Entering In

I am relishing the simplicity this break has allowed. My children have a 3 1/2 week long Christmas vacation, with Daddy working most of it. Looking for adventure that would keep us from climbing the walls at home with pre-Christmas energy, the children & I loaded up the car last week and traveled to visit friends in the Charlotte, NC area. It was a wonderful three day trip.

We made our base camp at my beloved college roommate Suzanne's home and spent half days with my dear high school friend, Jill & my precious post-college friend, Sandy. Because we live five hours away it is a rare treat to have a block of time to catch up and simply do life together. To see our children developing their own relationships with one another was an added treasure.

As I was driving back to Georgia, I decided that my favorite part of the trip was seeing these women that I adore in their homes. Although we keep in touch, it was a gift to my heart to see them in their daily environments, to meet some of the people they interact with and to get a real insight into their life. Because I knew them best as teenagers, sorority sisters and single, post-college playmates, it was a treat to see them now in their roles as mothers, friends, neighbors.

Although time and miles separate us, the brief visits provided precious bonding. My friends graciously allowed me to enter in...to their after school carline, their grocery stores, their places of business, their church and neighborhood functions, their homes.

In the spirit of Advent, it served as a striking reminder why it mattered that Jesus came to live among people on this Earth. Clearly the sacrifice of His life was the ultimate reason for His coming, but I can't help but think about the comfort it brings knowing He has walked in the shoes (or sandals as it were) of humanity. He loved us enough to make the trip and enter our world.

He was God. He was Holy. He was without sin. But He was also a human who walked this Earth for 33 years. He was a brother, a son, a neighbor, a citizen, a worker. He had feelings, family & friendships.

He was busy. He got tired. He was hungry. He was tempted. He lost friends. He got angry. He wept. He was rejected. He experienced betrayal. He felt pain.

Sometimes it is helpful to remember that He is not as far away as our circumstances or misconceptions of Him can cause us to feel.  

We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. Hebrews 4:15-16 (The Message)