Reason #326
It's 9:30PM and I am in bed. This is a rare event, I tell you. I can't remember the last time I was in bed this early. I was hoping this would be the case tonight. I had to resist the urge to sit down on the couch multiple times and remind myself that the sooner I completed my chores, the sooner I could go to sleep. Oh, the simple joy of turning in early for the night.
You've probably heard by now that a royal baby is on the way. If not... BREAKING NEWS.... Princess Kate is going to have baby! I will admit that I am a little obsessed with her. If there was one person I could trade places with for a day, it would be Kate. A.) She's a princess. I think that one pretty much explains itself. B.) She is absolutely beautiful and not only has an incredible wardrobe but can glamorously pull of any outfit. C.) She gets to travel all over the world and visit amazing places. D.) She lives in a castle... I mean seriously. I could go on and on for a while, but I'll spare you the details. The point I want to make is that this is going to be one lucky baby. And the thing is, this baby is being born into royalty. It didn't do a thing to receive this title. The baby didn't have to compete for or win some battle to gain this position. This baby will be born, just like every other baby is, and it will cry and be clueless as to what is going on, yet it will have a high position simply because of who it belongs to. And we'll see every step of the way. From baby bump to bundle of joy, this baby's life will be documented, laid out for all to see, and the world will watch with excitement over the next 9 months.
I thought about another royal baby that was born into this world but purely by choice. Not by chance, not by coincidence, but by divine choice. God Almighty humbled Himself enough to take human flesh, wrap it around His glory and send it to earth to be born in a stable. A baby that was as royal as one can posibly be, and He was born into the darkness, just like every other baby. He was laid in straw. An animal's food bowl for His bed. Tiny little fingers and tiny toes. Helpless and dependent on the one who birthed Him. And yet, He came to save her. A common, ordinary girl who was chosen for this great task. A girl who didn't grace the cover of magazines, wear the finest clothes, or travel to exotic places. A girl who didn't know fame and fortune and the riches of the world. Yet God used her, in her simplistic ways, to be a part of His plan to give this world the king they needed. One who wouldn't rule from a castle. One who wouldn't carry a sceptor or wear a robe and crown. A king who came to serve and then give His life. The King of Kings. And the world didn't know. They didn't sit on pins and needles for 9 months trying to guess what His name was going to be. They didn't anxiously watch His mother's belly grow through each trimester. And when He was born, no one was there to capture it for the whole world to see. In a little stable, in the silence of the night, the Prince of Peace took His first breath. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. In the form of an infant's cry, hope was heard. And although the world didn't know at that moment, although not everyone had been let in on this exciting news, it didn't take long for word to spread. Because this wasn't just any baby, this was the Messiah. And He was now here, now in the middle of this messy world with us, and things would never be the same again.
I don't know why He did it that way. I don't know why a stable over a castle. I don't know why the Most High would be born in such a lowly place. But I'm thankful He came. Thankful for a tiny baby who became the perfect sacrifice and will forever reign as King. Grateful that His rule will never come to an end. And I'm thankful that God uese the normal, ordinary, everyday people to carry out His plan. We don't have to be royal, beautiful, well traveled or highly sophisticated. Rather, He seeks out different requirements. Because who would have expected a small town girl to be given such a big role? But His kindgom looks a little different, and I'm grateful to serve a King who loves us enough to willingly step down from His throne and dwell among us, bringing His light into our darkness.
#326 - Because He brought His light into our darkness.
"They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen." - Luke 2:16-20
You've probably heard by now that a royal baby is on the way. If not... BREAKING NEWS.... Princess Kate is going to have baby! I will admit that I am a little obsessed with her. If there was one person I could trade places with for a day, it would be Kate. A.) She's a princess. I think that one pretty much explains itself. B.) She is absolutely beautiful and not only has an incredible wardrobe but can glamorously pull of any outfit. C.) She gets to travel all over the world and visit amazing places. D.) She lives in a castle... I mean seriously. I could go on and on for a while, but I'll spare you the details. The point I want to make is that this is going to be one lucky baby. And the thing is, this baby is being born into royalty. It didn't do a thing to receive this title. The baby didn't have to compete for or win some battle to gain this position. This baby will be born, just like every other baby is, and it will cry and be clueless as to what is going on, yet it will have a high position simply because of who it belongs to. And we'll see every step of the way. From baby bump to bundle of joy, this baby's life will be documented, laid out for all to see, and the world will watch with excitement over the next 9 months.
I thought about another royal baby that was born into this world but purely by choice. Not by chance, not by coincidence, but by divine choice. God Almighty humbled Himself enough to take human flesh, wrap it around His glory and send it to earth to be born in a stable. A baby that was as royal as one can posibly be, and He was born into the darkness, just like every other baby. He was laid in straw. An animal's food bowl for His bed. Tiny little fingers and tiny toes. Helpless and dependent on the one who birthed Him. And yet, He came to save her. A common, ordinary girl who was chosen for this great task. A girl who didn't grace the cover of magazines, wear the finest clothes, or travel to exotic places. A girl who didn't know fame and fortune and the riches of the world. Yet God used her, in her simplistic ways, to be a part of His plan to give this world the king they needed. One who wouldn't rule from a castle. One who wouldn't carry a sceptor or wear a robe and crown. A king who came to serve and then give His life. The King of Kings. And the world didn't know. They didn't sit on pins and needles for 9 months trying to guess what His name was going to be. They didn't anxiously watch His mother's belly grow through each trimester. And when He was born, no one was there to capture it for the whole world to see. In a little stable, in the silence of the night, the Prince of Peace took His first breath. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. In the form of an infant's cry, hope was heard. And although the world didn't know at that moment, although not everyone had been let in on this exciting news, it didn't take long for word to spread. Because this wasn't just any baby, this was the Messiah. And He was now here, now in the middle of this messy world with us, and things would never be the same again.
I don't know why He did it that way. I don't know why a stable over a castle. I don't know why the Most High would be born in such a lowly place. But I'm thankful He came. Thankful for a tiny baby who became the perfect sacrifice and will forever reign as King. Grateful that His rule will never come to an end. And I'm thankful that God uese the normal, ordinary, everyday people to carry out His plan. We don't have to be royal, beautiful, well traveled or highly sophisticated. Rather, He seeks out different requirements. Because who would have expected a small town girl to be given such a big role? But His kindgom looks a little different, and I'm grateful to serve a King who loves us enough to willingly step down from His throne and dwell among us, bringing His light into our darkness.
#326 - Because He brought His light into our darkness.
"They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen." - Luke 2:16-20