Unwrapped by Jessamy Duncan

Excited faces, giggles of anticipation, twinkling lights, joyful tunes and perfectly wrapped packages. Sound familiar? As I look back at the memories of Christmas morning, it looks like something straight out of a Norman Rockwell scene – for about 10 minutes. Then, the chaos sets in. Those gifts you fussed over to get every corner taped perfectly in place, with hand-selected accents to perfectly top off the big beautiful bow, have suddenly turned into something that resembles the aftermath of Black Friday in a department store. THIS is real life!

Do you ever feel like Christmas morning and Sunday morning seem kind of the same? Excited faces, anticipation, twinkling lights, joyful tunes and everyone expecting us to be perfectly wrapped packages. What happens when chaos sets in?

I’ve experienced that chaos! There I was standing at the side of the ships railing, leaning on my husband, just reflecting over the past few months. Wow, how hard things had been! I had so many questions! My husband and I had counted down the days until some much-needed time together! This cruise was meant to be a time for us to reconnect after a very difficult year. Then, another blow! My husband received one last text before the ship pulled out of port. The text was the most dreadful thing you could ever want to read. “Don, she went home to be with Jesus this morning and we would like for you to speak at the funeral on Thursday.” Our dear, sweet friend was gone.

I was mad! “GOD, WHERE ARE YOU!?”

– My friend had been battling cancer. I had been taking her to treatment and believing with her for a good report. There had not been one. Can you hear me, God?

– A very close friend continued to face hard times in her marriage after many years of counseling. Was it going to get better? Was it going to change?

– My husband and I had worked so hard on our marriage. This cruise was supposed to be part of that building process and now this terrible news. Where are you, God?

I questioned everything around me and everything I believed in. I really just felt plain lost! I was tired of faking that everything in my life was together. I was tired of putting on a great performance Sunday and Wednesday, but barely making it through the rest of the week. I was tired of wrapping it all up in a nice, neat package.

I believe that we, as pastor’s wives, all face these times. We really can believe God for so much for other people, but for us and for the closest people in our lives, we can sometimes have such a hard time.

I believe He is Healer! I believe He is Restorer! I believe He has the best plan for my life, but do I believe it in the midst of MY own personal mess?

I want you to know that sometimes things don’t turn out the way we expected. Sometimes we have to simply fix our eyes on Jesus and walk through the mess and sometimes, it’s not pretty. In whatever chaos we face, God has given us the gift of these and many other promises in His Word:

2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT), “…if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.”

Isaiah 46:4-5 (NLT) I will be your God throughout your lifetime–until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

I believe the time has come to lay the pretty packaging aside and just be real with each other. That’s what I’ve done here with you. I’ve tried to unwrap my life and share the gifts God gave me to continue to see me through. The thing is, Christmas morning is no less beautiful once all those packages have been ripped to shreds. Really, the unwrapping is the whole point. The truth is – we would never discover the beautiful gift inside the package, if we never allowed it to be unwrapped.

About the Author:

Jessamy and Don Duncan are second generation pastors at Tree of Life, New Braunfels, TX. Serving as the Women’s Pastor, Jessamy and Don both have a heart for their community and a desire to reach people for Jesus through missions work in their region and around the world. They have two beautiful girls who serve alongside them in ministry. Jessamy and Don have been actively involved in the Significant Church Network, hosting and attending many XChanges and conferences. Learn more about Don and Jessamy Duncan at www.treeoflifechurch.org. Learn more about Don and Jessamy Duncan at www.treeoflifechurch.org.