Monday, December 21, 2020

Advent Miracles

 


For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6

When you were a child, were Advent calendars a part of you Christmas tradition?  The certainly were in our home.  My grandmother always sent my brother and me one of these enchanting calendars just in time for the arrival of December 1st.  Needless to say, my mother made us take turns opening the window of the day.  Sometimes, it was hard to share the privilege of bringing Christmas Day just that much closer, but it was always rewarding in the end.

I carry on this tradition with my own two children, and now, with my three grand-girls.  When I order the calendar for them, I'm reminded how difficult it is to share with one sibling let alone three.  Yet, I see it as an opportunity for them to learn about the importance of taking turns, and simply to be happy for the one more day counted down until Christmas.

In our most recent Face Time conversation with daughter, Sarah, and the girls, I ask if she will be taking the Advent calendar along to son-in-law, John's, parents home for a Christmas vacation visit.  It's then that I learn something I could never have imagined, something that could only have happened through God's amazing grace.

"I hadn't thought of doing that," Sarah says, "but I will, so the girls can keep opening the windows."

"How are they doing with taking turns?"  I ask.  "It was hard enough for Daniel and you, so I'm guessing it's even rougher on them."

"What do you mean, Mom?  They each have their own calendar.  I thought you planned it that way."

"What???  No, Sarah, I only ordered one.  I only paid for one.  How in the world did three get delivered?"

"I don't know, but they were, and the girls are enjoying them so much!"

Wow!  I'm floored by this news, to say the least.  Once again, God has made Himself manifest in the ordinary, the every day events that shape our lives and give us more awareness of His presence.  In His great wisdom, He decides to give my harried daughter a break from the sibling squabbles that could potentially erupt from having to share one calendar, and possibly taint the Christmas season with a negative atmosphere.  Father always knows best!

But I will never know the angel that interceded for me and literally "stuffed the stockings" for all of my granddaughters.  However, for this miraculous act in the mundane, I'm eternally grateful.  Virginia, Savannah and Alexandra are opening a new window on the love of God, through His Son, Jesus, each and every day, anticipating the celebration of the greatest gift this world has ever known.

Our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace has revealed Himself in life changing and unexpected ways to each of His beloved children.

May the miracle of Christmas fill your soul with joy, delight, love, and peace!

Amen!

31 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story. Thank you, Martha. Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas this year; full of joy, hope and trust in God. Trust ... we must always trust Him.

    God bless.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story, Victor! Yes, we must ever and always hope and trust in God. He never fails to come through!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. First, great story! I love hearing of those kinds of "miracles." Second, I confess of never having heard of an Advent calendar until well into my adult years. In fact, never even when we had our girls growing up. What a wonderful thing, though, for them learn the real story together. Even from a distance you are a good "gammie."

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    1. I try to be a good Gammie, Bill, that's for sure, but this long-distance stuff is for the birds. How I long to hug and hold each of these girls! I'm so thankful to God for this Advent miracle; He has made each girl very happy, indeed.
      Love and blessings!

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  3. This made me smile, friend! From one lonely grandma to another, Merry Christmas!

    ;-)

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    1. So glad this post brought a smile to your face, Linda! Merry Christmas to you, my friend!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. What a blessing! I'm so glad three were delivered and the girls are enjoying them. Merry Christmas!

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    1. It truly was a miracle on God's part, Martha.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Oh, I LOVE this photo! I remember the Advent calendar I enjoyed as a child. So cool that a Heavenly host stepped in to provide for all three girls. (Suppose Danny had anything to do with that slight of hand?)

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    1. Since I ordered the calendar on my Amazon account, there's no way Danny could have intervened on this one, Myra. I do believe an angel was my advocate here. So glad you loved the photo, too. Goes without saying that I treasure it myself. :)
      Love and blessings!

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  6. How precious is this Christmas miracle! A story you'll remember for years to come. May God's love and light continue to surround your lives each and every day.

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    1. Yes, Debra, I know I'll remember this for years to come. Such joy for all of us! May God's love and light surround you and yours always.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. Oh, I love that! God knew they needed three, and so He somehow intervened on their behalf! What a wonderful Christmas miracle! Wow...so now, what will you do next year? That's a good question! But in the meantime, just enjoy knowing God is blessing and taking care of your sweet grand-girls...and I know that is a comfort to you. Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas. I received your beautiful card today. Thank you so much!!

