Thursday, December 25, 2008

A Pause: Happy Birthday, Jesus

I had to take a pause today. Actually, it seems that is all Christmas has been this year. With the recent loss of my mom and the days of caring for her before, (is it possible that was just one week ago?) I'm afraid I missed the whole Christmas season.

So today, I just want to take some time from James and reflect on the precious gift of our Lord. One of the hardest positions any human has to take is one of humility. Our sinful nature fights tooth and nail against such posturing. Self strives to push forward, be the top, gain power and recognition, be in control. But have you ever considered that our Lord does not have to wrestle with the sin of self? He doesn't strive for power, He just has it. He doesn't need control, He is in control.

And yet, He traded all that in to place Himself into the must vulnerable position a human can take -- a baby. The Israelites had been watching for a Messiah to charge in on a white horse and save them through His might and powerful army from the oppression of the Romans. Instead, Jesus came into this world at about 7 pounds, to a poor carpenter's family, watched over by a donkey in a stable. Strength and armor were traded in for weakness and poverty. It boggles my mind to think of the Almighty Creator of the Universe reducing Himself to the humility of a poor baby. And yet, He did. And because of His sacrifice -- of His position and His life -- I will have eternity with Him. No one can ever second guess the ways of our Lord. His ways are higher than our ways, His purposes greater than ours.

So Happy Birthday, Jesus. Your gift is my joy and my hope.

1 comment:

  1. Welcome back! This was a great post. Thanks for sharing.
    Love you!

    ReplyDelete