WHAT WAS IT LIKE for Joseph and Mary to change
baby Jesus’ diaper? To feed and care for him? From all
appearances, Jesus was a typical baby boy—except for that
little detail of being fully God in human form! I wonder
at times if Joseph and Mary’s lives were any different
from our own? The Son of God was in their midst—but
did they also deal with the normalcy and mundaneness
of everyday life that we parents struggle with? Did baby
Jesus ever get into the pantry and accidentally break jars
as he learned how to use his physical body? Did He even
have to “learn” that part of life, or did it just happen
automatically? How old was Jesus when he learned to
scoot around on the floor, crawl, and then totter back and
forth on his feet?
Is it not incredible to think the God who created
everything chose to send His Son to this earth, experience
life much the same as we do, and then give His life for us
in death? Jesus, through His incarnation, validates and
verifies the sanctity of human life from birth to death.
What an unbelievable thing He has done for us!
I read recently of a Guinness world record that
I’d never heard of before. In 2010, a hotel in Abu Dhabi
built the world’s most expensive Christmas tree. It was
more than 40 feet tall and held ornaments worth more
than $11,000,000. So, in case the conversation ever
comes up about keeping Christ in Christmas, you can
pull that factoid out of your back pocket to make your
point. Christmas is more than expensive trees and gifts. I
wonder: how far have we veered from the real purpose of
celebrating Jesus’ birth?
The gift that’s worth the most is who God gave to
the world — His only son Jesus.
~~~
May you and your family have a wonderfully blessed
Christmas time, and as always, may you find joy in the
simple things.
~~~
Marlin Miller is the publisher of Plain Values magazine