Merry Christmas

As the night we celebrate Jesus' birth approaches, our sorrows and our capacity for joy increase.  The closer we get to enjoying what Jesus did for us, the more profound our personal woundedness appears.  Our hearts have fleeting glimpses of the perfection that we were created for, but our lives reflect our inability to live up  to our own ideals.  At my work we are slammed with phone calls and walk-ins.... "I need help".  "My daughter needs to talk to someone".  "My mother needs an assessment."  Our neediness becomes so apparent that it's like we're wearing it outside of our skin suddenly instead of just carrying it in our hearts.  "If only"....my mom hadn't done that. "If only"   .... my husband hadn't left me..  "If only".... I could have that one moment back when everything changed.


Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost.  You and me.  He came so that we would have LIFE and have it abundantly.  Not as the world around us says or does or gives back, but according His awesome power working in me to redeem and stabilize all the ups and down of living in a chaotic world.  


Jesus came to bring me into harmony and peace with God, my heavenly Father. To show and to state beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves me exactly as I am and all He wants from me is for me to love him back.  Exactly as I am.  And then he can take the most profound mess and restore beauty, wholeness, peace and yes, even happiness.  The absolute simplicity of it is almost too much to comprehend.  

BELIEVE IT!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

EMMANUEL!

JESUS IS BORN!