Looking Forward to Christmas Future

Thursday and yesterday, I shared with you the first two of my “A Christmas Carol” moments with you – Remembering Christmas Past (on #TBT), and Enjoying Christmas Present.  So now, here we are, Looking Forward to Christmas Future.

I was recently approached by an artist and her team who likes my blog (thanks guys!!) asking if I’d check out their website and see if I’d be willing to share.  Not only was I really impressed by her art (WOW!), I liked the writing prompt – to share photos of family memories at Christmas time.  I decided to take it a step further, and use one of her ornaments to inspire my writing each day of this set.

This is the Tin Rejoicing Star Ornament! 
This lovely bit hand-crafted brilliance is $38 and available here. 

It’s hard to know what Christmas future holds.  Right now, it’s lots of questions.  I could make assumptions, but I chose not to.  I know that what will be, will be.  And so, this star instead provided inspiration to look back, as I look forward.  Because there’s only One who knows what our Christmas Future looks like.  And He is the one for which the stars dance.

Which reminds me of that night, long ago, when a young teenage girl couldn’t have possibly fathomed what Christmas Future would look like.  She didn’t even know what Christmas was – because she was about to deliver the Reason for the Season.  She couldn’t have known that in 34 years, the Reason we celebrate would have already died, and risen, and ascended into Heaven.  She couldn’t have known all the things the next 33 years of her life would hold – or even that in the coming weeks she and her small babe would be visited by three astronomers who happened to notice a brand new star, dancing in the Heavens.  She couldn’t have known they would bring Him valuable gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Gifts for fit a King, but for one born in a stinky, sweaty, unsanitary stable with the pigs and goats watching.

The star had suddenly appeared, and these Wise Men knew it was special.  It was worth following.  It would lead them to the prophesied King.  No, Mary couldn’t have possibly known what was in store for her.  Nor could she have imagined that the One whom she delivered would deliver all of us in the way that He did, giving us the REASON for Christmas – Past, Present, and Future.

Only He knows what our Christmas future holds, and I know that whatever He has in store – be they happy or sad, He’ll be there to get us through them.  And THAT is why we have Christmas.

So dance, like this little star, and REJOICE!  For the babe that was born lived like us, died for us, and loves us.  He holds Christmas Past, Present, and Future.  REJOICE!