My Christmas Memory
34 Years ago ...
The orange room was a den-like room that was, well, orange. Bright orange walls, orange curtains, orange shag rug, and a blue-green couch. My parents were going through their psychedelic stage, I suppose.
The orange room is where I spent most of my time indoors. It is where the television was and where my mom folded clothes. It is also the room I prayed in as a four year old. My greatest prayer was the prayer for twins.
My mom was pregnant, which made me very happy.
“Do you want a brother or a sister?” people kept asking me.
My reply was always the same, “Brothers. I want twin brothers.”
People smiled and laughed.
I wasn’t worried. I was sure God would make it happen if I only asked. You see, my aunt had just given birth to twins—a boy and a girl. I thought the twins thing was kind of neat. I didn’t like the girl part, however, so I just put in my order for two brothers.
Every night I knelt in the corner of the orange room and prayed for twins. My parents were worried about my serious expectations.
They would tell me, “Mark, God knows what is best and sometimes doesn’t give us what we ask for.”
My mothers’ doctor told me, “Twins are rare. The possibility of your mom having twins are very small.”
The pastor told me. “You know, Mark, just because God doesn’t give us what we want doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us.”
“But I know He wants me to have twin brothers!” I would confidently say.
On Christmas Eve my mother went into labor. I waited with everyone in my family by the phone to find the results. When the phone rang, the room filled with electricity. My grandma handed me the phone, “Your dad wants to talk with you first.”
“What? She did? She did?” I started to scream at everyone in the house, “I got twin brothers!”
My grandma pulled the phone from my hand and chewed my dad out for teasing me. But then her mouth dropped open. It was true. My mother had given birth to two boys. They were sent home from the hospital in jumbo Christmas stockings. It couldn’t have been a better Christmas.
Everyone was surprised, but not me. I don’t know why I was so sure that God was going to give us twin boys. I’ve never felt that confident about anything like that since then—except for the things that God has specifically said in the Bible.
Confidence in God is a mark of faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” (Heb 11:1).
As we grow older, the world tries to teach us that nothing is for certain and that we can only believe what we see. That is not what God teaches! I cannot see Him, but I am certain He is there. I do not know what the future holds, but I am sure His love will provide when I am in need. I don’t know what my enemies may do, but I am confident of His protection.
Don’t be afraid to trust His words. Just like the twins proved my faith right, your faith in God will be justified when Christ returns.
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