Sweet Beginnings by Stacey Weeks

Life holds many sweet beginnings, but none quite as precious as when I first held my children. Our journey toward parenthood was not the typical path. Our stick never turned blue. We never saw two lines appear. We never bought maternity clothes or made a birth plan. Things we assumed would be ours were not. Instead, life redirected us, and we found ourselves at the beginning of an unexpected journey.

Mary and Joseph’s Unexpected Beginning.

Mine is not the only life that has taken a surprising turn. The Bible is full of people like me who had to shift gears and re-evaluate when their circumstances unfolded in unexpected ways. Jesus’s earthly mother had been anticipating her life with Joseph until an angel appeared. Then, confusion and fear replaced Mary’s dreams.

While betrothed to Mary, Joseph was likely busy building a room onto his father’s house, eagerly anticipating the day he could bring his love home. Now, he planned to leave Mary and quietly end their engagement. What appeared to be a great betrayal devastated his dreams for their future. Mary was pregnant while engaged to him.

But however impossible it must have seemed, God was with Mary and Joseph. Joseph listened to the Lord and wed Mary. She gave birth to Jesus and named Him Emmanuel, which means God with us. This wasn’t what they expected, but God’s perfect plan was unfolding in their lives. They began life together, understanding their story was about so much more than them.

The Story Begins and Ends with God

My husband and I thought the beginning of our family’s story was when we travelled to China and met our daughter and later when we met our sons in a local government building. We thought this was our once upon a time that led to happily ever after. But the story is so much bigger than us.

It’s tempting to believe that God begins penning chapter one, a sweet beginning in a new book in the series of our lives, on the day we repent of our sins and turn to him. But maybe God does not begin chapter one of a new book that casts us as the main character, but instead, perhaps he adds a new chapter to an old book, an ancient book that God began writing long before we ever lived a single day that casts Him as the main character.

This story began before there was time. This is God’s story; somewhere along the line, He wove a thread of humanity into it. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit wrote us into His story. We have roles—and they are roles that matter—but it’s not about us. It doesn’t start with us. It will not end with us. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Revelation 22:13, “I (Jesus) am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The story starts and ends with God.

A Christmas Story

So, this Christmas, as you remember the narrative of Jesus’s birth and consider the story God has written for your life, remember this isn’t a cliff-hanger, although it might begin with some nail-biting scenes. It’s not a tragedy, although it might contain tragic moments. We are not left wondering how this sweet beginning will end because we have the book and can turn to the last page.

We can read of the certain victory secured by God for those who believe in Jesus. Faith in Christ is the sweetest beginning, and it ends in certain triumph, with a victory won on our behalf and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

My children’s story and my story connected at their adoption, but it started long before that and has, we praise the Lord, included them turning to Jesus by faith. Mary and Joseph’s story began much differently than they expected, but because of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, they, like us, can be adopted into the family of God.

However rough the beginning of your story reads, however unexpected and challenging the journey proves to be, your story can also end with a happily ever after that lasts for all eternity.

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I’m celebrating this season of sweet beginnings by putting To Sweet Beginnings in Sycamore Hill on sale for .99 for the month of December.

When a disgraced woman’s return entangles the lives of five couples, twenty-four hours changes everything forever.

A whistleblower speaks up, and she tips the first domino of a twenty-four-hour chain reaction on the eve of Sycamore Hill’s most important holiday event. A baker gets a career-making opportunity, a reporter chases the truth, a woman faces her greatest fear, and a lost child returns as the dominos continue to fall. The residents of Sycamore Hill approach a new year, and five couples celebrate sweet beginnings filled with endless possibilities in this short story sequence introducing a new five-book series.

Small-town charm, a faith-filled community, and captivating love stories make the books set in Sycamore Hill perfect for Karen Kingsbury and Deborah Raney fans.

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/writerSWeeks

Amazon has the “look inside” option: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Beginnings-Sycamore-Hill-Inspirational/dp/1777958776/

Stacey Weeks writes faith-filled contemporary romance and romantic suspense with strong female leads and imperfect heroes. She is a multi-award-winning author, conference speaker, and Bible study teacher. She loves to read and will try almost any creative pursuit at least once.

Stacey lives in Ontario with her husband of 25 years and three children. When she is not writing, she is probably jogging the trails in her neighbourhood, homeschooling her kids, or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen. Visit StaceyWeeks.com for more information.