Christmas holds wonder.
It brings wonderful anticipation to children and can’t-wait
feelings that make for the one day a year they’re eager to get up before
daybreak without grumbling.
For adults, the joy is more about striking things off gift
and grocery lists resulting in kid’s surprises and family’s stuffed tummies.
Of course for believers, it’s celebrating the birth of our
savior.
Great as these are, I think the best thing about Christmas
is that it’s not really about Dec. 25. It’s not only about that day because ...
It’s also about May 6 when you get in such a fight with your
mate you want to kill them. Again. And you realize you need a savior.
Or June 12 when you realize what it feels like to steal,
cheat or take advantage of others for your own gain. You realize you need a
savior.
Or January 8 when you understand being drunk or wasted for
weeks isn’t that much fun but has become unavoidable. You realize you need a savior.
Or February 6 when you see the culmination of all the
unthoughtful things you’ve said and done for years is bearing bad, bitter fruit.
You realize you need a savior.
Or July 22 when you get it that if you hadn’t been such an
ass and wasted all those days in school or done better in other ways you’d be
in way better shape today. You realize you need a savior.
Or Oct. 12 when you find you did the unthinkable and
committed adultery and betrayed your spouse. You realize you need a savior.
Or Sept. 2 when your realize no matter how non-addictive and
not-bad-for-you weed is, if you hadn’t smoked it 20 minutes ago you wouldn’t
have hit that kid on his bike with your car five minutes ago. You realize you
need a savior.
And on August 21 when, despite all the safeguards, you’ve slipped
back into porn and it’s not fun, it’s not a party, you hate it. You realize you
need a savior.
It’s the day you realize even though you’re pretty good,
you’re not good enough.
It’s the day you’re just so tired of being your rotten,
stinking self and can’t bear it. Or the day the light just goes on and it hits
you how wonderful Jesus is. You realize you need him, you want him, he’s your savior.
It’s for all those days. I could list 365 things and subdivide
by minutes but you know what I’m saying.
The best thing about Christmas is Jesus coming into the
mess of a stable one day and the mess of our lives another day. The good
shepherd saying, “Come, follow me, I was born for this and you were born to
follow.”
If need be, he’ll even carry us on his shoulders. We just
have to go.
