O Come All Ye Faithful

by Faith Blum

  “Wait!” Emmie stared at the page. “Does... If I’m God’s child, does that make Him my father?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  A weight filled Emmie’s chest and she tapped Elana’s phone until it lit up and quickly tapped the end call button. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she grabbed her hotel key and rushed out the door. The phone rang as she hurried down the stairs and she ignored it. In the lobby, she looked around but didn’t see Elana. She forced herself to look more slowly. Elana sat at a corner table, staring out the window at the endless white.

  Emmie ignored everyone else in the lobby and dodged around the tables in the breakfast area, setting the phone down in front of Elana. “Your turn. I’ll be wandering the hotel when you finish. Don’t try to talk to me. I need time to process.”

  Elana’s forehead wrinkled. “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I just... I couldn’t do it. You talk to Carla. I kind of...hung up on her.”

  Elana’s eyes widened. “I’ll call her back. Take as long as you need.”

  10

  An hour later, Elana hung up the phone, peace still filling her from the inside out, a weight lifted off of her. She searched her phone for her mother’s phone number before remembering she didn’t have it anymore. Maybe Emmie had it, but first she would need to find her. What had scared her so badly? Carla had said it had something to do with God becoming Emmie’s father, but Elana didn’t understand how that could literally frighten Emmie so badly.

  She had to find her sister. Elana started in the hallway outside their room and made her way down floor by floor. Nothing. And she wasn’t in the lobby, either. The stairwells. She hadn’t checked all of them. On the stairs between the second and third floors, Emmie sat in the corner of one of the landings, hugging her knees against her chest.

  “Em? Are you okay?”

  Emmie nodded her head.

  “I don’t think you are. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I can tell you’re crying. Something’s wrong. And Carla told me what you were talking about before you hung up on her. I don’t understand why.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Elana lowered herself next to Emmie and put an arm around her shoulder. “Tell me.”

  “You were always the perfect one. You could do no wrong. Dad loved you because of that. He never saw any of the wrong you did. Unlike with me. He was forever criticizing everything I did no matter how well I did it. I tried so hard to be the perfect student, but Dad never loved me like he did you.”

  “And that is why you don’t want to see God as your father?”

  “Yes. Especially if you’re God’s child, too.”

  Elana pulled away from her sister. “I think God said something about that. Well, no, I know He did. In John 3:16, God says He loves the whole world. That doesn’t mean just those who try their hardest at being perfect, it means everyone. God won’t take sides like Dad did. He loves you in a way you can never understand. God loves you perfectly. No one else could do that.”

  Emmie lifted her head. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you remember what the verse said about us being God’s children?”

  “Not very well.”

  Elana closed her eyes and visualized the verse on the page. “‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.’ Think of it as being adopted into a new family. A family where God is the father and is the most perfect father you could ever imagine. That’s the right God is giving you if you’ll only receive Him and believe in His name.”

  Emmie straightened out her legs. “When you say it that way it doesn’t sound so bad. I need time to think about it, though.”

  “I’m in no hurry to go anywhere,” Elana said.

  Emmie rolled her eyes. “That’s because you can’t go anywhere.”

  Elana laughed. “Come on, let’s go up to the room. The animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is on soon.”

  “Are you saying I’m a grinch?”

  Elana fluttered her eyelashes. “Why would I do such a thing?”

  11

  Emmie laughed through her favorite Christmas movie just as she always did. She tried to put everything Elana had said behind her and in the back of her mind, but it kept pushing to the forefront until she finally let out a frustrated grunt.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s as convincing as always,” Elana said.

  “Sorry. Can I have Carla’s phone number?”

  “Sure. Do you want me to go out of the room?”

  “No. Do you need to use the bathroom anytime soon?”

  Elana raised an eyebrow. “No.”

  “I’ll be in there talking to Carla then.”

  “Okay.”

  Emmie retreated to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. She dialed the number Elana had texted her.

  “Hello?”

  “Carla, this is Emmie.”

  “Oh, hi! I was hoping we would be able to talk. I’m sorry if I said something to offend you.”

  “No, it wasn’t you,” Emmie said. “I’m sure Elana’s told you we had a difficult childhood.”

  “Yes, she did. Yours must have had something to do with your father.”

  “Yes.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “Elana said that God loves everyone perfectly, but does that mean He loves them equally, too?”

  “Yes.”

  Emmie ran a finger over her dry lips. “If I wanted to receive Christ, how do I do that exactly?”

  “It’s easy,” Carla said. “Tell God you have sinned and are sorry, that you believe in and trust that Jesus died for your sin and rose again. Then tell God you want to live for Him, His way, and with His help.”

  “That’s it? And if I did that, what do I do next?”

  “If you truly trust in Jesus, you will be His child. There are a couple verses I would ask you to look up afterwards. Do you have something to take notes on?”

