This past Saturday I had the pleasure of going to Glenkirk's Women's Christmas Celebration Breakfast and hearing Jana Alayra speak and sing. I have heard her several times before, but I am never disappointed in hearing her again. She is funny and warm, and she has a fabulous voice. She can have the room laughing one minute and crying the next. Jana has incredible faith, even though she has gone through what most of us would consider our worst nightmare.
Jana was in a car accident many years ago on her way to sing at a church. In the blink of an eye her four year old daughter was killed. Jana recounts that when she was on her knees at the accident scene crying out to God to save her baby, she looked over at her daughter, who was being worked on by the paramedics, and knew that her nightmare was reality and that her daughter was not coming back. At that moment she told God, "You better be all that you claim you are, or I will not be able to make it!"
Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze, for I am the Lord your God. Isa. 43:2,3.
God was all that He claimed He was, and Jana has the faith to prove it. She says that God was with her and her family in ways that are unimaginable. God provided direction and peace like she had never known before. She says, "I would not wish this tragedy on anyone, yet the gifts that God gave me in my midst of my grief has brought me closer to Him."
Sometimes it is hard to imagine that there is a gift in the middle of our most painful times of life. We wonder what possible good could come out of our pain and loss. A broken marriage, a lost job, or illness doesn't seem like a gift. Yet, if we give God a chance to work in these devastating circumstances, He will give purpose and understanding to our trial. When we are walking with God as our guide, he can take what is broken and painful and make it well with our soul. He is the only God that promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. God has never broken a promise.
Most of us are in a frenzy this time of year about gifts and what to buy for our loved ones. God has the perfect gift for any occasion. He sent His very own son down to earth for us all. Jesus is the perfect gift. A baby wrapped in cloth and laying in a manger. God could have lit up the sky with shooting stars, but He lit up one big star and the angels sang with joy. That tiny baby grew to be our greatest gift. Salvation and hope for tomorrow. Jesus lived a life full of joy, pain, and sorrow. He experienced it all and knows how we feel in our darkest moments. He says, "Come all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
I could write for hours on how God has taken care of the smallest details of my illness and the great gifts He has given my family. God knew we would have to walk this hard road, but He provided for us in advance, and continues to work through my cancer today. I would never wish this on anyone, yet I would never give it up because God has gifted me in so many ways.
In our darkest moments we can find rest. He turns our mourning into dancing again. He lifts our sorrow and makes our crooked paths straight. All we need to do is call on Him and rest on His promises. There is no limit in what God can do! Unwrap His gift to you this Christmas season. A relationship with God's son, Jesus, is the greatest gift.
Love,
Sandy
