12/25/2025
Merry Christmas!! š š
Everyoneās thinking about packages this time of year! Big packages, bulky packages too big to wrap, colorful shiny packages that catch the eye, tiny packages (āthe best things come in small packagesā).
We order packages, wrap packages, give packages, receive packages, open packages, and even return some packages!
Thereās something a bit electric about packages during the holiday season. Maybe itās that unknown element. If Iām the giver of the package I wonderā
Will the person Iām giving it to, like it?
Will it fit?
Is it the right color, style, size, or flavor???
And if Iām the recipient of a package, I may be wonderingāwhoās it from? whatās inside?
But right now Iām thinking about a different kind of package. One that isnāt wrapped in glittery paper and tied with bows. Iām thinking of the packages we get every day in all kinds of ways, shapes and formsāGodās blessings!
Iām thinking of the beautiful family and wonderful friends Heās given me. Of health and strength and purposeful work. More than that, I think of JesusāHis birth, His boyhoodāso quiet, so simple that only a couple of verses in the Bible describe those early years.
I think of how He lived as a manāentire nights spent in prayer followed by days of unselfish service. I think of how He poured out His life for me, giving me forgiveness, grace, power to overcome, and even beyond thatāthe opportunity to live forever with Him! Those are real gifts!
But sometimes Godās gifts come in different packages than we expect. Sometimes they donāt look or feel like a package we even want!
I remember a time when we must have been going through some difficulty or trial, and as we sat down at the dinner table Nick thoughtfully said, āThe sweetest songs seem to come from adversityā.
Not far away we could all hear Nathanās pet turkey, Sarah, singing sweet cooing songs as she huddled inside a big crate. Sick or injured, she was just waiting patiently on her care-giver while singing.
How many times do we experience pain, suffering, lossāproblems and adversities that discourage and dishearten and stress us outāwe feel forgotten by God and confused.
How often, if we just patiently wait, we find that God is working in His own quiet way to turn those ācursesā from the enemy into gifts of āblessingsā from Him!
I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about. Stop and try to count the number of times in your life that youāve unexpectedly received heaven-sent packages in that way, and you'll find some real treasures.
~Nancy Meissner (aka Mom)
