The First Noel

By Pam Farrel

Pam Farrel | Love-wise.com

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger. —Luke 2:9–12 (NIV)

Bill and I married on December 14, 1979, because that is when we had a school break

—and the church was already decorated for Christmas, so we saved money on décor! We drove to Lake Tahoe for a few days of honeymoon, and the night before our flight to Idaho for our second wedding reception with extended family, there was a blizzard! 

My dutiful husband dug our car out and put chains on the tires and we slowly and safely made our way to the Reno airport. When we arrived, we discovered our morning flight was now delayed. Usually this would not be an issue, but when we married, we were broke college students, and we only had $5 left to our name (and no credit cards). However, since our flight was delayed by several hours, we got back into our car and went to the 99-cent buffet and ate our fill (and tucked some rolls and butter and an apple or two into our pockets for later!).

After arriving back at the airport, the news was relayed that our flight would leave later in the afternoon, and hour by hour, it kept getting further delayed. The tired passengers morphed into those with a “Grinch” spirit. Bill and I noticed the children were especially bored, so we began to offer to play games and sing Christmas carols with the kids. 

Soon, like the “Pied Piper,” we had a throng of kids following us from gate to gate caroling all the way. 

The mood seemed to return to “merry and bright.” All the while we were entertaining the children, a little grey haired great-grandmother to one of the children was crocheting Christmas wreath ornaments, and she asked if we’d like to pass these out to the waiting passengers as we sang carols. When we finally boarded the flight, we had a few wreaths left and she urged us to keep the extra ornaments to decorate our own tree. 

Each year as my family decorates the tree, we sing “The First Noel” and add on those yarn wreaths. We remember it is a “choice to rejoice.” It also seems as we reflect on that first Christmas and our decision to “choose joy,” we can see why God placed this vital truth in our lives as a strong foundation for our future.

For example, this year, as Mother’s Day rolled around, we met my mother enroute to our youngest son and daughter-in-law’s to spend time with their little boy. As a family, we had prayed for five years that God might create a miracle baby for this precious family. We were all thrilled to play and spend time with this little guy. We arrived close to bedtime, gave hugs and kisses all around, and then we headed to bed. 

When Pain Meets Peace 

About four in the morning, I woke up in excruciating pain, worse than any I had ever experienced, even in childbirth! I tried to gut it out but as the sun rose, I literally yelled, “Bill, you have to get me to the hospital! Now!” Bill phoned our son to get the name and address for the closest medical care. As Bill input the address, the GPS said, “Turn right on Mercy Street,” and in pain, I screamed, “Because this girl needs God’s mercy!” 

We entered the ER, my groans got immediate attention, a battery of tests was given, and I received medicine to help alleviate the pain. The test results came back, I had an ovarian cyst, and it had twisted, causing the severe pain. They sent me by ambulance to the base hospital. My surgeon walked in and introduced himself. Bill, of course, replied by introducing us. Then our surgeon said, 

“Wait a minute … I know that name …” 

“Perhaps you have read one of our books or heard us on the radio,” Bill replied. 

“What are the titles of your books?” the doctor inquired. 

“We have written sixty, but our bestseller is Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti.”

“What? That’s you! I have that book! My wife and I have read it together! We went to a marriage conference and picked it up!” 

A Christmas Miracle 

At that moment, I knew my miracle-working God, the one the angels said would bring good news of great joy, the Holy babe that was called my Immanuel, “God with us” was WITH us! My heart was in complete peace, so when our surgeon told us, “You have ovarian cancer” I stayed in perfect peace because my Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Wonderful Counselor, and Prince of Peace is such a wise Sovereign King that He flew me across country, caused pain that could not be ignored so that the right doctor for me would be assigned to do my surgery and begin my cancer treatment.

With every visit, the doctor prayed for me, and I knew he was praying for Bill and me and our family as we faced the many days of chemo and other treatments that filled our calendar, all the way to this Christmas season.

From Christmas Ornaments to Divine Encounters 

In the twinkling of this year’s Christmas lights, as we recalled those ornaments from the airport 45 years ago, we rejoice that our Mighty God has crushed cancer and breathed new life into my body. My favorite photo of this season is Bill kissing my very bald head and I have a big, broad smile as I proclaim my own good news, “I don’t have hair, but I have hope and a very helpful, happy husband.” 

Reflecting On Joy: What ornament on your tree could you use to share your love story with your family this holiday season? 

To order a print copy of this issue go to https://leadinghearts.com/printmagazine 

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