"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1
Stop, not so fast, Christmas!
The quiet of the morning says the frenzy for another year is about over. Children are home from school and sleeping late. The parties are over. The Christmas tree lots are almost bare and there are signs of clean-up and closing up shop. I catch myself looking into my January calendar. But wait - I want this Christmas to linger. This peaceful watching and waiting has done what Advent is supposed to do. It has suddenly filled me with quiet joy and humility. I want time now to simply stand still and just behold the experience. All I want is to enter this home stretch to Christmas Day in s-l-o-w time and just be in Advent - one with God. One with Jesus.
Maybe it is why we love the sheep so much in the Nativity. They don't have a speaking or acting role. They just come, watch and wait for their shepherd to guide them, feed them and care for them. When I was young I got to hold a baby lamb in my arms and feed it from a bottle. The mother had rejected the lamb and it would have died had my father not known what to do. My sister and I got to care for that helpless lamb and it grew and became a pet that we nurtured and cared for and loved with all our hearts. Hearts that broke when "Lamby-Lou" grew up and left us.
Could it be that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, thinks of us as his pet? Has He nurtured us this Advent as we have waited and watched for his coming? Dependent? Helpless? Needy? Has he cared for and loved us with his heart - so much that he has entered into our own hearts and we are one? If we can answer "yes" then we have the greatest gift of Christmas.
Faithful Shepherd,
You watch over me and you stay by my side.
I shall not want.
If only I would learn to be as dependent as the sheep. I was just praying that I would depend solely on Him, not my abilities, not meeting a specific person, not writing the next bestseller. And then I read your post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the confirmation that submission and dependence is all He wants from me. Then and only then will He be able to bring about His perfect plan for me.
Christmas blessings!