Celebrating God through Hanukkah

“Believe in Miracles” read the sign at the foot of my son’s hospital crib. Our baby was only three months old, and he had already been through so much. Born without kidneys, he was on dialysis, and now we were being moved from the NICU to another room. We knew each day could be his last, but we also truly believed our son was a miracle.

We received his diagnosis early in my pregnancy, and prayer became our daily bread. I promised God I would name him Elijah Praise. “Elijah” means “My God is YAHWEH.” “Praise” would help us remember to praise God for all he had done. I remember thinking, It is so important that we never forget, no matter what happens.

Our focus was on our son, but we did miss celebrating the holidays with our families. Hanukkah was always one of my favorites! Growing up as a Christian with a Jewish mother meant I got the best of both worlds. I loved that we got to have double the holiday fun. On Hanukkah, our family would travel hours to get to my grandparents’. Their house was filled with wonderful aromas, and we could relax and have fun, enjoying traditions like playing with the dreidel to win gelt (chocolate gold coins). We had eight days of presents–mostly items we needed, and then one big gift. But the best part was lighting the menorah and eight colorful candles.

Maybe it was the fact that as a child, I thought it was awesome to use matches and hold a lit candle so close I could feel the heat on my skin. But as I grew older, I fell deeply in love with reciting the Hanukkah blessing and taking time to honor God.

When we listened to the story of how Hanukkah came to be, I sat in awe, thinking about what it would have been like for a group of ruthless people to abruptly change my way of life. The Jewish people were forbidden to read the Torah scrolls (which were burned or destroyed), abide by their dietary customs, observe the Sabbath, and worst of all, forbidden to worship God. Their whole way of life was turned upside down, and if they didn’t abide by the new law they would be imprisoned or killed. Many people were slaughtered for their faith. This holiday isn’t only about the miracle of oil; it’s also about the perseverance of God’s people and of his mighty works.

What amazed me the most was that Jesus celebrated this joyous occasion too. Every year he would walk miles and miles with his friends and family to the temple, where he and his beloved community celebrated for eight days. He did this to honor his Father.

I love being able to do what Jesus did.

On that day when our Elijah was three months old, as we settled into the new hospital room, my husband looked out the window and said, “You will never believe this. Look.”

There, in the middle of the city, a gigantic menorah was being lit. My heart was flooded with joy! At that moment I was reminded of all the miracles God had done for those who loved him, and it brought me great hope.

My grandma sent Elijah a Hanukkah bear. We could squeeze its paw to make the menorah on its belly light up. We sang the blessing to Elijah each night of the eight days, and I don’t think it was by chance that hospital personnel put us in that particular room. As we watched the menorah being lit each night, a flame ignited in our hearts. We were reminded that no matter how scared we are, with God miracles are sure to follow. And that encouraged us to keep praising him for everything in our lives, good or bad.

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That was Elijah’s only Hanukkah with us here on earth, but I cherish the time God miraculously gave us with our son—not just those eight days of Hanukkah, but six and a half heart-pounding months.

Every year our kids fight over Elijah’s bear. They’ve memorized the blessing in Hebrew, and I see the wonder in their eyes as we share the story of Hanukkah with them.

Whether or not you celebrate Hanukkah in your house, I challenge you this season to look back at the great miracles in the Bible and in your life, and praise the One who carries us through it all.

“One for each night they shed a sweet light to remind us of days long ago…”*

*Traditional song, “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”

Kelly Nickerson is a homeschooling mama with two beautiful kids under her wing and four dancing in heaven. She also lives with her amazing husband, who supports her like no other. Kelly is a firecracker prayer warrior who shares honestly about her brokenness, while praising and clinging to the G-d who sustains her. When she isn’t hunting down germs with disinfectant, you can find her writing of her adventures at kellynickerson.com.