A true Christmas miracle and the power of one word

As I write this blog I am in tears. My tears are over the loss of someone who has become very dear to our hearts that just passed away today, the day after Christmas. He lived a short life, but one of the most beautiful lives I have heard of or seen.


I have been touched by so many things that are happening in the lives of those who we know and love lately. There seems to be a lot of hardships that we have heard about, but since their stories are not mine to share I won’t go into details. However, the life of this little three year old boy touched me so much that I wanted to share his story with others who may be inspired by him as I have been.  His mother gave me permission to share his story because she wants the miracle of his life to be an encouragement to others.

This little man, Jameson Carrigan, was admitted to the hospital about four months ago to take care of a hernia.  In the process they diagnosed him with lymphangiomatosis and for the next four months he would go through a battery of medical procedures, tests and trials all in an attempt to make him better. There is a link to his caring bridge below.  I’d encourage those of you in my life who have gone through recent trials big or small to be encouraged by what I believe are God inspired journals that these parents have written. You can read them at:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/jamesoncarrigan/journal/2tly to check out which is:

The most beautiful part of this story was the love that his parents and family had for him and for God, and the way they viewed this entire process. They did not blame God, they did not hold It against him, but rather, in one of her last journal entries before Jameson passed, his mother Meghan shared

“We are still praying that God will heal him miraculously on this earth and we are still treating him and hoping he is able to muster the strength to come back to us.  My God is good all of the time and I am so thankful and honored that he chose us to have Jameson.  I don't blame Him for wanting him back so soon; my son is the best gift ever given.  Thank you for your prayers and support; we need it now more than ever.  Love, Meghan

What more can someone say other than what an attitude of gratefulness, what a heart filled with thanksgiving. What a way to celebrate a life and to leave a great legacy on this earth until they join their son one day in heaven. I am in awe through every journal she has written by the love, the positivity, the faith and the hope that this family has. It gives me a renewed perspective on everything in my life and the lives of those around me. It makes me want to be stronger and more grateful in every detail of my life.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the impact of this one simple word on any and every thing we encounter in our lives and that is: attitude. The way we see the world, glass half empty or half full, God’s provision or God’s negligence towards us, all affect the way we live every experience we will encounter, day in or day out. Attitude affects the way we feel physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. It affects our health. If we chose not see the world with eyes of faith or hope we have stress that simply sits in our spirit causing anything from sleepless nights or ulcers. Many people point to their circumstances as an indicator of how they feel or even as an excuse not to move forward in life, yet I completely and one hundred percent disagree with that theory. Do not get me wrong- circumstances bring forth all types of emotions  They bring forth happiness, sadness, stress, grief, love, excitement and every other feeling under the sun. These ranges of emotions are all healthy, we all have to experience them, and we all have to accept that not every day is going to be an easy road. That’s just the nature of life.  I believe, however, that there is something far greater than circumstances that affect our day to day life and that is summed up in the word:

Attitude
By Dr Charles Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my own attitude, and how it affects me, my family, my health, and those I come into contact with daily. I’ve been thinking a lot about it as we get closer to the launch of Northstar Community Church. I could look forward with eyes of fear, stress and worry. I could see all there is to be done and what I would like to have done better. I could go so far as to worry about what we will do if things don’t work out for the church, I can play this game until I find myself and my family not knowing what to do, worried about our future or how we’d bounce back. With one stream of thinking I can paint a horrible picture, full of bad things, trials and struggles. If I hold onto that attitude and fear the uncertain strongly enough, the worse might just come to pass.

OR….I can see the future with eyes of faith as it talks about in the Word. I can see our family life growing stronger, healthier and more vibrant by the day. I can see me and my husband ministering and living our dream and calling together in a unique and inspiring way.  I can see my son growing up and making life-long friends in this new church, having a common heritage and stories to share with kiddos like Hannah, Emmery and Jude. I can see an entire community that is changed by God simply because a small group of people went forward with expectation and belief that HE is more than able to build his Church. If I hold onto that thought for long enough, it just may come to pass. If I have faith to believe the scriptures in my Bible, and hold on to them without letting go, I may see far greater things than I can come up with in this blog come to pass.

See the power in that-just thirty seconds stuck in either stream of thought and my life looks completely different. My feelings are totally altered. My faith is either inspired or extinguished. My family is encouraged or discouraged. My marriage is built up or torn down. My future is bright or dim. My heritage is fruitless or powerful. It all starts with one word-ATTITUDE.