Calm In The Storm
As is true with probably everyone, I have had to face some storms in my life ... a sudden, unexpected and unwanted move, and the death of husband, mother and father ... to name a few. In December of 1988, I learned a valuable lesson that was life-changing for me, one which would become the impetus for the most dramatic life-change to follow shortly after.
It was just before Christmas, and I worked in the Business Office of a church in a small town in the suburban Houston area. The church had collected food and Christmas gifts for some families in the area that would have a meager Christmas without the generosity of Christian families whose lives had been more prosperous. Bags had been picked-up and delivered throughout the day, and as 5 PM neared I noticed one set of bags left behind. As I prepared to leave for the day, anxious to get home to my own family and our festive holiday spirits, I looked at the delivery address and realized it would not be too far out of the way for me to drop it off.
It had been cold and very windy all day, and as I drove through this unfamiliar neighborhood, I noticed tree branches and lawn ornaments had been blown about by the gusty winds. I approached the small frame house with some trepidation; I was feeling uncomfortable about my surroundings and not sure what I would find there. As I parked in the driveway, I noticed an old, worn down nativity set in the front yard. It had been put out for many years, I suppose, and looked past-due to be discarded. But what really caught my attention was this: all the pieces to the nativity ... Mary, Joseph, shepherd and sheep ... had been blown down and scattered around the yard, all pieces except for the manger crib holding the infant child. This was the smallest piece of the set, yet it was the only one to remain untouched by the storm all around it.
As I looked at the scene before me, my thoughts turned to the family inside. What storms had battered this family in recent years? Was it illness? Uncertainty? Certainly, economic setbacks had visited this family, or I wouldn't be here now. I looked back at the manger; amidst all the turmoil and turbulence around it, the manger and the Christ Child sleeping within remained safe and secure, strong enough to withstand any storm cast upon it. What about the family within the small, almost shanty of a house? Could they withstand the storms battering their lives? Did they have the only source of strength strong enough to calm all the storms in life? Did they know Jesus?
This was a turning point in my life. In that moment I realized that although I knew about Jesus, I didn't really "know" Jesus. What I did know was that I now desperately wanted the peace in my life that I saw in that simple manger, standing strong and safe.
I handed the surprised family the gifts and food that brought me to them that day, and they were received with gasps of joy and tears of thanks. We hugged and cried together, and exchanged holiday good wishes. I wanted to ask them if they were "believers", but the opened Bible and the rosary on the table told me what I was unsure how to ask.
Every holiday season as I prepare for my own celebration of the birth of the holy infant, I remember that cold day in December of 1988 when I faced the Savior I would soon claim for myself. My life was changed that year. Even though I have faced several storms in my life since then, they have all been weathered with the help of the peace and joy and strength of my new-found faith, born in a tiny manger.
© 1999
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