CHRISTMAS DAY

What a day? I can't believe it is Christmas already. We are without a `base', so we have travelled to Sydney to spend Christmas with Aaron & Emily (our son and new daughter in law), and her family.

The trip has gone really well, except for one little nitch - we blew 2 tyres on the caravan. The first - at Raymond Terrace - was easy to fix; but the other, on the highway coming into to Sydney was not so easy. Not only was the tyre a mess, but as it was Christmas Eve, communication was not as good - the NRMA got a little confused, and we sat by the side of the road, with the 2 dogs for 3 hours.

Funny enough, Mark didn't get as stressed as I thought, as he TRUSTED the NRMA. Our prayers weren't answered as early as we thought, but they were answered.

Then something really funny - well, I think it was, and it reminded me so much of our Christian life. Mark has this great little machine, called a GPS, and he usually takes real notice of it - he trusts it with his life; a little like I do with my Bible. But when we got into Sydney, the GPS took us a different way than we'd gone before. Well, was Mark confused - do I follow the GPS or go my own way. Fortunately, he decided to follow the GPS, because as much as I love my husband, in this case, I think if we'd gone his way, we would have got lost.

Seriously - as Christians we have made a decision to TRUST THE LORD and HIS WORD. I guess because I've been doing it longer it is easier for me; but sometimes we still want to do things our OWN WAY. I am trying to help Mark see that he has made this decision to follow Christ, and He can trust Him with every detail of His life - `cause' ultimately, HE DOES CARE.

"Am I a God near at hand", says the Lord, "and not a God afar off".
JEREMIAH 23:23

"Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid.... and don't be frightened,
because the Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave
you or forget you." DEUTERONOMY 31:6

"Where can I flee from Your Presence? If I take the wings of the
morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there
Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me."
PSALM 139:7-9