Believing in the power of God

We went to the last playgroup meeting of the year today. There was a party atmosphere with candles and food and decorations, and everyone chatted about their holiday plans. It is hard to be away from home at this time of year. It is easy to start feeling sorry for myself. I try to fight it, but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by life. I know that until I die, there will be imperfections in me and my house and my husband and son and in my life. So it is really pointless to be overly troubled by our (lack of) money in the bank, or what clothes I'm wearing, or what toys and activities are available to Iain, or how long it is going to take us to repay our student loans, or when and where Brian will get a full time job. But it is a struggle. That eternal perspective is so easy to lose.

And it is easy to feel that God doesn't understand or that he is unkind. But as I listened to the Christmas story being told to the children this morning, the true degradation of Joseph and Mary's situation struck me. What kind of a provider was Joseph in that situation? How must have Mary felt when she had to birth her child into dark and damp and muck? All the children's stories and nativity sets have bright clean stables with adoring animals surrounding the family. I haven't known the ignominy of sleeping in a barn because I have nowhere else to go, let alone giving birth in one. And that is the situation that God choose to make his advent in. How can I complain when he has generously given me more than he gave his only begotten son?

It is such a comfort to think about the humiliation of Christ and the glorious results that came from it. If God can plan such a wonderful and awesome thing as the savior of the world being born into a stable, then I can be confident that he has his plan for me well in hand too, no matter what it seems like to me at the time.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor. 1:18