and the soul felt its worth
“O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth”
Beloved, do you see it? The truth in these lyrics? Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
The arrival of each of my children has brought me such joy. Each time it has renewed my purpose and swelled my heart. It only takes about 24 hours after having a baby though, until I am entirely beside myself, wondering if I have what it takes to even stay awake, let alone provide for a newborn. And let's not even talk about purpose or being a good parent. In the middle of the night, baby crying in my arms, refusing to nurse, as I sit cross legged in my bed, I feel completely useless, utterly worthless even to this one child. Times eight.
But this baby, this tiny baby, born in such humble circumstances, so many years ago, it is He who gives our souls their worth. I can't help but wonder at this. How beautiful is God's grace? More than 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son into our messy world, a beautiful world that had been created for us, that man had corrupted, so that we might know our worth. He gave His most precious Son to us, letting us see just a glimpse of His love for us.
“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees”
A thrill of hope! Do you feel it? As we get closer to Christmas, do you feel hope?
Shopping, Decorating, Baking. Parties. Concerts. There is so much good stuff surrounding Christmas. Sometimes, though, do you feel like you're stuck on a hamster wheel watching a beautiful season fly right by you?
It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness, in the day to day living, in the problems, the hurts, the frustrations, the successes, the joys, the activities, in the right here, right now. Calendars, deadlines, to do lists, they fill our days and our minds. I think we forget to look at the bigger picture and I love how this hymn reminds us that there is something so much more than us, than today, than right now.
So today, for just a few minutes, lets remember the bigger picture. Even if it's not new to you, don't quit here. Let the beauty and the love of God's overarching love story wash over you today.
Before the beginning of time there was God. He has always been and will always be. He is constant.
God was not discontent. He did not need company and yet He created us. Grace.
He knew that we would have rebellious hearts. That we would reject Him. That we would put a thousand other things in His place. When we think of starting a family, generally the last thing on our minds is that the life that we bear will disown us, will stand against us, even be willing to kill us. He knew and He created us. Grace upon grace.
Because God knew that we would reject Him, He had a plan to rescue us even before we were here to need rescuing. Grace.
His plans to love us and to rescue us know no bounds. He is long suffering. He spent centuries wooing people who continued to turn away from Him. He sent His Son, a very part of His Being, to a fallen, messy world. He'd never known pain, but entered a painful place. He'd never known hunger, but came into a hungry world. Grace upon grace.
That precious Son, who'd never experienced the shame of sin, took on all of our sin to fulfill the Father's plan to rescue us. He stands in the gap that our sin created between us and a holy God so that when God sees us, He sees His own Son. We are covered in His righteousness. Grace upon grace upon grace.
And although, He could have forced love on us, He allows us to make our own choices. Though He could write us off at any point because of our choices, He continues to pursue. He continues to offer us the free covering of righteousness that we could never deserve. So. Much. Grace.
Beloved, I pray that you know your worth and that you are filled with hope. That no matter what you are going through, that no matter how busy you are, you can step back and see the bigger picture of grace and of hope.
Merry Christmas, Beloved.
