Marilyn's Mussings

I was reading about Hannah this morning in First Samuel. After years of not being able to conceive, Hannah promised the LORD that if He would give her a son, she would give that son back to Him. God did indeed give Hannah and Elkanah a son whom they named Samuel. When Samuel was three years old, Hannah took him to the temple to live with Eli. She gave him back to the LORD. As a young adult, I prayed that I would have the faith of Hannah. As a mother, I was amazed at Hannah's faith. I found myself giving my children back to God over and over again. Maybe Hannah did that too in those first fleeting years. But maybe, through her inability to conceive, she learned early the profound truth that mothers struggle to hold. Our children are not ours at all, and they never have been. They are His. When a sweet baby is born, the professionals tell us that the baby doesn't quite know where he stops and mom begins. The bond that the new mother has with her baby makes that distinction fuzz...

This Christmas was different for me. . . for a lot of reasons . . . some I understand, some I suppose I never will. But I love the Christmas season usually. I love the atmosphere. I love the anticipation. I love the weather. I love the idea of people looking for the very best gift for someone they love. I love being in the crowds and busyness. And I love the focus on Christ. I love that the whole world celebrates Jesus! This year was different. Somehow, December took on a life of its own and just drug me along. I didn't get my Christmas music out. I didn't get my Christmas cards out. I didn't stand in the crowds and breath in the atmosphere. I didn't get to tell anyone the Christmas story. Something was off. Christmas just kind of came and went before I knew what happened. I guess the first Christmas kind of came and went before most people knew what happened. The birth of Jesus was not dependent on who was ready or who knew what was happening. There was no vote, no...