open book.

Tomorrow we will take the time to celebrate the birth of Christ. It may not be the actual day He was born, but it is the day that our culture has set aside to recognise the great gift we were given. I was thinking today about just what that gift really meant for us. Sin hasn’t really changed, and the world is just as perverse and corrupt as it has been since the fall in the garden. And as I face another Christmas that will follow the pattern of Christmases past, I am faced with the knowledge that I really haven’t taken the gift of a little, perfect baby as seriously as I should. The coming of Christ, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the Chosen One was a highly anticipated even for the Jewish population. They waited anxiously, hopefully, frustrated-ly, and with much speculation about the glorious events that would transpire after the arrival of the Lion of Judah. And many were disappointed and unbelieving. They wanted fanfare and retribution and victory. They got a baby. Who grew into a man that they then slaughtered. It all seems a little anti-climactic. Yet we know the story about His resurrection and the promise to return. The victory over death. And while all of that is so very important to my faith, there is something I was thinking about today as I reviewed some of my reading in Hebrews. Christ’s coming provided us with more than salvation and cleansing of sin. It is more than just a promise of eternity and more than a “free pass.” Christ opened up a way for EVERYONE to know more about Him, His character, His greatness, His relationship with the Trinity. He provided a vast window into the person of God. It is an (almost) all access pass. Are there still many mysteries? Yes. Are there still things that I won’t know until I am face to face with the Father? Yes. But I have the ability to constantly and eternally and wholeheartedly explore and discover more and more about God. He will reveal as much to me about Himself as I desire. It isn’t always easy work, but it is always worthwhile. He hasn’t left very much off limits. The limitations are mostly ones that exist because my humanity is incapable of understanding some aspects of His (the true) reality. So while this is not new knowledge, or really even very surprising, it got to me thinking about my relationships. Is there ever a time when I have given anyone, including my husband, full access to myself, my personality, my habits, my desires, my heart? If I am being honest, no. And if I am being really, really honest and forthcoming, I still try to pretend that God himself is not privy to all aspects of me. Ridiculous, really, since He knows me better than I do. But opening up fully and honestly is really hard for us humans. I get so guarded about who I am, what I think. Intimately sharing myself, opening up the doors that shut people out from areas of my life, is really hard. Even in my marriage it is hard to not hold things back. It’s something I pretend is for self preservation, but really it’s because I have a hard time trusting that I won’t be hurt by revealing it all. To me, being completely open is the equivalent of streaking through a knife factory. I don’t want to get cut. But today, I really saw just how much Christ opened up for His people by coming to earth. And He got seriously cut. Not just physically either. And it hasn’t ever stopped. It is a constantly seeping and bleeding wound. He opened Himself up to us, revealed to us His nature and His heart. And He keeps getting hurt, being rejected. But to Him, it is totally worth it. So what if a million people stab Him in the chest? If one person is saved than His actions are justified. And I am called to be like Christ. Am I capable of such loving vulnerability? Am I capable of bearing my heart before people who love me? Would I be able to feel some pain even if it meant that I had helped someone? Tough questions. But the gift I have been given is so great, the example placed before me is so astounding. It is time I dropped my defenses, retired the guard, and really let the light out. Just typing that scares me. Yet I know that the more I aim to be what Christ would have me be, the more that He will reveal himself in all his glory in my sorry, dingy life. That alone makes the effort worth it. That alone is more than enough. So Merry Christmas. May the God of hope fill you with joy, may you be surrounded by grace and love, and may you find a new way to let people in a little more. For His glory.