It Begins, Of Course, with a Baby

This Sunday, a woman stood in front of the congregation and shared her salvation-story.  It began, like many of my favourites, with adoption. (I love a good adoption story.  The classic themes touch my heart - family, redemption, love, happily ever after.  The correlation with Jesus' journey here to bring us back home makes me crack wide open.)  But this one was a little different.  It wasn't a baby that God was bringing to her, but that God brought her to himself, through her baby.

She was adopting a child, and while she waited for her to arrive, was struck with her own inadequacy to raise a child.  She knew she needed more, something better, someOne bigger, to help her.  So she went looking, and found a gospel church where she was led to the best help - the Saviour.

As Advent begins, we're already thinking about Christmas - the birth of the baby who came to bring us to God.  And to think that God still sends babies to bring us to Him? Ahh, a deep breath of wonder.

My own life is crazy these days.  Full of the mixed-up stress of juggling and loving three needy littles.  Filling them up with goodness because every minute counts.  Staying up half the night, lolling half-awake on the couch half the day because the tyranny of every moment counting has to collapse somewhere.  It doesn't look a lot like the gospel, really.  But Jesus must matter whenever there's need - because that's what the gospel is.  Good news for the broken.  And in my broken exhaustion, how does the gospel heal?  How does the Bethlehem Babe matter?

He came right into the mess, didn't He? He didn't shimmer down through angel wings and a stream of gold to a pristine cradle.  He came into the world in a glut of mother-pain and was welcomed into the everyday messiness of a stable.  And angels sent shepherds right on in, right there, to worship.  They didn't wait til He had grown up and made order from the mess.  They came and saw and bowed, in awe at the strange and staggering glory of Emmanuel - God, with us.

So here, in my own mess?  He uses, of course, my children, to point me to Him.  Their quick forgiveness.  Their delight in loving.  Their sheer miraculous existence.  He's here - changing my stubborn heart, working and reworking my character to make me holy.  Prying the self-idol out of my grasp.  Laughing with me at my absurd expectations of this messy world.  He's right here in my stable and I -

What can I do?  I can look at the unsatisfactory stable, or I can see the One who makes the mess irrelevant.  I can see a manger, or my Saviour.  Here in my own not-enough-room.  Here on my own journey far from home.  Here in my not-what-I-planned life.  He meets me in my mess, and His holiness stills my heart.  I bow and worship, babe in a manger, Son of God, Son of man.  Right here, bone-tired and flecked with spit-up, I worship.

Have a blessed advent, friends.
xo.

3551 to 3560

3551. Sam telling Vava he loved her.
3552. Vava announcing "I'm here!" after naptime.
3553. Kachi smiling and laughing at Sam.
3554. Butter chicken.
3555. Mandarin oranges with hazelnut cream.
3556. Patrick playing with Sam and Vava after supper.
3557. Chatting with our neighbours in the snowy sunshine.
3558. The way evening quiet settles in.
3559. Kachinvya's sweet baby smell.
3560. The ache for justice that flares.

3541 to 3550

3541. Sam's irrepressible smile.
3542. Vava, nonchalantly falling off the couch head first and remaining completely blasée.
3543. Kachi's wobbly, toothless grins.
3544. Texting with my one true love.
3545. S&V laughing, pelting me with snow from the other side of the door.
3546. Grocery shopping alone.
3547. Crisp salad.
3548. A new broom.
3549. Sam and Vava practicing swimming in the bath.
3550. Sam asking if Jesus has dogs. ♥

3531 to 3540

3531. Reunion with friends.
3532. An array of hot sauces.
3533. Christmas movies.
3534. Sam comforting Kachi.
3535. Sam and Vava giving me hugs after I cut my finger.
3536. Sweet messages from friends.
3537. Feeding Kachinvya in quietness while Patrick bathed the kids.
3538. Sweet & helpful pharmacist.
3539. Vava wanting horsey rides, and laughing at my pony rap.
3540. Patrick doing the supper dishes.

