To You

“Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

Today, we drove up to Kings Park to see Michael.  We brought his sister Sarah with us and on the way we got to catch up.  We learned that Michael’s been doing well for these past two weeks and we were so happy to hear this news.

When we arrived at the Rehab, we walked in to Michael’s room to spend some time with him before his afternoon therapies.  Michael was sitting in his wheelchair when we got there and looked very handsome in a warm brown flannel.  Sally suggested taking a quick walk outdoors which we did.  She put a hat on Michael and covered him with a warm blanket that was full of pictures of his family and we were off.

We didn’t stay out too long.  It was a bit chilly, but it was nice to get out and enjoy a little fresh air.  When we returned to Michael’s room, we gave him some gifts that we got from some friends in our community.  The first was a beautiful canvas of a picture taken by our friend Steven.  It’s been one of Sally’s favorites.  I had one of Michael’s high school friends named Ally reach out to me awhile back.  She shared that her family owned a printing company and that they wanted to make up a print for Sally of this picture.

It turned out absolutely beautiful.  Sally was so happy with it and was excited to put it up on Michael’s wall right away.  When she showed it to Michael, he really seemed to enjoy it as well.

We also brought up a gift from another family in our community.  Their sweet boys go to Hangtime and their mom Arlene contacted me to see if there was anything they could do for Michael for Christmas.

I mentioned that he was in need of some warm flannel shirts for the winter and so she and her family picked out three just for Michael.  It was so very kind of them.  Sarah held them up so Michael could see them and we all agreed that they were perfect for Michael and reflected his clothing tastes well.

They also included this beautiful Nativity snow globe.  Sarah wound it up and shook it so that Michael could see the beautiful snow and hear the sweet melody of “Away in a Manger.”  It was a beautiful Nativity and the perfect reminder about how God knew that the world was in need of a Savior.  There was hurt and hardships and sadness and discouragement.  But hope came to us in the form of a baby, who would grow to be our Savior.

And that same night, out in a field to normal, everyday average shepherds, an angel announced Jesus’ birth with the words,

“Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

And for me, for today and for this year, these words tied everything together perfectly.

Do NOT be afraid– The fear and worry that I’ve felt this year, for Michael and all that he’s been through has been overwhelming at times.  But it’s an amazing thing that the words and idea of not being afraid are mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible.  We might live in a scary world, but we never have to be afraid, because God is with us.

I bring you Good News– I remember the first days of sitting at the hospital, waiting for any news of how Michael was doing.  Some was good, but a lot of it was just really tough.  It was those times of good news though, that brought such beautiful hope.  And hope is a powerful thing in any hardship or difficulty.  It’s a change of perspective and again, Jesus’ birth brought good news and hope to a world that was in desperate need for both.

A Savior has been born to you– We all need a Savior.  And as I’ve shared before, Michael knew and loved Jesus as his personal Savior. Michael believed in Jesus and he accepted His free gift of Salvation.  And I know that no matter what happens, that Jesus is with Michael and He will continue to help him and to work on his behalf.

If you’re reading this, know that this Christmas, no matter what you are going through, you can have peace and joy and hope in knowing that Jesus loves you and that He came to earth to be born for you.  I share these words because they are powerful and they are true.  This has been a long and hard and difficult and significant year for Michael Einfeldt and his family.  But through it all, they continue to persevere with hope for Michael and his recovery.  Please continue to keep them all in your prayers.

And if you’re local, this is just a reminder that on Saturday, December 24th which is also Christmas Eve, there will be a Breakfast Fundraiser for the Einfeldts at Applebees in Patchogue from 8:00am-10:00am.  I can’t think of a more beautiful way to start the celebration of Christmas than by helping and loving this incredible family.  Ellee and I will be there with Michael’s friends and family and we hope that you can come too!

*IF you have any questions about the Breakfast you can contact Sam at 631-687-5423.