Saturday, December 24, 2022

The perfect storm Christmas Eve...

 

The perfect storm Christmas Eve

My husband and I had plans to take a break and breathe a bit after a hectic busy year.  We were excited to get ready for a Christmas surprise at our church for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Not letting the secret out here because you will have to attend church to find out!  4PM Saturday and 10AM Sunday at Oasis Christian Fellowship on Five Mile Line Road in Penfield 😊Come and join us!

Back to my story…

As this week progressed, we saw the storm coming into our area. Snow and frigid temps were forecasted.  We knew that the cold temperatures would increase our calls for the company.  Furnaces can only withstand so much with age.  Some of the older furnaces make it a day or so but then the breakdowns occur.  We know this and prepare each year.  However, with Christmas coming we were hoping for a different outcome.  God had other plans. 

The weather hit Friday and the calls started to increase.  The team worked furiously to keep ahead of the demand and by Friday night it seemed like we were winning the battle.  Then after dinner the calls started up again.  Some were willing to wait till Saturday morning, but others were not.  So, my husband regrouped and went back out into the frigid night to help another customer in need.




Today, Christmas Eve the team is out again in full force as we help as many customers as possible before our Church service.  We will continue to tackle all the calls throughout the weekend as needed.  We are so thankful for the team of men who go out into the cold along side us and help our customers instead of staying in their warm home with family.

God wasn’t surprised by this storm that hit our area any more than He was surprised by the storm in Bethlehem thousands of years ago.   



The temperatures were not frigid like here in the Upstate of NY.  However, the lack of rooms available as Joseph and Mary went into the small town to do the census was their personal storm.  God knew this would happen and softened the heart of an inn keeper to allow them to stay in his barn.  

What a way to spend the night.  Pregnant and tired sleeping on a barn floor.  Oh, and by the way, the baby decided it was time to come.  Now?  Really?  I can imagine how Mary must have felt.  “Lord, seriously?”  “Isn’t there a better place to do this after you planned it for so many years?”  I can’t imagine how Joseph felt either.  He wanted to take care of his betrothed and this was the best he could find.  As a man it had to be frustrating.  We read the story shared in the gospel of Luke, but what about the back story?  What about how they were feeling?  Remember, Joseph and Mary were only human.  This had to feel like a step back and not in God’s plan.

What we must remember is that everything may look like a storm, but it is all in God’s hands.  Mary didn’t know what was about to happen as she traveled with Joseph to Bethlehem. 

God did. 

We didn’t know we would be working all weekend into Christmas. 

God did.

His plans were in place.  Nothing surprises God.  Imagine that.

So, if you are facing a storm this Christmas Eve, remember God knows.  He is with you as you fight through the storm.  Remember all the times He has been faithful to you before.  Remember He will always be faithful till the end.

Trust the process

Trust an All-Knowing God.


Merry Christmas! 

 


Luke 2:1-7

 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.


                                           Copyright © 2022 Peggy A. Priest. All Rights Reserved.


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