Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Luke 2:1-2.
Thus begins one of the greatest stories in all of history, the coming of God in the flesh, Emmanuel, to redeem mankind. It is a messy and sometimes painful story as all true stories of life really are. It all began when the government in that day, the Roman Empire, was cash strapped and decided to take a census for the purpose of collecting taxes. However, the real reason everyone’s life was thrown into an upheaval was so two people, Joseph and Mary, would come up from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. It makes you wonder what all the economic upheaval and shakings that are going on in our nation are really about.
Mary, like all young girls and boys, dreamed of something more for her life. God took note of her dreams, and one special day He sent Gabriel to speak to her of unimaginable things. She said “Yes” to God’s plan for her life and lived happily ever after, or so we wish. Life is not a fairy tale and Jesus Christ is not Prince Charming. Mary stepped into one of the greatest adventures and messes that any girl or boy ever has. God has no bad plans for His people. Every day is a day in which He loves us and we can experience His abundant life, however there will be times when abundant life seems only to be an abundance of difficulties.
You wonder what was going on in Mary’s heart on that seventy mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I can imagine her thinking, “What was I thinking, why did I ever say, ‘let it be to me according to your word,’ and why did God let this happen as I am about to give birth? Where is that angel when I really need him?”Mary found herself in a lot of difficulties and things did not immediately improve. After an interlude of shepherds visiting, dedicating the Baby and wise men from the east dropping by and leaving some gifts that would finance unexpected travel plans, Joseph, Mary and the Child had to hurriedly leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt to avoid Jesus being killed by Herod. The families living in Bethlehem and the vicinity with little boys two years old and younger were not so fortunate.
Can you imagine how Mary felt when she heard about all those little boys being murdered? This would not be the last time that Simeon’s word to Mary, “a sword will pierce even your own soul” Luke 2:35 would come to pass.
I think the sad thing for us is we tend romanticize the stories in the Bible when the reality is not so romantic. I notice a lot of believers quit pursuing what God has put in their hearts because of all the trouble that seems to come our way. I came to place once in my life where I quit on the dreams of my heart because I got tired of the piercing of the sword. I found out that it is not the way God created us to live. I have come to the conclusion that abundant life includes an abundance of mess and some really painful moments. The truth is the only people who have no mess or pain are buried in cemeteries. We might as well have the trouble on God’s terms not ours, or worse, the devils.
So if you are one of those people who have given up on what God has placed in your heart, do yourself a big favor this Christmas and give yourself the gift of pursuing God’s dreams for your life again.
Many Blessings, BW