Christmas Eve

The night is upon us. The wind, though not as cold as it has been the last two evening, is ever present. There is just something about a chill in the air at Christmas time that reminds me of just how inconvenient the time and place of Jesus' birth must have been for Him and his parents.

It must have been so cold on that night. Dusty, the ground cold and hard. I can't imagine giving birth in those conditions--much less being brought out of a warm and toasty womb to greet the world in such a frigid air. Only to be wrapped in swaddling by the way.

So on this eve of Christ's birth I think not of the happy faces and squeals of delight that I will experience in my children tomorrow morning, but of the totally awesomely crafted plan that God has laid out for His children. I would be lying if I said I did not allow myself to be consumed, at times, this season with plans to thrill my children on Christmas morning, and I will not feel guilty for that. I believe he allows us those parallels. Not so that we can be consumed in all things material but so we can relate, even if in just a small fraction, of the love our heavenly Father has for us.

So on this night. I say thank you to our God above for sending your son, in the precious form of a newborn babe. To grow among us, teach us, mold us, and use us, for your glory.