - for the gift of Jesus Christ and all He did for each of us. Because of Him, I have the hope of being reunited with my loved ones who've passed on. Because of Him I have the hope of having Kevin as my eternal companion and being a "forever-family" with our precious children. That is the hope, peace and joy I get from Christmas...all those shiny, hope-filled-blessings wrapped in swaddling clothes...lying in a manger...
God bless each of you, our beloved
With all our love,
The Websters
Netty, Kev, Jackie, Mandy and Chris
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