Longing for Christmas

December has found us quickened by the holiday pace and long list of to-do’s that weighs heavy on the kitchen counter. December has found us frazzled and my soul longs to slow down, longs to be calmed, longs to be held near as the year winds to a close.

The Christmas tree is finally up at our house but the outside lights are still puddled up on the living room floor waiting for their moment to be hung. Isn’t that how it seems to work? We often get one thing “accomplished” only to find a more daunting task just around the corner.

I want Christmas to be more than a list of tasks, more than wrapped boxes under the tree, and more than my favorite family traditions. 

I absolutely love Christmas! I love the cheer on people’s faces, the excitement in the eyes of children, and the crispness of the air. The cookie making, meals with friends, and charitable events fill my calendar and not much makes me happier. Even with all of the grandiose enjoyment of Christmas there is still a longing inside of me that I must acknowledge.

There is a longing in me for more of this baby whose name I have heard my whole life...more of Him…more of Jesus. I long to be known deeply by the One who was held closely on the manger floor. I long to be in peaceful communion with the One who broke the silence with his newborn cry. I long to be made whole, made new by the One who’s Bethlehem presence pierced our hearts with tiny hands that would be pierced by nails. I long to be held close by the One who wrapped Himself up in human form to know me more.

Christmas is quiet expectation, bold anticipation, and humble participation in the story that God is writing with his Son as the headline. Christmas is about more than what meets the eye which is why I will strive to exist differently in these days.

I will sit quietly at the foot of a Christmas tree and read stories of a baby King who came for the sole purpose of dying on a tree, an old rugged cross, just for me.

I will sit with my blue-eyed toddler girl and share stories of valuable women, whom are mentioned in the imperfectly perfect lineage of Christ, to help her understand that she too plays a role in the Kingdom of God.

I will sit by a flickering candle in the quiet of night to be reminded that darkness is alleviated by even the smallest of flames just as the sin of the world was conquered by a newborn baby in the middle of the night.

I will slow down enough to feel in my heart the anticipation that is Christmas. And I want you to come along with me.

Will you be challenged to slow down and wait for Him with a longing expectation that He will do what He has promised?

He will come into the darkest places of your life and cast out fear with His perfect love. He will arrive onto the scene of your sorrow and give peace that passes all understanding. He will come small in unexpected ways to let you see how seen you really are. He will come and He will deliver Himself, which is the very thing we are all longing for.

But dear friend, if you are moving fast in this quick turning world, you just might miss the smallest of gifts that He intends to carry the greatest of impacts.

Be stilled enough to notice the ways in which He is coming for you, seeking you out to rescue you. He is coming and YOU are His intention…don’t miss the greatest gift ever given with eyes focused on the fast world. Slow inside to be seen, to be known, to be loved, and to be rescued. He is on the way!

© Dani Hardy (December 3, 2018)