  “Yes, hang on.” Emmie took the phone away from her ear and pulled up her notes app after putting the call on speaker. “Okay.”

  “Hebrews 13:5–­6. There are two promises in there for everyone who believes in God. And another one is First John 1:9, which tells you what to do when you sin, because you will. No matter how perfectly you try to live, even after becoming a Christian, you will sin, but God’s grace covers that, too. To grow as a Christian, there is an acronym you can try to remember. The G stands for ‘Go to church and/or Sunday school.’ The R is for ‘Reading God’s Word and praying every day.’ O is for ‘Obey God.’ God, the Holy Spirit, lives in you and gives you the power to help you do what is right. And lastly, the W is for ‘Witnessing to others.’ Tell them about what the Lord Jesus did for you.”

  Emmie didn’t say anything as she finished making notes of everything Carla said. “Thanks. I don’t make any promises.”

  “Of course not and I don’t expect you to. I don’t want to pressure you, but the Bible does give a warning. ‘Today is the day of salvation.’ Another way of saying that would be ‘Tomorrow may be too late.’”

  “Thank you. I think I’d heard that somewhere before. I’ll try to remember that. Do you mind if I call or text with other questions I might have?”

  “Go ahead. I turn my phone off at night, so if you have something come to mind in the middle of the night, feel free to text it to me and I’ll reply in the morning.”

  Emmie smiled. “Thanks. You’re a good friend to have adopted Elana’s dysfunctional sister, too.”

  “I’m happy to help in any way I can, even if I don’t know you in person.”

  “I appreciate it. I should let you get back to your family. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, too!”

  Emmie waited until she heard the click of Carla hanging up before shutting her own phone off. She set her phone next to her and let her arms sag betw
een her legs. “God,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do. Do I receive You and hope for the best or do I wait?”

  She waited for an answer and didn’t receive one. Not that she expected to. She knew enough about real life and Christianity to know that God didn’t talk audibly to people anymore.

  Emmie snatched up her phone and went to the app store. There had to be at least one free Bible app. She downloaded the first one that came up and tapped her foot impatiently while she watched the progress bar move closer and closer to the finish line. As soon as the “Open” button showed up, she clicked it and searched for Hebrews 13. She skimmed down to verses five and six.

  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

  So we say with confidence,

  “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

  “‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid,’” she muttered. With that kind of a promise, how could she not take God at His word, especially when paired with the first one, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

  She knelt on the cool tile floor and closed her eyes. “God, I need You. I know I’ve done a lot of things You don’t like and I don’t want to anymore. I believe You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me and then rise from the dead so that I can have eternal life. I want to live the way You want me to. I want You to be in charge of my life now. I need You to be in charge. I want to be able to say with confidence that You, O God, are my helper so I no longer need to be afraid. Thank You, God. Amen.”

  Emmie waited, but nothing happened. No lightning, no thunder bolts. Only confidence that she had done the right thing. A smile crept onto her face. She rose from the tiles and went out into the hotel room. She had one last thing to do.

  12

  Elana stood next to the window, staring at the blinding whiteness. Would it ever stop? She knew it would, but it seemed to be endless. The door lock clicked and Elana turned around to see her sister walking in. She still couldn’t believe Emmie was really here. That they had met in Sturgis, South Dakota, of all places. Of course, she now knew it had all been God’s doing. No one else could have orchestrated events this way.

  Emmie joined her by the window. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

  Elana laughed. “You’ve never liked snow.”

  Emmie shrugged. “No, but I can still appreciate its beauty. I like things clean and fresh. Snow is so clean and white. Until it’s walked on, anyway.”

  Elana took a deep breath. “You’re right. It is pretty.”

  “But we both wish it would be over.”

  Elana looked at her sister and saw a matching smile on her face. No words needed to be said in response.

  Emmie looked away. “I need to ask your forgiveness. I’ve spent the last five years hating you for ruining my life with Jonathan. Even as I came to realize that you actually saved me from a bad situation, I still hated you for not letting me decide that on my own. Please forgive me for losing touch with you and for hating you.”

  Elana draped her arm around Emmie’s shoulders. “I forgive you. Can you forgive me for my part in your breakup and for losing touch with you as well?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t be a good Christian if I didn’t. Not to mention it would be silly to ask your forgiveness and not extend it to you.”

  Elana’s heart skipped a beat. “You became a Christian, too?”

  Emmie nodded.

  Elana squealed and hugged her sister tightly. “What are the odds of us being physically born on the same day and then spiritually born the same day, too?”

  Emmie tentatively put her arms around Elana. “I have no idea. They can’t be high, though.”

  “I love you, sis.”

  Emmie pulled herself out of Elana’s tight embrace. “I love you, too.”

  “Oh! I didn’t have a chance to ask you earlier. Do you have Mom or Dad’s phone numbers?”

  Emmie bit her lip and pulled out her phone. “I don’t think so, but let me check. I do have Aunt Di’s, though, so we can always ask her.”

