My Christmas is not going the way I
had hoped. We are unable to travel to
see family this year. My youngest baby
is sick with a cold. It is 70 degrees
here in Washington and before church this morning I had a series of unfortunate
events which made getting to the service seem like a climb to Mount Everest.
And when I turn on the news I see many people whose Christmas season is
probably not turning out like they planned…bad weather, loss of electricity,
delayed travel, credit card breach, and the list goes on.
It is difficult to experience the
real meaning of Christmas with all demands and distractions. For many, Christmas brings up pain from loss
or stress dealing with family or finances.
The to-do lists and Christmas parties are exhausting and everyone else
seems to know where to find the most creative Christmas card. One thing I have enjoyed this year is
explaining to my very curious, almost 4 year old the story of Mary, Joseph and
baby Jesus. His thoughts, although mixed
with stories of Santa and elves, are priceless.
He fixated on baby Jesus lying in the manger. He adamantly interrupted
the story asking, “Why is he laying on grass???” Later as he meticulously put
up window clings of the nativity scene he stepped back and looked at Mary and
said, “She is so beautiful.”
These moments of confusion and
wonder for him have surprised me and challenged me in my thoughts on
Christmas. I am too often distracted by
the sadness I feel of being far away from family, the size of my Christmas
budget, or the state of my messy house.
In the craziness of it all…baby Jesus, the King of heaven and earth, did
leave his throne in heaven and laid on grass
in a barn where animals ate and slept.
I’ve known the story since I can remember but when I think of what that
means for me that God became man and came to the earth in a filthy barn
surrounded by animals is overwhelming. I
am thankful that His love came low to redeem us from the filth of lives.
And then to look at Mary…for my
little man he saw a beautiful cartoon picture of her on our window and said “so beautiful.” Being pregnant myself this season I think of
her and imagine her discomfort. Did she
really travel “obviously pregnant (Luke
2:5 NLT)” for close to 100 miles on foot or on a donkey to Bethlehem? Only to arrive to a town with not one room
for her and her newborn. I can’t imagine
arriving at the hospital to deliver my baby only to realize there was not one
single room available. Yet Mary did
deliver in barn and placed her tiny King in a manger. How could I have missed
the discomfort of the story for so many years?
In her song of praise Mary exclaimed,
“For he took notice of his lowly servant
girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has
done great things for me.” Luke 1:48,49
So yes my child, He did indeed lay
in grass and she is indeed beautiful. I
hope to take my discomforts, my disappointments this Christmas and praise Him
for such an unbelievable story of His grace and sing “He has done great things
for me!”
I love this version of Halleluiah by Cloverton
