Day 10: A Perspective of Gratitude

After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up,” the angel said, “and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee. He settled in a city called Nazareth so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene.

Matthew 2:19-23 CEB

One of the things I particularly appreciate about the story of the birth of Jesus is the length of the narrative. Prophets had spoken details about the coming king; the life of Jesus fulfilled them. Oh how slow God is to act – in a good way! He is patient with the unfolding story.

I know this has been one of those years that we cannot wait to see finished. It helps me to read the story of Jesus and realize how small our perspective is with regards to life. Any slice of this story must have been experienced as exceedingly stressful in real time.

What if you set aside a bit of time today, and asked yourself: what if this year will someday seem like a great gift to me? What if the things I’ve learned will serve me well, and serve those I love, in the future? What if my suffering - as senseless and painful as it has been - might one day allow me to find a greater reason for living my life? These are not the questions to ask if one is in deep grief. For those in that place - these are not your questions. But for others, who are not grieving a terrible loss, these might be decent questions to consider as we wait for the birth of Christ.