Emmanuel
For a lot of us, the image we have of Christmas is one of a joyful, picture perfect time of the year. We have this mental picture of a cute baby "asleep on the hay" with cherubic angels looking on, a joyful mother beaming over her son and the proud "dad" standing just over her shoulder. Sometimes, though, we find that our own Christmastime is not or does not feel as picturesque as that and we wonder - "Why??.
There are so many tangents that one can go down at this point and trust me, I have :-)
My original purpose though, and the one I keep coming back to, is one of a word of comfort to those of us that are stressed out and are not really having a picture perfect Christmas. You are faithful (or at least trying very hard to be) in your walk with Christ and yet things are coming at you from all over the place and you wonder ... we wonder - "can't God just make this just a little easier, especially at this time?"
I got to thinking about this a couple of weeks ago when I was reading Luke??s account of the birth of Jesus (see Luke 2: 1-20) and it just struck me then that - what must Joseph have been thinking when they got to Bethlehem and they could not even find a room to stay? You know ?? nothing fancy, just a room of some sort, anywhere. I tried to put myself in Joseph shoes to see how I might have felt during that whole journey and room search thing and even though I cannot really come close to really knowing (not having had the ... umm .... whole "dad-to-be" experience), I think I would feel a certain frustration and might have prayed/cried/shouted - "God, if there ever was a time for a miracle now would be a good time!"
They did eventually find a place to stay - a stable. God did provide them with shelter and while this was infinitely better than camping out on the street with your wife in labor, it was not the best of accommodations. Think livestock show at the Rodeo. Remember the smell? And that is not even getting into any of the other details of living there, talk less of giving birth there.
Anyway, you get the picture. The point I'm trying to make going into all this is that there are times when we are doing all we can to be obedient to God's instruction and be faithful in our walk with Christ and yet, things are not going as well as they could and it does not really feel like God even knows we are there, talk less of being there with us.
He does and is! While Joseph was not aware of it at the time, there were other areas concerning them that God was actively at work. We read in that same account how the angel takes the message to the shepherds and the glorious celebration of heaven that was shown to them. In other accounts (Matt. 2), we also read about the wise men and how God guides them to not return to Herod (who was now looking to kill the baby). Even though things might not feel like the best situation, God can still be glorified in our lives and He is always active to let His glory be manifest in our lives regardless of the situation surrounding us. He is also on the lookout to protect and shield us from danger (especially the ones that we are not aware of).
Despite my hypothetical fit a couple of paragraphs ago, neither Joseph nor Mary threw one. We don't have any account of either of them being upset. Instead we read that ??Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart?. I believe there was a certain peace that attended them through all the craziness they were going through and I believe that peace was there because God was with them (literarily). Emmanuel.
So, that is my prayer for you this Christmas - for the ??peace of God which passes all understanding?; and the knowledge that God is there with you through all you have on your plate and that He is at work, intervening in your situation ... in our situations, to make His will more perfect in our lives.
Blessings, grace and peace
Deji.
[Edited: 12/24/05 5:45 a.m.]