BELIEVE

This time of year I often see this word plastered on signs, cards, graphics and other media.  It's generally connected with "Believe in the magic of Christmas" and Santa Claus.  Mind you I have no problem with Santa, he's touted as a "jolly ol' soul" and represents giving and I'm good with "jolly ole souls" and giving.  However, I BELIEVE there is a greater reason to celebrate Christmas.

About 4 years ago I had made a sandwich and took it outside to eat on my front porch.  It was late summer so I sat and enjoyed my lunch as the warmth of the sun seeped into my bones.

After finishing my sandwich I noticed a few ants roaming around on the porch floor.  Watching them I recalled an article I had read about ants, that they are industrious and search tirelessly to collect their food to store for the winter months.  Being a soft heart-ed person, I raked a few crumbs off my plate for them to collect.  But, amazingly, the ants didn't seem to find the crumbs, so I began to systematically cut off their pathways, in order to redirect them to the crumbs but regardless of how desperately I tried to lead them to the morsels it simply didn't work.  They could not see the bigger picture in their small world.  I wondered what else I could do to help them find my offering.  I picked up a crumb and dropped it in front of one of the ants but all it did was scare it in the opposite direction. These ants could not perceive that someone was trying to help them.   Even though we are on the same planet their world is different from my world, there was no way I could communicate my intention to them; I knew about them but they didn't know about me.  As I pondered this thought I realized the only way I could show them how I wanted to help them was to become a part of their world, become an ant.

What a realization!  This is what God has done for us.   The only way the Creator could communicate His intentions and help us know Him is if He became one of us.  And that is what I BELIEVE He did.  I BELIEVE He loves us and wants us to know Him.  For that purpose He was born into humanity, to help us find more than a simple crumb; to stop our tireless wandering and to give us something that will appease our hungry souls and help us find a life that is full of purpose and meaning and an eternal relationship with Him.  BELIEVE for me is a celebration of His birth into our "ant" world.  Yes, I do BELIEVE. Jesus the Christ is the Creator who was born into our world and the Reason for the Season.

Till next time,

~willa~