I am going to finish a movie today that has taken me three days to watch. Yep, count ‘em, three days.
Here’s the real story.
I was home from work because we were having an awful ice storm and driving was treacherous. After working around the house, I decided to
take a break and watch a movie while I ate lunch . About 20 minutes into the movie…BAM! The electricity in our home died.
It’s amazing how a working toilet can become so much more important to me than watching a good movie. Three days of heating our house with
stinky kerosene, having no running water, taking showers elsewhere, and being forced to eat in restaurants can tend to make you have a new
appreciation for the simple things in life.
But more than these creature comforts, and beyond a good movie, I am reminded of how very much I appreciate Jesus.
We have a small flag by our front door that calls this the “Jesus Season.” It’s a constant reminder that this time of year is not about
gifts, eating, and parties. It’s not about whether or not we have electricity. It’s about a holy God who knew we would never have fellowship
with him if He didn’t have a plan. And, His plan included sending His only Son to be the sacrifice for our sin—sin we inherited after Adam
decided in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden to be disobedient to God.
Last year we put Christmas lights on a cross in our yard. About a week later, we received an anonymous note from someone who was deeply
offended that we would highlight a cross at this time of year. But what that offended person didn’t understand was that while we enjoy being
reminded of the Baby in the manger, we always go beyond that scene to the cross on the hill where that sacrifice was made. Then we go to the
tomb that days later was empty. From there we go to the upper room where the Holy Spirit was sent to God’s people to be with them in Jesus’
absence, to walk and talk with them and teach them of God’s ways. This is followed by the sweet reminder that one day, Jesus will return to
this earth again, to take for Himself a people that is His own.
At this delightful time of year, keep in mind the total plan of God that began not in that manger, but in the heart of God before He even
planted that first garden. On the day we call Christmas a miracle became reality. What God had planned from the beginning became manifest in
the world and hope entered into this mortal plain. Abundant life was made possible for a mankind that had been bound by he who had come to
kill, steal, and destroy in the Garden. Jesus is the greatest gift we will ever receive.
I’m finishing the movie today and we now have running water, heat, and working toilets. More than that we have Jesus. And with Jesus, we can
endure anything life brings our way.