We’ve reached the peak of the season... Christmas Eve! The lights are high, the carols are playing, and the world tells us this is the "most wonderful time of the year." But if I’m being honest, sometimes the brighter the lights shine, the easier it is to see my own shadows.
Maybe you’re like me. Maybe this month has felt less like a Hallmark movie and more like a marathon you weren't trained for. I look at the unfinished to-do lists, the moments I lost my patience, the ways I didn't show up as the "perfect" mom or wife, and the word 'failure' starts to ring louder than the church bells. I feel like I'm falling short of the joy I'm "supposed" to have. I feel like I'm not enough to fill the expectations of the season.
But God...
The beauty of Christmas isn't found in our ability to get it all right. In fact, the very first Christmas happened because we couldn't get it right.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
The "But God" of the Christmas story is this: We were exhausted, we were failing, and we were lost in our own shortcomings. But God didn't wait for us to clean up the house or fix our hearts before He arrived. He stepped into the mess of a stable because He knew we couldn't climb our way out of our own messes.
When we say "Jesus is the Reason," we often think of a cute baby in a manger. But tonight, let's remember that Jesus is the reason we can stop trying to be perfect.
He didn't come to reward those who had it all together; He came to rescue those who knew they didn't. If you feel like a failure tonight, you are actually in the perfect position to receive the gift of Christmas. You are the very person He came for.
Jesus is the reason for our hope, not because of what we’ve done, but because of what He is doing.
Lord, thank You for meeting me in my "not-enoughness." When I feel like I'm falling short, remind me that Your grace is the safety net that catches me. Help me to stop performing and start receiving. Tonight, I trade my feelings of failure for Your gift of peace. Amen!
I hope you're enjoying your Christmas Eve, Reader. Merry Blogmas!
