The tree. Unwrapping gifts. Cooking. Santa. Family. Travel. Stockings. Services at church.
Amid all the excitement, sights and noises, and the pressure of the Christmas “To Do” list, take time today to meditate on the True Gift of Christmas – Jesus our Savior who came as a baby to a poor family to bring hope and salvation to your family.
Merry Christmas!
“What do ya think? Should we be Mary and baby Jesus in the live nativity?”
It was slightly a disconnected question, neither of us had been talking about the baby Jesus, a live nativity, or her child.
She was a young mama with two small children, a newborn and a toddler. I smiled and answered,
“How sweet. You would make a cute Mary and that sweet newborn baby would be a darling Baby Jesus.”
She corrected me, she wasn’t talking about her newborn, she meant her toddler. “They have all the newborn Jesuses they need, they need a slightly older Jesus for when the wise men come.” I understood better what she meant. When the magi came to present their gifts to Jesus he would have been a bit older, Mary the mother of a toddler.
I giggled when she clarified. “Oh, your little fella will be so perfect!
Then she said out loud what must have been her reason for hesitation when answering the call for participants.
“Yeah but I don’t want anyone to see Baby Jesus throw a temper tantrum.”
I envision Jesus having a toddler tantrum in all the moments of His earthly life and ministry when it would have been completely warranted, reasonable, and understandable. Moments when disappointment would have prevailed, sorrow pervasive, and despair prevalent. In all those moments He maintained self-control and never sinned. I pondered on that further.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15
In every respect He was tempted and yet remained sinless, He didn’t throw a toddler tantrum and neither should I.
I asked my friend if she knew what other details would pertain to the live nativity gig, and she she told me that the toddler Jesuses would take shifts and that the The Wise Men will bring some gifts and open them up presenting them to the Jesus stand-ins. “But it’s not gold frankincense or myrrh… I’ve actually heard it’s Cheetos,” and I began to laugh, deep belly laughs that the word says are good like a medicine. I laughed until I wheezed at the irony of the gifts and the presentation of a snack food to pacify grumpy toddlers, and for the appreciation of my King and what a good gift-giver, Savior, and friend that He is.
Being in two places at one time has always seemed an impossibility, and then I began to understand through the help of dramatic cinema, one can be in two places at one time. Say for instance standing in one state with one leg and another with the other. I realized it wasn’t an impossibility necessarily, just my perspective made it one.
Several weeks ago, maybe months now I realized my heart had been in two places at one time.
“I’m holding gratitude in one hand and brokenness in the other.” It was a text to me from my sister. I was in an ICU room, She was taxiing on the tarmac.
I read it and had to for the umpteenth time choked back the tears. The overwhelming flood of emotion that binds itself to fear, frustration, anxiety, exhaustion and relief. In my head as I read it I changed the pronoun “I” to “we” then nodded in silent agreement.
I’ve never in my four decades of life felt more broken, felt more external brokenness. When quizzed I usually just gloss over and say “It’s just a lot.” There have been a lot of things really over the course of this 2023 but that day came barging its way in trying to top all the things, all the places of brokenness.
I was shook. Gutted. Heart wrenched. Wrecked.
I found myself in a place of such brokenness I wondered at times if I could survive it. I had experienced some hard things before but this wasn’t a thing, this was numerous things, seemingly impossible and insurmountable things yet I was also at the same time so filled with gratitude. I was so grateful because I knew I wasn’t alone, I knew God was in control. Grateful for prayers and petitions and intercessions. I found myself in two places at one time, holding brokenness in one hand and gratitude in the other. I began to and have since been pondering if it is possible to be broken and grateful at the same time? I have realized fully yes, yes you can.
When Jesus stood before the tomb of his friend Lazarus he was broken. Broken over sin and death, the pain and sorrow of His Bethany friends, broken to the point of tears. “Jesus Wept.” (John 11:35) After he had words with Martha, commanded the stone to be rolled from the entrance of the tomb Jesus expressed gratitude in John 11:41. ““Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” Jesus held brokenness in one hand and gratitude in the other. His example demonstrates we can find ourselves in places of hurt, sorrow, pain, brokenness but we can trust the God who loves us to use our gratitude for our good and His glory.
Priceless 