I’m a wimp when it comes to scary movies. Some of you reading this will relate, and some of you will think that’s too bad because you love those thrilling scenes that cause your pulse to rise. I however, am one who will turn away, put a pillow or blanket over my head and tell my husband to let me know when it’s over. I’ve even walked away completely and gone into another room at these times.
Lucky for us, when things are scary or messy, Jesus doesn’t leave. In fact, he’s right there in it with us.
I’ve been spending a lot of time recently reflecting on the birth of Jesus in Luke 2, and the more I do, the more awed I am by the whole story. It would be easy for me to rush through this passage because it's one I've heard many times. But I'm purposely going slow, soaking it in, because it's not a story I want to ever get old. In doing this, what's catching my attention the most in this story is the stark contrast between this incredible and holy moment with the ordinary and the mess of the circumstances. The precious Jesus, king of all kings, is born in a dirty stable, and while our nativity scenes, Christmas cards, picture books, and movies portray this as a quaint, peaceful scene, it realistically was not at all those things. In fact, it was more likely a scene that some may have wanted to turn their eyes from.
Any moms reading this can remember our children’s births quite vividly, and we certainly wanted an environment that was as sterile and peace-inducing as possible. This is not how it went for Mary. She had a stable, a place where animals lived. It likely smelled horrible, had a hard dirt floor, and was probably more like a cave than the stables we know of today. It was not the place any of us would choose to give birth to a child, and it certainly wasn’t the way the world expected a king to arrive on the scene. But he did.
God came purposely to a place that was ordinary, a bit of a mess, and he still does this today.
Also in Luke 2, we see the angels arrive in all their brilliance to shepherds. To clarify, shepherds were also not as quaint as our nativity scenes depict. They were considered the lowest of the low, out with sheep for days and night on end. They also likely didn’t smell so great, and they were not ones that most people chose to befriend and invite to their homes. They weren’t the ones most would have expected God to choose for the first announcement of Jesus’s birth. But he did.
God came purposely to ordinary people that were a bit of a mess, and he still does this today.
My scheduled theme for this post for the “Falling into God’s Love” series is “Close Your Eyes” based upon that line in my recent children’s book that says, “Close your eyes, think good things.” While I wasn’t sure at first how that theme fit in with the birth of Jesus scene I just described, I’m quite clear on it now.
While closing my eyes is something I might do when watching a scary movie, as I described, I also will do this when I need to center myself. Also, closing our eyes is something we’re often reminded to do when we pray. Of course this is not the only way to pray. I often pray in my head while going about my day without anyone noticing. I pray while writing in my journal. I pray while going for a walk. There are many ways to pray, but no matter what way I choose, the way that makes the biggest difference for me is when I take the time to center my thoughts on God. It’s only when I do this that I really feel his presence and hear what he has to say to my often busy and distracted heart and head. The key is TAKING THE TIME to do this.
1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, “Give all your worries and cares to God for he cares about you.”
Matthew 11:28-30 quotes Jesus saying, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 5:31-34 says, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly father already knows all your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
These passages are comforting, but not necessarily easy to follow. It seems every time I read or write them I need them as much as every other time. I do worry. I do carry burdens and cares. But I don’t need to. God is right there, with open arms, ready to receive them from me. Remember? He came into the mess at Jesus’s birth. He still does today. I just need to stop, close my eyes if needed, talk to him, and then listen.
Not too long ago, in a time of prayer, I simply sat quiet and reflected on what I needed from God. I had read the passage where Jesus was with the blind man, Bartimaeus, recorded in Mark 10:51-52:
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.”
So in my time of prayer, I reflected on this, and as I pictured Jesus asking me this question, I realized that all I really wanted was to feel his presence in my day and for his presence in the days of my children, husband, friends, family. So I prayed for this.
Guess what I heard? I wrote it in my journal:
I heard him say, “I am here. Right here, in and with you. I never leave you.”
I still hear him tell me this, especially when I stop and ask him. He’s always there, his hands reaching to mine, and he’s there for you too. Right there. I know it. I prayed for it. And as I mentioned in a previous post, “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14)
So if you’re feeling at all worried, stressed, hurried, take a small moment, or a longer one if you can, and close your eyes. Picture Jesus asking you, “What do you want me to do for you?” Then pour out your cares to him. Remember, he came into the ordinary and the mess at his birth, and he still does today.
Have a blessed week, remembering and enjoying the best gift of all, wrapped in the body of Jesus, who is with you always.
The next post in this series will publish after Christmas. Enjoy your Christmas, remembering to take some time to rest in his perfect gift of peace and love.
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