A Christmas Story
It’s chilly and rainy tonight. I’m wrapped up in my batik quilt sitting by the tree and listening to Christmas music quietly so as not to disturb the elderly Indonesian couple who live on the other side of our plywood kitchen wall. Outside my house, a goat has been bleating for over an hour, and for some reason, the mosque down the road has been going especially long this evening. It’s such an interesting mix of sounds.
It feels comfy inside.
In July, I moved to this house in a little village just outside the city where my school is. It has a very rural feeling, and it’s not uncommon to see a pair of water buffalo plodding down our muddy road or a flock of rice ducks eating the remains of a freshly harvested rice field.
Unfortunately, I’m rarely at home. With the hectic pace of school life, there is a continual struggle to find the balance of spending time with neighbors and of resting and retreating into “comfy-ness.” My neighbors and I live in two very different worlds. And as we pass each other coming and going, without fail they will ask, “Where are you coming from?” or “Where are you going?” The normal and expected answer would be, “Going out,” or “Coming home.” However, you can imagine how deep relationships get when that is the extent of the conversation. Why do we so often converse in such shallowness? The how-are-you-I-am-fine interaction can’t be a God-honoring one. The Author of the Universe is writing a story in each of us. And it seems that if we acknowledge Him as the most Perfect Writer, we should not feel afraid to freely share what He is writing in our lives (even if the story is not yet finished!)
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story - Those He redeemed from the hand of the foe… Psalm 107:2
Psalm 107 beautifully depicts the stories of various groups of people who have been redeemed. Verses 4-9 talk about those who were homeless and starving and how the Father met their needs completely. Verses 10-22 talk about those in prison and suffering because of their own rebellion and how they cried out for His mercy and He freed and healed them. Verses 23-32 talk about those in dangerous professions who relied on Him for their very lives and how He so willingly came to their rescue. Regardless of the situation, the exhortation of the psalmist is for them to talk about it and to share the stories with joy in public places so that His works receive even greater praise.
This season, we celebrate the greatest story that has ever been written. It is the story of God sending His Son to us to rescue us from ourselves and the enemy, with no expectation in return, except to believe it and to live like ones who have been freed! Our personal life stories, then, are merely re-confirmations of the Great Story we celebrate this season! The happenings of our daily lives become opportunities for us, and those around us, to be reminded that He is still saving and redeeming us today.
As we celebrate this Christmas, let’s intentionally recognize how He has weaved our stories into His! Our stories are living testimonies of the Truth that a Savior was born – Truth that has the power to bring great joy to all people. Without question, someone in each of our lives needs to hear these stories – His Story – today. May we not minimize or be ashamed to share what He has done and is doing still.