3521 to 3530

3521. My bible app reading plan - keeping me focused when my hours swirl in dizzy exhaustion.
3522. Coffee.
3523. Pumpkin chai.
3524. Comfortably casual friends.
3525. Snowflakes.
3526. Hand-me-downs.
3527. My new storage shelves.
3528. Leftover Hallowe'en goodies.
3529. Thoughtfulness.
3530. Somebody praying for me. ♥

3511 to 3520

3511. Coffee.
3512. Your help.
3513. A still moment of fresh air, breathing alone in the frost-tipped backyard.
3514. Sam pretending to be Santa, singing to himself.
3515. Sam apologizing, after I asked his forgiveness for losing my temper: "I'm sorry for disobeying, mama. I'm sorry for making a big mess. I'm sorry for being naughty. I'm so sorry."
3516. Your prayer-answer, coming quietly.
3517. Kachi swimming in the tub.
3518. The kids gobbling veggie soup.
3519. Passionfruit scented shampoo ... sweet nostalgia.
3520. Kachinvya's sneezes: two achoos and a groan.

3501 to 3510

3501. Sam's apologetic hug & kiss when he realized he'd pulled my hair.
3502. Friends ♥.
3503. God pressing my heart.
3504. Vava telling me "here's your happy girl, mama!"
3505. Kachi wrapping his clumsy little arms around the pink zebra.
3506. Kachinvya and Vava snuggling.
3507. Supper-love, with Oreos.
3508. Notes from far-away friends.
3509. Small victories.
3510. Patrick sending me to bed while he does the dishes. ♥.

3491 to 3500

3491. Your challenge to learn.
3492. Your help.
3493. Vava's resilience.
3494. Being weird out loud.
3495. My family.
3496. Patrick's generous heart.
3497. Sam finding joy in making others happy.
3498. Kachinvya's bliss: floating in the tub while Sam roars like a dinosaur.
3499. Hazelnut sweetener.
3500. Cozy blankets in a chilly room.

3481 to 3490

3481. Another good sleep.
3482. Having Patrick home for one more day.
3483. Juicy grapefruit, sliced and scrumptious.
3484. Kachinvya's funny faces.
3485. Vava remembering who gave her her "pippy dess."
3486. Watching The First Grader on Netflix.
3487. Patrick's beautiful profile.
3488. A sumptuous feast, delivered by one of our family's favourite people.
3489. Kachi in his puppy outfit.
3490. Vava insisting on helping with dishes.

3471 to 3480

3471. Vava's morning emergency: "mama! Mama! I can't whistle!"
3472. Sam's morning emergency: "papa, I'm starving! I have just one starve!"
3473. Sam's frequent - and effective - use of the mama-melting "I love you!"
3474. A great playdate.
3475. A forgiving friend.
3476. Vava kissing the tub because she loves baths so much.
3477. Sam peering over his sunglasses, declaring, "you're beau'ful!"
3478. Vava telling me about all the characters on her show.
3479. Kissable Kachinvya.
3480. And his kissable papa.

3461 to 3470

3461. Sunny walk.
3462. Playdate at the park.
3463. Warm, happy-in-my-belly soup.
3464. Sam catching on so quickly to volleyball serving.
3465. Patrick painting in the basement.
3466. Vava's sweet hugs after naptime.
3467. Date night with my One True Love.
3468. Kachinvya in the tub - stretching, sprawling, floating.
3469. Sam and Vava's fascination with pruney fingers after bathtime.
3470. The prospect of a full night's sleep ... my mother-in-law's sweet gift.

3451 to 3460

3451. Kachinvya's snuggliness.
3452. Giving Sam an airplane ride.
3453. Chili & cornbread for lunch.
3454. Family visits.
3455. Vava in her owl dress and striped tights.
3456. Fresh sheets.
3457. Hearing my Dee Dee and Nana's voices on the phone.
3458. Playdates.
3459. Relaxing tea.
3460. Love from our church family ♥.