Christmas panic anyone?

Friday morning I felt the panic rising. 8 days 'till Christmas...I don't feel well, my children will be home from college soon AND I haven't been able to drive since a mid-November surgery on my RIGHT foot! In addition, because I haven't driven in 6 weeks, I realized recently that I had no idea where my car keys were (car keys with a very expensive key fob on the ring!). What's a girl to do?

Well first, practice what I preach, right? Advent is about "adoring Jesus" just like I adorn my tree. Advent is "seeing and savoring" Jesus, Whose first coming I celebrate and Whose second coming I anticipate. Advent is a way of lengthening the joy of Christmas, something too stupendous to celebrate on just one day.

And second, see the mercies of God in my life and use them to squelch the panic that threatens to steal my joy. For example...

• My spouse is daily "running interference" for me; meeting my emotional and physical needs in unexpected ways.
• My sister, 3000 miles away, did something SO special for me this week that it literally brought me to tears.
• Even though my outings are few and far between these days due to my continued illness and now, my foot, I was able to help a friend plan and prepare to celebrate a mutual friend's birthday.
• I have a place in my basement to wrap gifts on a "higher than normal" table which helps my back as well as keeps me off my foot and hides me from the stinkers in my home trying to get a glimpse of what's going under the tree.
• And finally, after praying God's Word back to him with regards to my lost car keys, they were found when the dead "TILE" attached to my key ring miraculously turned on for a short time showing me they were some 40 miles away in the passenger side door of a friend's car; a car whose passenger side door had NOT been opened in over six weeks otherwise the keys would have fallen out! 

(And by the way, here's the verse I prayed back to God: And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15). The key in these verses is that our request must please the Lord and be according to his will for us. When these two purposes align, we'll get what we asked him for. Remember, it might not have been "his will" to show me where my keys were...he may have wanted me to get new keys for purposes that only he would know...and because I trust him, I'd be fine with that. Get it?)

These and many other mercies from God have helped me to type this blog post right now with peace in my soul and joy in my heart...for real. Christmas "stuff" still needs to be done but I can press forward embracing Advent afresh and looking forward to christmas morning once again.