Isaiah 53//thoughts on Christmas

Have you ever really truly paused to think of what Christmas is about?

Most of us would respond automatically. Yes. And we would even have the right answer. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Maybe we’ve thought about it, but have we pondered it?

Do we really take to heart what Christmas is really all about?

We run around like chickens with their heads chopped off trying to find the perfect gift for each family member and friend. Then we take a look at our bank accounts and spazz out because Christmas costs a ton. Or we scramble to try to make a meaningful homemade gift for each one.

All the while we are focused on other stuff. Yes- giving gifts is a good thing. Yes, spending time with family and friends is a good thing. But that’s still not what Christmas is about!

Christmas is about Christ. Christmas is the celebration of JESUS’ birth.

Jesus came to earth so that he could die on the cross and give us the gift of eternal life. That’s a big thought.

He didn’t have to. He didn’t have to save us. He didn’t have to DIE for us.

But he did. He died for us. for you. for me. sinners. sinners who deserve nothing less than going to hell. 

But he died anyway.

He came to earth because he loved us.

//years ago my dad had to memorize Isaiah 53 for a Bible class he was taking. Being very much Daddy’s girl, I was the one who got to coach him. I heard him recite this passage so many times that I almost had it all memorized when I had to do it in high school.

Its an amazing passage. and its beautiful! <3 Its talking about Jesus. Its talking about why Jesus came to earth. Its talking about why Jesus was born. This passage brings new meaning to one of my favorite phrases,

beauty from brokenness.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

 Isaiah 53:1-9

Hopelessly in Love

   "When you are truly in love, you go to great lengths to be with the one you love. You'll drive hours to be together, even if it's only for a short while. You don't mind staying up late to talk. Walking in the rain is romantic, and not annoying. You'll willingly spend a small fortune on the one you're crazy about. When you are apart from each other, it's painful, even miserable. He or she is all you think about; you jump at any chance to be together...   We need to be like this with God."

     As I scrolled down my Facebook newsfeed one evening, this little photo-quote caught my eye, and I silently began to read. Having been in a long distance relationship for the past three years, I smiled knowingly, as the words of this statement completely identified with the way I felt about my significant other. It described us to a tee, actually. I wasn't quite prepared, however, for that last sentence...

     The simple truth of this profound statement hit me with a sobering clarity. Wow. For those of us in relationships, you understand how it is. You love your man. To death. You would do anything for him. You would gladly sacrifice your time, hobbies, money, and sleep, if it meant the happiness of your other half. When you aren't with him, when you aren't talking to him, it feels like torture. As if half of you is missing. I know. Oh, I know so very well.

But how often are we like this with God?

     In Psalm 63:1-2, David writes, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."

     Goodness. How many times have we longed for the Lord, as David did? How many times have we been as eager to talk to Him, and stay up into the wee hours of the morning with Him, as we are with our other half? Why do we sometimes think we don't need Him? Our other half may be our best friend, our strong tower, and the love our life, but where does that leave the Lord? The Lord is not merely our friend, He is our strength. Our protector. Our encourager. Our Savior. Why do we so often neglect Him?
     

     When I start straying away from the Lord, even just a little bit, I create problems in my relationship with my dear, sweet "person", whom I shall address as, "J". One thing I find myself guilty of doing quite a bit, is putting J in the place of the Lord. Not purposely, but even so, it creates tension between he and myself, because I have set him up as someone he is not.

     As women, we are prone to lean heavily upon someone. At times, it might be our parents, our mentor, our friends. But when we are in a relationship, that someone is usually the other person. Why? Because us girls are weaker, while he is stronger. He understands you. He listens to you. He supports you. And we thrive off of that. Sometimes though, if we aren't careful, we unknowingly place him upon a pedestal that is equal to God. By doing this, we set ourselves up for disappointment. Our men aren't perfect. They fail, just as much as we do. When we put them in the place that is intended for the Lord, problems begin to arise. With ourselves, because we feel alone and hurt when our significant other fails, or disappoints us; in our relationship with the other person, because we place upon them, an unfair expectation that no one can live up to; and in our relationship with God, because He is not our first priority in life, as He should be.
 

     When we place God first, and keep Him as our number one focus, we stay in tune with life, and with the people who mean the most to us. We must first fall in love with God, before we can know how to love another. 

To keep Christ first in your life, you must first fall hopelessly in love with Him. He never disappoints, never fails. And I promise it's the best thing you could ever do.