CHRISTMAS COUNTS

We're in a bit of a Christmas tizzy at our house.  There are a million last minute things, and we are trying to take time together and enjoy one another and the reason for the season.  Sometimes it feels like a lot of pressure, but mostly, I enjoy it.

Yesterday I walked past one of the nativities in our home.



It came from a glass factory in Myanmar when we traveled there in 2012.  The short story of the glass factory is that it used to be a thriving business that drew tourists, but then Cyclone Nargis came through and devastated much of the country, killing 138,000 people as well.  The kilns in the factory were destroyed, and the owners were in so much debt that they could not repair them.  So, there are simply piles and piles of glass laying around, gathering dust and mud and being covered in vines.



It was a bizarre, surreal place to visit, and it struck a chord in my heart.  Our world is like this.  There are so many precious souls that are gathering dust and being covered in mud, because our reality is messy.  Life is a treacherous, sticky, hard thing that does take prisoners and just keeps moving.

But Christmas.

Jesus came.  He came to restore.  He came that we could rejoice.  He makes things and people new, and its real and it matters.  And that is why Christmas counts.

Today I'm thankful for the reminders of the broken glass that reflects our broken souls and the need for a Savior who came as a baby.  Merry Christmas Eve.