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    1. Oh, how I love how God worked in this, too, Pamela! Next year? I was thinking about getting the family a cloth Advent calendar so they could bring it out every Christmas, but after this experience, I may hold off on that and simply give each girl a calendar instead.
      So glad the card arrived! Whew! Mail has been so slow, and my last batch of cards just went out this morning as we waited for over two weeks for stamps to be delivered. And, I'm still waiting the arrival of one gift for Danny. This is such a stressful time, isn't it? Oh, well, if we focus on the reason for the season, none of this matters in the long run.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. Our God does work in mysterious ways! This is a great story to post as we are all centered on the miracles of Christmas! Thanks, Martha, and thanks for the card we received today! Merry Christmas!

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    1. Yes, Terri, may we never forget that our God can and does cause miracles to happen each and every day. I'm so glad your card arrived! As I mentioned to Pamela above, the mail has been terribly slow, and I can't count on it speeding up any time soon. Merry Christmas to you, too!
      Love and blessings!

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  9. I love it when God blesses us and we don't even realize the blessing until later. What wonderful surprises He gives. Thank you for sharing your CHRISTmas miracle with us Ms. Martha Jane. God's blessings ma'am; and Merry CHRISTmas to you, Mr. Danny, and your entire family.

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    1. Yes, aren't those blessings from God the absolute best, J. D.? His surprises are always gifts under our Christmas trees of expectation. Merry Christmas to you and Miss Diane!
      Love and blessings!

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  10. Oh, those girls! What a blessing to have their own calendars. I have never had one, I don't think you can buy 'm here, maybe online. We used to lit a candle each week of the Advent when I was little. Merry Christmas to you!

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    1. I know you can order Advent calendars at Amazon, Marja, because that's where I ordered for the girls. They are so much fun! We do have an Advent wreath and light the candles on the designated Sundays - so beautiful!
      Love and blessings!

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  11. God sees what we cannot. He is gracious and kind. Ive never in my yiuth had advent Calendars but havd in sulthood bought them fof others. I love how God reaches out that way to amaze us.
    This passage came to mind.
    1 Corinthians 1:27-29
    But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
    And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
    That no flesh should glory in his presence.
    He humbles us by His great grace.
    I am praying for such miracles, for truly it will tske a mueaclw fof the US and Trump for Jan 6th.
    Praying much for you all over there.
    Thanks for sharing, and may God bless and keep you and all whom you love safe and well.
    Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz. X

    {Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
    {Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

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  12. Sorry for typos. I comment on my mobile phone. Tiny screen. Happy Christmas dear Martha. Ill be posting on Christmas day.. lots of love,
    Shaz in Oz.x

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    1. No worries about the typos, Shaz - that certainly happens when we are trying to type on a phone screen, for sure! Thank you for sharing the scripture from 1 Corinthians as it fits perfectly here. And thanks a million for your continued prayers for this nation. I do believe God will reveal all the wickedness that has been done in this election and bring it into a glaring light for all to see. May His will be done!
      Love and blessings!

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  13. What a precious story! Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for the uplifting word.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story, Carol, and were uplifted by my words here. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
      Love and blessings!

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  14. I love this story, Martha! God is so good!

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  15. What a neat story and certainly brought a smile to each of our hearts. We have a wooden advent calendar for the kids that opens doors each day. The trouble with it is it is small and almost too small to hold three tiny gifts. I can fit in three pieces of candy or three quarters. I have learned though and they love this to put in a note like a scavenger hunt to go someplace in the house where their daily much larger in size surprise awaits. Love God's surprises too. Merry Christmas!!

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  16. Oh, my goodness! That is amazing! First the mail mix-up with the book the other day, and now three calenders were delivered instead of one! I think the angels are intercepting your mail for you! Such a neat, neat story and a true Christmas miracle. Thank you for sharing, sweet friend. Merry Christmas!

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  17. What a beautiful story of the miracle the Lord sent for the three girls! Now that is a story to be passed on for years to come! Such a beautiful season it was, celebrating our Lord, in the midst of such sorrow, pain and suffering in our world. Jesus is the only HOPE we have, so thankful for it. I pray your Christmas was blessed and special in every way, and that the blessings of the Lord will be rich and abundant in the coming year. Much love to you (and thank you for the lovely Christmas card!)

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  18. Martha, Advent calendars are interesting. I have a vague memory of having one when I was very young but didn't understand the concept all that well (and honestly, I don't think my mom did either). I've pondered getting a perpetual Advent calendar.

    Love and blessings!

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. . . Good Tidings of Great Joy . . .

  . . . Good tidings of great joy . . . ~Luke 2:10 Pictured above are my daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, John, and their three girls, Virginia,...