Christmas Makes Way For Spring

Happy New Year Everyone! That is my hope for you all. That by the end of 2019 you will have many wonderful memories. For me, 2018 was packed full of beautiful memories: friends and family time; births and birthdays; weddings and holidays; my parents received an award for services to the community; my brother ran the hottest London Marathon on record; I finally watched England win a penalty shootout; a friend of mine lost a significant amount of weight and did his first park run; Oh, and I got engaged!!

In contrast to those things, I only really have three bad memories of 2018: I somehow picked up a deadly blood infection that nearly killed me; due to this aggressive bacteria I had to have open heart surgery; and I got a septic hip which will now need replacing way before the average hip replacement age.

Now granted, the three bad memories are rather spectacular, but still, only three. I’m not trying to play down how truly awful those three experiences and their consequences were and are. Rather highlight that even in the worst year of my life to date, the good memories far outweighed the bad.

What happened to me in 2018 was completely unexpected. Other than knowing it was a skin borne bacteria that got into my blood stream, we do not know how, or why it happened. The stark reality of it all is that I came very close to dying. Some of the worst moments I can remember as if they happened yesterday, while others just seem like some kind of bad dream. On one occasion, I can remember thinking to myself, I may not be here at Christmas and I love Christmas!

Well I am pleased to say that I am here, having just enjoyed the most wonderful Christmas time, one I will treasure above all others, at the start of a fresh, brand new year. The reason I love Christmas is that it prepares us for the year ahead. I believe that Jesus, the baby whose birth we remember, was God Himself, the creator of the known and unknown universe, maker of heaven and earth, and all things in between. Some say it’s a myth, while others describe it as a fairytale, but I believe He was who he said He was – Immanuel , which means God with us. 

At Christmas time, one of the most famous Bible readings in Churches all over the world, is from the book of Isaiah and reads:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

That reading is describing Jesus. It was written hundreds of years before He was born. It was declaring to the people of the time that hope was coming. That no matter how hard life was or how dark the world seemed. Despite all the pain and hurt and suffering. Jesus was coming to bring hope. I believe that Jesus is still offering that hope to all the world.

One of the names Isaiah gives Jesus is ‘Prince of Peace’ and elsewhere in the Bible, that peace is described as a peace that surpasses all understanding. Imagine that, a peace that is greater than any understanding. Last year that peace became more real to me than it’s ever been. It really was greater than any of the circumstances I found myself in. We’ll come back to this amazing peace in later posts.

2018 was an adventure for my family and me. Not all adventures are good. Some are amazing. Some are terrifying. Some make you want to keep your eyes open as wide as you can so you don’t miss anything. Some make you want to keep your eyes shut tight and hope that it comes to an end soon. Some are longer than others, but good or bad, all adventures come to an end. 

Here we are at the beginning of 2019. Perhaps for some of us, our adventures from 2018 are continuing. But remember, as this Christmas ends, it makes way for spring. And with spring, comes new life and new hope. I invite you to come with me on an adventurous journey. I’ll be using this blog to tell the story of my 2018 adventure. So feel free to come with me and invite others who you think it may help.

Bonus – As this is my very first post, I thought I’d sing you a song…