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Monday, December 01, 2008

silence and solitude

After Sunday's sermon on silence and solitude, a church member wrote this e-mail to me:

There was a young family I knew a number of years ago and the mother was expecting a baby shortly after the holidays.

She developed complications early in December and was confined to bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. She always had a dozen things going – and probably more during the holidays, whether activities with the kids, volunteering, decorating the house, baking, or hosting a party at their house. Her initial reaction was “how will we ever get through the holidays with me in bed?!?” Understandably, it turned out to be a very different Christmas for the family – no parties, relying on others for help, etc.

The “significant” part of the memory is that, after the holidays, she shared that it turned out to be one of the most special Christmases she’d experienced. Not just because of folks reaching out to help them, but because she saw it as a time the Lord was telling her to “be still” and that He was giving her a chance to focus on Christmas’ true meaning. I wish she could have been here this morning to testify to the truth of your message.

With wishes for a merry-but-quiet Christmas!

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