Christmas Reflections

My draft box is full of the real good-intention to post something. Promise.

The world has been a hurting place this fall. Even a bit more than normal, it seems. There was terror and intolerance and yet still, the First World I call home went about life and Christmas and shopping - unfazed. And words started, but they never ended, as evidenced by my draft box. Maybe they'll come in the New Year, but we all know how the "blog more" resolution always turns out... ;)

The ending to those words didn't get written not because I didn't know the ending, but because I think I got far too excited about the ending before I got to write it, and I would spring up to join the awesome people taking action on this great hope before I remembered to hit "post" on those words.

And so I think I'll write a collective ending to all those hurting beginnings here, as the fall comes to a close and I spend some time reflecting at Christmas...

The conclusion and the response to a world of hurt is this:

Oh, how He loves us. 

Even now. Especially now. 

He hurts for His hurting creation more than any of us ever could or would. 

He hurts so much that he came down in the midst of it all to bear the hurt for us. He came down from glory and became a helpless baby and a human-just-like-you-and-me.

He spent His life demonstrating a Love that would heal all the hurt of this world, and our role? Simply believe this Gift to be real. Accept this Gift of Love with thanks. 

Then He culminates this life of Love with His arms stretched across a tree... Bearing every last hurt, pain and brokenness this world had and would ever see, declaring It is finished.

Dear hurting world... All our hurt and brokenness - He has already carried it for us. He longs to continue to carry it, and simply invites us to love with that same Love He showed us all those years ago.

To make room to birth Love into this world again and again and again...

...so that this Love might bear every hurt until it is all healed away.

That is what we celebrate this, and every Christmas.


Merry, Merry Christmas, to you and yours.


Year-end family updates from my Mama can be found on her blog... Check it out!