A Different Kind of Christmas

I've been thinking all day about how to write this post.

It's been a hard day.

And I want to be sure to come across genuine and authentic in my thoughts to you.

Because I'm three weeks away from delivering our baby girl, we decided it was best to stay in Detroit for Christmas.

My family had already made nonrefundable plans to vacation in Florida.

So, we are alone.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

At first, I was ok with the thought of it.

After all, I have my own family now.

Mr. Bug, Little Bug, me, and soon to be Lady Bug.

And I didn't think it would bother me to be away from family this year.

But it's hard.

And I realize MANY of you are also going through interesting/different Christmases of your own.
Many MUCH harder than my own.

Some have loved ones deployed overseas with our military.

Some of you may be celebrating the first Christmas after a death of a dear one.

Some of you may be stranded in airports.

Or sitting beside someone you love in a hospital.

Not all Christmases happen the way we envision them in our minds, huh?

This new video by Matthew West really touched me this year.

Not only because the little boy, Dax, is from my hometown, but because it's reminding me that Christmas is not about me.

Christmas has nothing to do with me.
My desires.
My dreams.
My expectations.
My plans.

It has everything to do with Jesus.
HIS desires.
HIS dreams.
HIS expectations.
and HIS plans.

It is in His plan for me to love others above myself.
And to GIVE more than expect.
To GIVE like He has GIVEN to me.

Little Bug watches a VeggieTales Christmas DVD that has a song called "Give This Christmas Away" at the end.
And it got me thinking.
This Christmas is not going the way I planned.
Christmas did not go the way the Locke family hoped, either.
But we can look beyond that.
Beyond the failed expectations.
Beyond the messed up plans.
Beyond the sadness.
And focus on loving others.
Focus on giving this Christmas away!

So, instead of moping around the house that we are not with our extended family this year, we decided to give our Christmas away.
We have invited two Iraqi refugee families to join us for Christmas dinner.
One of those families has only been in America for 3 weeks.
I'm nervous but excited to focus on serving and loving others tomorrow.

Merry Christmas.
From my family, to yours.