We've watched it countless times. Hallmark reels us in every year with a story of someone who has recently suffered a tragedy. A death of a loved one, a divorce, a hurt that can come in many shapes and sizes, but it all boils down into a pool of hopelessness. And then… there's a glimmer. A shiny star in the distance, just out of reach but close enough to see. A new love blooms, answers are captured, or friendships are restored. You know how the story ends because you've seen it played out before. Hope is found, and Christmas is the star on the tree. Hands are held, wishes are granted, and all smiles are restored.
I love Christmas! I love all of it! The Santa Claus, the cookies, the presents, the singing, the lights, all of it! Our tree goes up on November 1st when its still 70+ degrees in Florida, but we just can't wait another day! The joy in my son's eyes every evening when the lights turn on our tree, is a memory I wish to freeze in time. In awe, he whispers "wow" and my heart fills with joy.
I know, what he doesn't yet know. We have so much more to hope in than a tree with lights. Amongst the pain and hard that this life holds, there is a light. A truth to run to in the storm. A hope that is living and breathing and loving you. A hope that sees you, you in your not quite right attitude this morning, and runs toward you. A hope that adores you, you in your business and rushing around, and He craves your heart. You, in your mess, and He calls out to you, "Daughter, my Beloved, come away with me." It's a love that doesn't end like the glimmer of Christmas turned into a quiet gloom on the day the tree comes down. When the lights are put away and the seasons tidings are another year away, His love is wildly present and available.
Let Him Love You
In Max Lucado's book, Because of Bethlehem, he writes.
Let him love you. If God was willing to wrap himself in rags and drink from a mother's breast, then all questions about His love for you are off the table. You might question his actions, decisions, or declarations. But you can never, ever question his zany, stunning, unquenchable affection.
The moment Mary touched God's face is the moment God made his case, there is no place he will not go. If He is willing to be born in a barnyard, then expect Him to be at work anywhere-bars, bedrooms, boardrooms, and brothels. No place is too common. No person is too hardened. No distance is too far. There is no person He cannot reach. There is no limit to His love.
...
He only awaits our word to walk through the door. Invite Him in. Escort Him to the seat of honor, and pull out His chair. Clear the table; clear the calendar. Call the kids and neighbors.
Christmas is here. Christ is here.
One request from you and God will do again what He did then: scatter the night with everlasting light. He'll be born in you.
Sing of His Love
When we hear a great song or find a new yummy recipe, we share it! Receiving this love gift from Christ, this year long, life long light that never runs dry, is a “must share.”
Praise Him for His abundant greatness. Praise Him for the way he held you in the storms of 2021. Praise Him for His endless mercy. Praise Him with your voice! With the way you wash dishes and fold laundry. Praise Him while you stir the soup and when you bend to pick up toys. Praise Him with your talents! And praise Him with your time and treasures. Let everything within you breathe praise to God. (A personal adaptation from Psalm 150)
Pour it Out
"First we were loved, now we love" wrote the apostle John (1 John 4:19 MSG)
If it stopped here, at the recieving and praising, I think that would be a tragedy. Friend we are loved to love. We are given to, so that we can give. In the coming weeks we will look deep into the characters of God. We will realize, maybe for the first time, that God is the God who sees me, who chose me, who wants me, who heals me, etc. And as we look to deepen our understanding of this we will praise Him for it! And then... the best part. We will be so filled to the brim that we will have to share it. We will have to be the coworker that sees her, her in the bathroom wiping a tear, attempting to hold strong. We will be the wives that choose our husbands and our children over and over, not despite of who they are, but because of it! We will pray boldly for healings because we've been healed. And we will love, because we've been so loved.
The Christmas lights are down, the trees are away, but the glimmer of love remains within you daughter. The light of Advent is in your eyes. Don't move past this.
Be Christmas. Be love. And be loved.
Jessica
Comentarios