I love
nativity scenes- in fact I have a collection of about six that I place around
the house so that during the Christmas season any direction one faces one is
found with a smiling baby Jesus.
Sometimes when my dog sits next me he likes to place his cute, little head
on my lap. When I contemplate the
nativity I usually visualize myself as a little lamb making my way so close to
Jesus that I am not satisfied until I rest my head on the trough. Love just wants to be near the beloved. Normally the manger scene is beautiful – the people
and animals that surround the babe are a good distance away – or a socially polite
distance away- but I think that if God had given me the blessing to be the
little lamb I visualize being I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I was so near I
could touch Him (smile). I might even
dare to give Him a good sheep lick kiss!
Last night
I began reading a book that examines Psalm Twenty- Three and the role between
the shepherd and his sheep. It’s written
by a famer who was a real shepherd with his own flock of sheep. He uses his experience shepherding to clarify
the roles of sheep in relation to their shepherd. The author takes each line of
the psalm and clarifies, explains and deepens on the message David was
metaphorically trying to get across. The
first chapter dealt with the first line “the Lord is my shepherd.” As I read the explanation provided- I
realized that my sadness during this season has to do with an erroneous view of
God. I have been reducing Him to my
limited, human comprehension of Him- meaning I have made Him so small that my
worries seem bigger than Him. Sometimes,
we believers diminish God’s omnipotence simply with our pride and despair. Yet, He is God Creator! In this context the perfect
shepherd who protects and provides for his flock! Lately I keep forgetting that He has things
under control and that He is all powerful.
He is my shepherd and I am merely a foolish sheep!
These past
three days- my sadness has been lifted as I have redirected my focus to God and
as I have restored God’s supremacy. I
needed a humility check- and though at times I still want to throw myself a
pity party and shout at God like a toddler who is not getting what she wants,
the good Christian girl in me is trying to believe and to hope in the
Lord. And since I can’t even manage to
have hope on my own- I lean on Him to help my unbelief.
May you
have a Merry Christmas and may God give you more of Him. ¡Feliz Nochebuena!
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