Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel

It's Christmas morning and, frankly, I'm (Allison) in a bad mood. My manageable cold that appeared 9 days ago has morphed into something that makes me feel miserable. My husband is sick as well, so we missed Christmas Eve service, which we both were so disappointed to miss. I haven't even finished wrapping presents because, well, I don't even have the energy to do so. What compounds this misery is that I also was sick at Thanksgiving. Both times I served or am serving as host. God's also revealing some other disappointment that's played into my attitude as of late.

So I went to God about it, realizing this should be a joyous day for all believers like me -- God sent his son in the form of a baby -- this son who would later die for my sins. So how do I reconcile my desire to be joyful at this religious holiday with my expectations for the day itself -- like health and good time with family?

The good news about today is that Emmanuel -- this God with us -- is coming back. We are not left here to illness and frustration and unmet desire. If your Christmas doesn't look like you wanted it to remember that when Jesus does come back there will be no more disappointment, frustration or let downs. This is temporary. And when we celebrate Jesus in heaven -- wow -- that will be one party that won't compare to anything on Earth. So today I'm singing, "Oh come, oh come Emmanuel."