A Heavenly Father is Born

When time was young I wonder if men looked up into the sky and contemplated if God was really real? Did they squint and cover their eyes trying to see past the clouds? Did they climb a mountain or sit in a tree hoping to catch even a little glimpse of something bigger than they are?

I'm sure they did.

The wonderful thing about Christmas and the birth of Jesus is that we have that peek into heavenly inhabitants. We read, sing and have plays about miracles, angels and the presence of God in the form of innocence and love. It's a smorgasbord of information, emotion and stirring consequences. But then....it seems to fade when we face the problems of today.

We sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing until we look at our checkbook and discover we don't have a dime to sing about. We clap at Christmas plays and laugh when 5 year old Johnny knocks over the girl with floppy ears playing the donkey at the manger. We start the holiday shopping by giving generously to the big red kettle and end it wondering if we will need the kettle when we can't pay our bills.

It's time for me to sit down and pray my way through our monthly bills. This year it's tighter than ever and I'm wondering if I've missed something God told me to do. This should be easier, but it isn't and I wish God was physically here so I could ask him what to do. Should I keep writing? Should I press on with my ministry? Ron may be asked to take a pay cut, what then? What if he loses his job?

The phone rings with a dear friend who wants to order a couple of my books. I smiled and thought - how wonderful! That will take care of this bill. But what about the rest? Then I smile and wonder if this phone was a confirmation from God that he's not only here, but he is able to provide for all my needs.

Doubt is a major flaw in most Christian thinking. We know that God is real and that he is the almighty. We know that he has power and can do anything. We teach and preach about his love for us and his desire to care for his children. But most of the time in our eyes he is the baby in the manger. A helpless little thing that may or may not be able to solve our problems.

We forget that he was only a baby for a time. He is no longer the baby of Christmas. We can trust him with our innocent love but he is much bigger than that. He is the almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is all powerful and all knowing. He is everything we will ever need and could ever want.

The Christ of Christmas was only a baby for a moment of time in order to enter our world. The Christ of Christmas today is bigger than we can imagine. I pondered on His great power and thought about how small I am and how BIG He is.

I remember being little and being scared. I would run to my Dad - who seemed like he was 20 feet tall even though he was only 5'10" - and I'd grab his leg. I would hold on tight and squeeze my eyes shut. Whatever I was afraid of would seem to disappear. Not because of me....but because I knew I was safe by my Daddy's side. I knew that he would protect me and nothing could hurt me there.

I hope you will join me as I run to Christ's side and grab his leg. I'm going to hold on tight because I know I'll be safe there.

Merry Christmas,

Debbie