Christmas revolves around the arrival of Jesus, God with skin on. This alone is really more than we can comprehend: The God of the Universe humbling Himself and being born as a baby, the most vulnerable of all humans.
Babies are completely and utterly dependent on others to take care of every single need. That kind of vulnerability is something we, as adults, avoid like the plague and yet Jesus placed Himself EXACTLY there.
In a culture that screams for attention, acknowledgment, publicity, importance, position, and relevance, Jesus reminds us by example that our identity is NOT in what we do, but WHO we are…or rather WHOSE we are.
When Jesus was in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan, the first temptation was to be relevant.
Matthew 4:3,4:
If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Jesus had supernatural power, but he refused to use it to get for himself what he knew God could and would provide.
As moms/homeschooling moms, we face countless temptations to be “somebody”: perfect teacher, flawless mother, even and “outstanding” Christian example, and by doing so, we not only put ourselves under a tremendous unnecessary burden, we allow our own competence to sit on the throne of our hearts.
God wants to and will show Himself incredibly powerful and faithful in our lives, but we must make a conscious decision to be completely and utterly dependent on Him.
Philippians 2:3-8 (NLT)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Let’s take some time to reflect on where our hearts are. Do we have the heart and mind of Christ? Are we willing to humble ourselves?
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6,7 (NLT)
It’s safe to let go.
Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash