As we celebrate another Christmas, I just want to share a message the Holy Spirit laid in my heart for this season. It is blessing me and I trust it will do so much more in your life too. So, if you can, do take a few seconds and open your heart to God, believing you will be blessed.
This year I worked with children, like never before. I had the rare privilege of meeting different children from different schools. As I journeyed through different places and met little cute faces, I met three children that made me question God, yet again. O yes dear, every now and then, when I get so confused and overwhelmed about a particular thing or situation, I just call on God to come have a question and answer section with me. Beautiful thing is, God always comes through…and gives me answers that put me to peace. Most times it is not the answer I was hoping for…but His answers put me to peace.
Okay, back to my story. One of the children I met had just one hand, her left hand. She played, went to school and did any and every other thing children do, with just her left hand. The other was a boy; he had little or no fingers, on both palms. The place where normal fingers were supposed to grow had tender looking flesh tissues that could barely hold anything. The tiny flesh growths on the left palm looked and felt stronger; hence the left hand was his only option to do anything he needed to do with what fingers are supposed to do. Lastly, was another girl child; she had a severe burn scar, from the left side of her face down to her left hand. The burn was so severe…she couldn’t stretch her left hand, like many other children have the privilege to.
These children were below 9years of age. They were not isolated (of course they shouldn’t be); they were in school with other children who had complete hands, fingers and “scarless” bodies.
Now you might be wondering if this was the first time I was seeing physically challenged children. Well, no. I’ve seen other children that are more physically challenged, but this was the first time I was working with children that are physically challenged. It was the first time I was getting to see how physically challenged children can shrink into themselves when they see and know they can never do what most children can do effortlessly. I didn’t ask them about their hands and face. I didn’t make them feel any different, but they knew I was definitely aware of their inability to do some things. They didn’t say anything too, but just looking at their eyes, you’ll hear a lot from their hearts.
Of course, I asked God why?
This wasn’t the first time I was asking God “why?” it was definitely not the second or third…or even the thousandth time. I’ve asked God “why” so many times. I’ve lost family members and friends to the cold hands of death…and their deaths just didn’t make sense. I’ve lost several other things. I’ve heard of the gruesome ways people die, and in all of those times and so many other times…I’ve asked God “why?” However this asking was kind of different. I really wanted an answer for those children. One day they are going to get older and they will, definitely, be stigmatized. They will feel the hurt. They will have to fight through it, and I just felt that God should have been protective enough to not allow children go through all of these. Please forgive me, I’m not saying adults deserve to go through it either…I’m just sounding this way because children have a special place in my heart.
God saw my heart and He gave me a short word and that’s exactly what I want to leave with you this Christmas.
But first…
We have to understand that no evil and anything bad have their origin from God. It is the devil that is behind all of these things we know are just wrong and shouldn’t have been. Like I always like to say, God is good, and He can never be bad and He can never pretend to be bad. The devil on the other hand, is bad, and though he tries to pretend to be good most of the times…he can never be good. Read and meditate on John 10:10, it summarizes this truth for us.
God doesn’t want things that’ll cause us pain and hurt to happen to us. He doesn’t want us to be sad. He wants us to enjoy life. Nonetheless, we’re in a fallen world. We are in a world where the devil and his demons are working tirelessly to do evil and cause havoc (that explains why Christians should learn to take authority from the devil and not let his plans became a reality). We are in a world where many have made themselves vessels and instruments that the devil can fill up and use, so we’ll always see things that will not be God’s perfect will on earth (We, Christians should understand that we have a powerful role to play, if we want to see God’s perfect will on earth). But beyond the plans and efforts of the devil and his demons, we have something so beautiful to hold unto, and that’s what my Christmas message to you it’s all about…
Beauty in a Manger
Yes, beauty in a manager. You see dear, we have to understand that the God will serve can create beauty out of anything. He doesn’t define beauty like we do. He doesn’t limit Himself to what we think and expect beauty to be. His definition of beauty is far above any and everything we can ever imagine, think and ask for.
The reason those children still have life is because there’s something beautiful they are here to accomplish on earth, and when God sees them, He sees the beauty they are here to add to earth. God doesn’t see what I saw that made me sad. This is not to say that God doesn’t understand the pain and hurt; He does…but way beyond that, He sees something so much more beautiful. The beauty in them can shine so bright and blind us so much that we no longer see the scars they have, because all we can see is the beauty that shines from them. This is true for any and every other person living on earth…not just those children.
Whatever circumstance…no matter how dirty and bad it might seem and look, when Jesus steps into it, it will be the most beautiful thing ever. Jesus literally made the manger (a place associated with animals dirt, filth and stink) something beautiful and something we’ll never stop talking about, as long as the earth remains. It is the same thing He did with the cross. We can now wear the cross, decorate with the cross and love everything about the cross, but before Jesus went on the cross, the cross was one of the most shameful thing to be associated with. Jesus can make anything b e a u t I f u l. He doesn’t need to avoid the thing. He steps right into it…and then makes it beautiful. And guess what? God actually loves such scenarios…so He can show man that what we call dead and dry can be a mighty host of army.
Jesus would have been born any other place, but God chose a manger (Luke 2:1-7). A place associated with dirt. It is even an irony, because as humans, we believe that newborns should be kept in the neatness of places. We disinfect, wash and try our best to keep newborns away from dirt and keep them in the coziest of places…yet, it was a place associated with dirt and stink that the Lord of lords, our Righteousness…the Saviour of humanity…God Himself in the form of man, was born.
If I was one of those persons that already had a place in those inns, seeing Mary in her condition would have made me give up my place for her. I want to believe that there where good people in those inns, but God, deliberately, allowed it to be so. What can ever beat the beauty of Jesus? Yet, He was born in a manger.
What’s your dirt and stink? What are your “uglies?” Can you invite Jesus into it? Can you trust Jesus to help you see beauty in it? Jesus can bring out beauty from any filth, dirt or stink…any ugly, if we let Him. Can you let Him? It might not even be all ugly; it might just be something about you that you don’t like…say your body size, shape or height. Or maybe it might just be where you are, the situations surrounding where you are and the people you’re in it with. Jesus isn’t going to hush and bash you like everyone else. Jesus isn’t going to make you feel bad and guilt. So, why not let Him. Truth is; Jesus actually wants to…way more than we can ever want Him to. He is standing at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting for you to let Him in.
As you celebrate Christmas this year, I believe God wants you to let this blog post be a reminder that Jesus can bring out BEAUTY…His BEAUTY…from any struggle, any disappointment, any mistake, any heartbreak, any failure…from ALL and anything that’s hurting you greatly…or even just giving you a little discomfort, because He cares even about the little things.
Please, do read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 1:25-29
My prayer for you:
It’s Christmas, and I pray you experience Jesus’ beauty…like never before. I pray you see Him step into situations, as you invite Him…and may you have an encounter with Jesus that will be a testimony you’ll always use to tell others about Jesus.
Amen.
Do have a…
Merry Beautiful Christmas…and do…
Stay Spiritually Fit.
Wow!
Thank you.