Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of
Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt
stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at
the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE,
BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us
all.
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Good News!
by Deb Kalmbach
The first Christmas card of the season arrived in my mailbox way back in August. How
could anyone be that organized? Then I noticed my friend, Nita, had sent me a card I had
written to her more than 20 years ago!
Memories rushed back as I read the words penned in my familiar handwriting. It was
Christmas, 1991, and my world had unraveled. I could almost pretend everything was all
right at this most wonderful time of the year—but not that year.
My husband Randy’s drinking problem had escalated to the point where his job and
career were on the line. He had already been through two alcohol treatment programs and
managed to stay sober for short periods of time. Then he slipped back into old, familiar
patterns. His ongoing relapses were a crushing disappointment for our family.
I had looked forward to Christmas Eve and our family traditions; making
homemade lasagna, singing carols around the piano, attending the candlelight
service at church, and then coming home to open one token Christmas Eve
present.
“Randy, are you ready to crank out the pasta?” I called to him over the Christmas music I
was playing to lift my spirits.
I peered into the living room to see what was keeping him. My heart froze. Randy sat on
the couch, trance-like, watching a basketball game while sipping a drink.
No, not on Christmas Eve, I screamed inwardly. I felt like I was suffocating. Usually
Randy pulled himself together but it didn’t happen that night. He drank vodka all evening
while I finished holiday preparations on autopilot. None of us felt like eating lasagna or
celebrating.
Only a few days earlier, I had written these words on the Christmas card to my friend,
Nita. I don’t know God’s plans, his timing or his ways in accomplishing his purposes, but
I am learning to trust him. He is faithful!
I suspect Nita kept my card all those years because she saw a small seed of faith and it
encouraged her heart. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be eight more Christmas
seasons before Randy experienced the miraculous breakthrough of finding freedom from
alcoholism.
As I read the card I had written so long ago, I felt awed by God’s faithfulness to us—
even when our situation looked completely hopeless.
You may be facing great difficulty as the holidays approach. The last thing you feel like
is celebrating. And that’s O.K. The Good News of Christmas isn’t about picture perfect
holidays where our homes are decorated a la Martha Stewart and tables are laden with
holiday delicacies. Your days may not be merry and bright. You may be grieving the loss
of a loved one or the loss of a relationship through divorce or estrangement. Your world
has unraveled.
That’s exactly why the message of Christmas is Good News. The Savior is born! The
One who came to set you free, to give you peace and hope and help beyond anything
you could ever imagine is as near as your next breath. Today you might not be able to
see how God’s purposes are unfolding for your future, but you can be assured that He
is working all things for good in your life. A twenty year-old Christmas card came on a
summer day as an unexpected gift and gentle reminder of God’s presence—especially in
the worst of times.
~~~
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A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day.
All you need to do to have a chance of winning is {FILL OUT THIS
QUICK ENTRY FORM}. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com) on
New Years Day!
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more
information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info
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