Thoughts

This time of the year can be an amazing time of the year. Just yesterday I was thinking about the season and about why we celebrate it. It is not for presents or time with family. We are celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Savior. He came as a small little man in very meek surroundings. He was provided for though. He had a roof over his head, a place to lay his head, and a mom and dad who were, I am sure, incredibly proud. When he arrived he did what babies do. He ate from his mother, loved to be held and loved. He was a baby.

I think about Mary. She was a mom who probably felt many of the feelings I feel about my little guy. He brought her incredible joy. She did not know what was ahead but she knew she loved the little man with a mother's love. That love is hard to explain but it is very special. It is an unconditional love that welcomes a child back. It is a love that never stops loving. It is a love that is proud and excited.

That brings me to thinking abuot the love Christ has for me. He loves unconditionally. He loves with open arms. He loves with joy and laughter. He loves with a smile on his face. I would be crushed if ever Will stopped accepting my love and I assume God feels he same way. When I reject him I am sure it makes him sad, as it would me. But, when I come back to him with open arms and a very apologetic heart, he welcomes me back as if I had never left. He has a smile on his face and hugs me with his open arms. HE is a personal God and yet, he is God of the universe. A God that put the sun into place and created an environment just perfect for human life also has the time and wants a relationship with me. When I think about that I fall more in love with God.

For some, it can also be a very painful time of the year. This year some friends will be without their little boy for their first Christmas. Two families we love dearly will enjoy potentially the last Christmas all together. Amidst the joy there is sorrow. And yet, the same personal God who loves me unconditionally loves these people and will hold them tightly this season. My prayer for them is that God would be real in their lives this Christmas. He would love them with a special love only a Father who has lost a child knows. He will love them with a peace that only comes from God. He will love them through the prayers of others. Sorrow is an emotion that is slightly uncomfortable yet it is an emotional of healing.