Things Aren't Always As They Seem

We all hear stories only to find out later that there is more to the story. It's something I seem to continually run across in my life. Here's such a story.

A young girl was told she would have a very special child even while she remained a virgin. While traveling, she gave birth to a baby in the poorest physical conditions. Fast forward and we celebrate another Christmas in 2009, a time when much of the world hears the story of the Christ again.

But there's more to the story. It can be reframed to see it just a bit differently.

A virgin gave birth to a warrior in a barn. That's the story of an incredible God who can do anything. He chose a young girl, an unlikely choice to raise a warrior, to bring the Redeemer into the world. He chose a virgin, a girl who was pure and holy and, in all reality, unable to bear a child as she was, to show the impossible is possible with God. And - maybe the part I like the most in this version - he delivered a sweet baby, who would become the greatest warrior known to man, to the world. A baby who would grow into a warrior that would fight the greatest fight we can imagine, the battle that saves us from hell, a battle that gives us eternal life, a battle that will lead us to the presence of God.

I appreciate the celebration of Jesus' birth. I am overwhelmed by the way God brought him into the world to battle the powers of evil on my behalf. I am thankful today, more than ever, that a warrior was born who would and continues to fight for me.

Things aren't always what they seem, are they?

Grace and peace to you.