Jesus

It is Sunday morning and very quiet in this house.  This little guy has been sick for almost 3 days now with a fever.  Probably teething, but for whatever reason, he has been feeling pretty miserable.  Matt and the other kids are at church while I am at home
with poor Micah.









I was just spending some quiet time with the Lord and was reflecting on a lot of things.  Our family all had some really good discussion this morning about spiritual things and I was trying to process and talk to God about that.  The words to my favorite Christmas carol kept coming to mind. (O come O come Emmanuel is a close second!)  It's my favorite because of the first verse especially.

O little town of Bethlehem,
    How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
    The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
    The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
    Are met in thee to-night.

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.  How. True.  The hopes and fears of those who lived before Jesus was born and the hopes and fears of those who live today.  Sin- it ruined everything.  God came up with the perfect plan to redeem us and rescue us from the consequences of sin.  His plan- Jesus.

Two years ago, we went to a presentation called Let's Go to Bethlehem.  I think I will always look back at that as a highlight of my life.  There is something inside of me that really relates to the impact of that Baby in the manger.  The "everlasting Light".  Everlasting.  Jesus didn't come to give me temporary hope-I have everlasting hope.  He is everlasting and because of His coming to earth, His dying in my place, and His rising again,  I will be with Him forever.

The sad part about Bethlehem is how many people had no idea that God was among them. Emmanuel.   I relate to that because I wonder how often I miss that I have God with me.  Am I "asleep" while God is working His redemptive plan in my own life.

I want to recognize that even when my potato soup doesn't turn out right, apple juice gets spilled on the floor  2 hours after I wash it, I forget about my chicken stock that is cooling and leave it on the counter all night, I have to take a sick baby with me to the grocery store because there's no food in the house and all babysitters are helping at a Word of Life event, and I can't check everything off my to-do list.....

I have Jesus.  My hopes and my fears.....met in Him.  I love Him so much!