I sit near the stage as the band practices for the big event. We have talked about this night all month, and the relationships of those that fill this room have become more significant by the day.
“O’ Come let us adore him” is sung amongst guitars, pianos, and percussion. On the side of the stage sits a tree we decorated in my first hours here. A single tree approximately 5 feet tall decorated with an assortment of plum and gold ornaments. Hanging from the ceiling are two pieces of garland wrapped in ribbon and decorated with pinecones (my personal touch), ornaments and bells.
In hours this room will be filled with women and children of all ages in Punjabi suites and saris. Men and boys will be dressed to the nines, and we will greet each person in the room praising the day and the birth of our Savior. Some will greet us with hugs, as we have become part of their family over these past weeks.
Last Christmas Eve I sat in my grandma’s living room surrounded by smells of grandma’s fresh baked cookies and peppermint. An antique porcelain lamp dispersed light across the wood floors creating warmth separated from the blue of the moonlit snowy world outside by a pan of glass windows stretching from floor to ceiling.. My mind was filled with the possibilities of the journey ahead. I had just been accepted to the World Race three days prior, and while much of my family was still unaware of this new step in my life, I was overflowing with joy at the prospects of the journey ahead!
God has been prepping me for this night for a year, and yet, I could never be prepared. So much has changed. My family has grown by hundreds. I have 48 new sisters and brothers. I have two nephews (one honorary). God has spent this whole year teaching me about his love, but I am still learning. He is opening my heart to the complexities of how he shares his love, and to the simplicities of how we can share his love. I wake up each morning overjoyed by his blessing and provision in this year, and in the truth, that this is not the best year of my life. It is the preparation for each year ahead. For learning to truly give him everything, with no restrictions.
We begin to set up the sanctuary with white plastic chairs in preparation for a large crowd this holiday season. In no time the church will come together, in a nation that understands persecution, to share in the joy of our father and the love he shared through the birth of his son. There will be believers, unbelievers, and children praying desperately for their parents to understand the heart of Christ.
God has taken me from the living room of my grandparent’s home in the suburbs of America to an upper room sanctuary in a small city in Malaysia. Each moment, and every moment in-between, was created for the same purpose, to bring glory to the Son of God who is preparing us each day to trust in his provision outside of our understanding!
On the anniversary (off by a few months) of our savior, can you see how he has prepared you for the exact moment you are living right now?
