Sunday, December 23, 2007

Remembering the meaning....

It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day occurences in our lives and especially this time of year - - we rush to find just the right present or to meet all of the items on the list. Even those that made it very last minute. So many times I encounter people and I wonder if they truly remember what it is to celebrate Christmas. If they remember why it exists, why we give gifts. I can't speak for other people, but I can say with great clarity that Christmas is more than just a day to see the twinkle in my girl's eyes in the morning, the excitement when they do find that gift they wanted tucked under the tree, or the table filled with wonderful food and family.

It is a day that represents who I am called to be, the road I have chosen to follow. A gratitude that is immeasurable and a respect that is deserved above all others. The knowledge that on this day a baby was born. A defenseless child, whose life was predetermined. I think to Soph's birth. We worked so hard to ensure that she stayed with us, to make sure that we did not lose her after her birth. I prayed so hard that I would get to see her grow, to help her on her path - - I sat by her incubator just staring and dreaming of her future; school, baking cookies, dolls, her wedding, grandkids - all of it. I had great hopes even then. How painful it would have been for me, if I did all of those things knowing that her destiny was to die. To die early, to be ridiculed, tortured, and betrayed in the most intimate of ways. To know that she would die for people that were not deserving, for people who were not grateful - who would not remember or care to know what her purpose was. I would have been angry from day one. I would want to shout from the highest mountains, I would hold so much contempt for those in the world and yet - God still delivered this child, his son to us - to die for us - knowing that his son would die on a cross, would hang in pain and anguish - and that his people would forget, would not care. He delivered a savior that to this day some people have no respect for. And yet, he is not angry, he holds each of us in his palm, he welcomes us without question. How is it possible? It is too large a task for me to understand.

What I can understand is that on the one day each year that almost all people celebrate, there should be a moment reserved in the morning before opening packages to recognize why they are there, there should be an extra setting at the table, and without a doubt hearts should be open and grateful - we have been washed white because of that teeny babe in a manger. There is no question whose day it is - - - - -

Rejoice! Rejoice! For unto us a savior is born!
Happy Birthday Emmanuel!

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