I love Christmas. I have always loved Christmas. It’s not just the music, the lights, the festivities of it, though I do love them as well. It is not just the tale of the Nativity though who could not be captivated by the tale of the couple making their way slowly on a long and uncomfortable journey with a very pregnant woman who ended up giving birth in a stable because there was no room for them in the Inn.
Dreaming
Dreaming is an important part of marriage. When we seek to marry, we look for the man or the woman of our dreams. When we marry, we are looking for the life of our dreams whether it’s a white picket fence, a beautiful house in the country or a nice apartment with our spouse. Too often though, like a couple trudging along, we are disappointed by the fact that we have to stay in a stable instead of the Inn. What dreams can come true in a stable?
Where You Are
A friend of mine is intensely disappointed in her life. That disappointment colors everything she does and every decision she makes. She’s disappointed because she is not living the life she dreamed of. She does not have what she expected to have and she blames life, the universe and everything. The problem is, when you do that – you don’t embrace what you do have. You don’t see the gold amidst the dross and it diminishes your ability to love what exists.
My husband and I have had some brilliant times. We have had some terrible times. We’ve been pretty wealthy. We’ve been pretty poor. We’ve had more money than we knew what to do with and we’ve scrounged for the money to pay the bills. Yet, in the midst of all that – nothing compares with the fact that we are together, that we have a beautiful child and that we’ve found ways to take pleasure in the little things of each and every day.
Rediscover Your Dreams
If where you are and what you dreamed is not the same thing, consider for a moment that you either need to dream new dreams or rediscover the beauty of your surroundings. So don’t spend tonight or tomorrow cataloging all the things you don’t have or dreams you are disappointed in – look at what you do have and cradle it close to you with love and appreciation. Part of dreaming is looking beyond what is for what it is and looking beyond that to what can be – but don’t look with envy or regret – look with determination and with hope. It’s amazing how easy it is to rediscover your dreams when you throw hope into the mix. I’m sure once that little baby was placed into her arms, Mary wasn’t thinking about being inside the Inn or resenting her circumstances, she was probably just loving that little baby in her arms and being profoundly grateful that he was alive and well.
Why can’t we just do the same?
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