Powerless

This Christmas season has so much more significance with Oliver being in it. Originally when people would tell me this I automatically thought about how much it would mean to give him gifts and see the excitement on his face. However, I knew this would not really happen until next year because a 4-month-old doesn't really know what is going on. He does look at the Christmas tree with a sparkle in his eye and continues to laugh, coo, and razz at us. However, the significance I am experiencing has very little to do with Oliver's reactions to anything. I'm learning how to relate to the story of Jesus's birth from a mother's point-of-view.

Again the story of Christ's birth was given a new viewpoint yesterday at church. After talking about how Simeon had to wait his entire life for Jesus to be born as the Messiah of the World (Luke 2), Pastor Bob asked us to turn to Romans 5 and delve into exactly why Christ came to earth. What stood out to me was his commentary on verse 6, "You see, at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."

He related "powerless" to an infant flailing in his crib hungry and with a full diaper. I know what this looks like! Pitiful. But then the mom or dad comes into the room and feeds the baby and changes his diaper. That's what Jesus did for us. We are flailing, hungry, and dirty without Him. His birth provided the opportunity for grace to enter our lives and save us! Wow! What a thought!