From my eyes

I sort of remember this story so I'll try to tell it as I remember it being told to me over the years.
Mom and dad tell me we were on our way back to dads home town for the holiday when my mom went into labor with me. Dad was in a frenzy trying to figure out what to do. We were traveling on a holiday weekend and all the rooms had been booked for some time. Moms labor pains were still sporadic and my birth a ways off. Since we were still a ways out of town dad stopped by a small farm house along the road and asked Mr. Smith if they might be able to let us stay with them until the holiday was over. Now Mr. Smith was not the most friendly farmer in the area but his wife was a very neighborly lady and she said we could stay in their loft. Dad, being a man in construction decided that he could make us comfortable even if it was not the Hilton. Late that night moms situation changed from we still have a few days to "Joe I'm having the baby nowwwww!".
Ok, so I was born in a barn and I have been called a "hayseed" ever since. Every time I leave a door open I get the old "Hey were you born in a barn" then comes the horse laughs. Well being born were I was did have some advantages because some vetry special people came by after finding out about where I was born and they brought all kinds of cool presents. The visitors said I was born under a lucky star!
I don't remember much about my dad but I knew I wanted to do what he did when I got older. My dad was a respected craftsman and I watched him when I was younger but something happened to dad and mom wouldn't talk about it so I really don't know.
I guess I caused my mom about the same amount of grief as any kid. I loved to play hide and seek and tag but most of all I really liked sitting out side the professors study and listen to them discuss and argue all kinds of stuff. As I remember it, I was about thirteen or so when I first started really having discussions with the teachers and lawyers who hung out in our neighborhood. The most fun was when they would make mistakes and I knew they messed up and would remind them of what they all knew to be the truth. At least I thought it was fun sometimes they didn't.
To make a long story short and to get straight to the point, I grew into a young man who had many talents. I knew how to build just about anything and was considered pretty smart too. I was doing ok up until I decided to focus my life on God and then my life started changing and I knew My world would never be the same.
One of the first big changes was when I went to see my cousin who was a little strange but still I instantly knew I liked him. He was a real radical, preaching all the time and always on the road. The day I first found him he had a group of people gathered together and was converting them to be believers in God. He was actually baptizing people in this back wash of a dirty old river. I kew in an instant I wanted to be baptized too so started down the bank towards him. He said something about there he is and the people all turned to look at me. I don't know how he knew I was coming but evidently I was coming. When I finally convinced him I wanted to be baptized, he layed me back into the river and when he brought me up it was like the Holy Spirit came apon me. I felt so alive and knew then I was destine to be a teacher of Gods word.
Now I again become foggy because I don't know if this is just a story I have been told or if I dreamed it or if I'm just sort of weird but well the rest of the story gets hard to tell. I think I will leave you to figure the rest out while I think on how to tell you, as Paul Harvey might say, the rest of the story. As we come into this season of celebration remember your childhood. Remember what this season is all about. Remember how God has changed your life, then stop and look ahead a few years if you are so lucky to live here on earth that long. What would God have you do? Would He ask you to sit around and just live life or would He have you do something way more? Are you willing to risk being different?
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!