Some Assembly Required*

Life is full of asterisks!  You know, like the 'some assembly required' kind.  The kind that, if you're a dad with young kids like me, will keep you up all night on Christmas Eve, screw driver in one hand, 12 page blueprint in the other!  My family just finished doing a pre-Christmas, gift giving to my 2-year-old son and Becca, my wife, had not read the fine print.  It was supposed to be a breezy, 5 minute ceremony to get us in the Christmas spirit and turned into a 3o minute ordeal. And while I was happy to fulfill my fatherly duties, I couldn't help but be the slightest bit annoyed at the surprise of assembling a $30 plastic, two-story toy car garage.  At least they print the directions in big, kindergarten size letters!

There's always something we've not accounted for that springs up in life that makes things just a little bit harder, take a little bit longer.  It's those asterisk moments that we're not prepared for that catch us by surprise.  And every day seems to come with those moments built in to test us, to keep on our toes.  Most are miniscule, reminding us that we still have to live in an imperfect world.  Others are life-altering, like the story I heard today of a young couple on the brink of divorce or my friend who is reeling with the loss of a loved one.  But regardless of the significance of the circumstance, life does not always turn out like we thought it would.

Tonight as I stood over my architectural handiwork, I thought about how I so often allow the unexpected hick-ups to rob me of joy.  I had a choice, to embrace the moment and enjoy my son's excitement, or let that extra annoyance steal those moments away.  

Many of us will be celebrating Christmas these next few days.  And many of us will have an asterisk moment (or 20).  What will you do when the unexpected happens?  How will you respond?  Feel free to share how you responded by posting a comment!  We'd love to hear what you think! In the end, I hope to be reminded that it's the journey that matters, not the outcome.  Merry Christmas! ~ Jeremiah Jones