A Manger Memory

"Emmanuel, God with us" This reality has rung in my ears over and over again this Christmas. "What is man that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him?" (Ps. 8:4) It is an awesome and overwhelming thought that God the Creator would make a way for us to not only know Him through His dear Son, but would allow for His abiding presence with us always. And not just that we can come to Him, but He came to us.

Roger and I have always made it a practice to read the Christmas story together as a family on Christmas morning before opening gifts and beginning our day. We knew this year would be different primarily because we'd be spending Christmas at the ranch with "our boys" there, those that did not have families to spend time with, or families they could not be with. Rog suggested we do something a little different.

So last night on Christmas Eve, we gathered down in the barn. We invited the girls' cottage next door and our resident wrangler and her family that was visiting, to join us. Rog placed a manger, one used in countless manger scenes and Christmas plays, in an empty straw-strewn stall. With a couple of horses occasionally snorting, the barn cats mewing at the invasion of their space, and the smell of wood and hay and leather in the air, we crowded in that little stall around the manger and listened in the quiet as Rog read the Christmas story from Luke. I then began singing Away in a Manger, then Silent Night as everyone joined in.

We worshiped last night in that barn stall, and celebrated the presence of our Savior who was with us in a very real way. Some of the kids wanted explanations..."what's a manger anyway...what does swaddling clothes mean??" The beautiful story so familiar to me is still foreign to many.

We have so many wonderful Christmas memories, time with family, time with special friends, times with our dear church family. Our boys are now making memories of their own with the beautiful families God has given them. And even though Rog and I celebrate a little differently than we used to, we're still making memories.

Standing in the quiet of that rough stall last night I thanked Jesus that He "became flesh and dwelt among us, and for the promise of his abiding presence still.

Beauty in Simplicity

God knows what I need and when I need it. I am so easily overwhelmed when I'm tired. My thoughts get cloudy and my mood meloncholy. I need quiet. I need life to slow down a bit and not be so demanding. But we know that's not always possible. Sometimes we must push through relying on the grace of God and His joy which is our strength. And His grace is even more precious when we are at the end of ourselves and know it His grace sustaining us.

But then there are those moments...and yes they are often just moments...that He allows us to have some sought out solitude, a tiny respite from the craziness. Like today, right now. Even though life is pressing, I pause to enjoy the scene outside my window. A soft, steady snow is falling. From a full, gray sky it blankets the earth and calls me to stop and take notice of the beauty and simplicity of this season.

Maybe for you it is the laughter of a child, the warm glow of a candle, a soft breeze on your face, the peaceful breathing of a sleeping baby, a favorite song on the radio that draws you to sing along. Whatever it is, don't let the moment slip by unnoticed. These are just a few of the many ways the Lord expresses His love for us, assures us of His presence with us. We can't afford to pass this by.

I have learned to treasure the beauty and simplicity of these moments as a gift from my Father who knows where I am and what I need.