  They spent the rest of the day calling as many family members as they could find and wishing them a Merry Christmas Eve.

  As afternoon turned to evening, Elana glanced outside for the first time in a while. “Is it my imagination or is the snow slowing?”

  Emmie walked over to the window. “I can see lights in the building across the street. It’s not your imagination.” She turned around. “Do you think we might actually be able to finally leave?”

  Elana leaned back against the wall. “I hope so.”

  Emmie picked up the remote and turned the TV to the Weather Channel. They watched it until they were finally given an update on the blizzard. The snow had slowed enough for the snow plows to start moving through the state. It would be unsafe to drive until the morning, but the state officials predicted all those stranded across the area could leave in the morning to hopefully join their families.

  “Families,” Elana sighed. “Instead I’m visiting a friend.”

  “Next year,” Emmie said. “Next year, let’s make a point of going to visit our family.”

  Elana pursed her lips. “Why not this year?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Mom and Dad both live in Denver. It’s a bit of a drive and we probably wouldn’t make it until early evening, but if we carpooled, we could trade off driving.”

  Emmie stared at Elana and Elana quickly grew self-conscious. “What about our friends?”

  “I don’t think any of them will mind if we decide to visit family instead. I don’t know about you, but my friend would be fine with me visiting her for only a day or two.”

  Emmie blinked. “Mine, too. What about Dad and Mom? Do you think they’d be okay with unexpected guests?”

  “Do you think they wouldn’t be?”

  Emmie shrugged. “I guess if they get to see their estranged daughters, they won’t mind too much.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Elana squealed. “I’ll call Dad. Can you call Mom?”

  “Sure.”

  They each made their phone calls and regrouped half an hour later.

  “Dad said we’re welcome tomorrow or the day after,” Elana said.

  “Mom said they have plans tomorrow already that can’t include us, but that the twenty-sixth is open.”

  “Perfect! I got Dad’s address. Him and Stacy will have rooms ready for us. I told him I would text him if we decided to stay over there. Since Mom’s busy, I think we should.”

  “Agreed.”

  Elana sent the text. “Are you ready to do this?”

  “You mean make amends with Dad and Mom? Not really. But I know it’s the right thing to do, so I’m willing to do it. Whose car are we going to take?”

  “I don’t care. But I saw yours and it appears to be newer and in better shape than mine.”

  “Mine it is, then,” Emmie said. “We should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.”

  Epilogue

  December 27

  “I guess this is where we part ways,” Emmie said.

  Elana nodded. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “Me, too. Let’s talk on the phone soon.”

  “Yes, let’s. And we can text often as well.”

  Emmie put her arms around Elana. “Have a good time visiting your friends.”

  “You, too.”

  Emmie waved to Elana as she drove off toward Wyoming and her friends there. She pulled out her phone and pulled up a job search. She typed in psychology jobs in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. A few jobs came up and she took the time to apply to them all. She would wait to tell Elana until after she had an interview, but she knew she had a good chance at finding something in the area. All she had to do now was break the news to her boyfriend and see how interested he was in
her.

  She got in her car and drove toward Pierre to spend a quick visit to her friend there. This truly was a time for Peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

  “Thank You, God, for everything You have done here in this wonderful state. Your providence is amazing.”

  Silent Night

  The Christmas lights corded tightly around Jenna’s ankles and wrists. The crazy woman had even plugged them in, giving her body an absurd prettiness considering the situation.

  The gun-waving woman gave a slow, self-satisfied smile. “Oh, I must have been good this year. Santa has given me a lovely gift. Many of them, actually.”

  Jenna closed her eyes. “Santa isn’t real.”

  The woman glared at Jenna. “Of course he is. He’s always brought me either presents or coal. Every year, even when I have no one else around in the house. I was told by all the kids about those fairy tales of Santa not being real, but how does that explain how I always got a present even when neither of my parents had been in the house with me for weeks? Or as I got older and moved away and had no one living with me, I always ended up with presents under my tree.

  “Why are you decorating so late in the season, anyway?”

  Jenna’s eyes flew open at the question that came directly into her ear. “I... I recently moved out of my parents’ house and didn’t want to get anything unnecessary like decorations. I also thought Christmas would be at their house, but they decided to come here, so now I need to decorate.”

  “When are they arriving?”

  Was it a sin to lie under duress? She desperately wanted to so she could scare the woman away from her house. “Christmas Eve.” Jenna scolded herself inwardly, but then told herself she had to tell the truth, even now. All the while, she hoped and prayed her family would come two days early to surprise her.

  “Good. That gives us two days together. What shall we talk about?”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I want a friend. You look to be around my age and you are a woman. I thought we could become friends.”

  Jenna blinked. Was this woman serious? She had come in waving a gun, tied her up in Christmas lights, and now she wanted to become friends. “Have you ever had a friend?”