Hidden Christmas: More 'Good News'

During this season of Advent, I can’t help to think of the exhaustion we all feel in ministry. Recently, days have been overwhelming, overloaded, and over extended. And yet, today, the Lord came near. During a 45-minute walk, He showed up, and I mean physically showed up. The warmth of His arms in 20+ degree weather was amazingly tangible.

You see, life often demands every physical, mental, and emotional resource available. Sound familiar? Often times, the Lord is with us; however, there are times we do it on our own. And, the exhaustion of doing it on our own is overwhelming. As much as we seek Him, pray, and do His work, it is nothing and extremely draining if done without Him. And, the big bomb, He has already won the war. So, why does it feel as if we're fighting an uphill battle? Jesus entered the world, lived with us, cared for us, and died for us. He redeemed us. It is finished. The work is done. Our job isn’t to do. Our job is to seek Him, love Him, and love His children. The doing, the work, the responsibility, are nothing in comparison to Jesus living in and through us.

This is what He shared today. He loves us enough to come down, wrap His arms around us (literally), and to assure us He is with us, just as he did 2000 years ago. But, more than that, He requests that we not fret, for He has overcome the world. As Tim Keller puts in on page 38 in Hidden Christmas, "In Jesus you stop having to prove yourself because you know it doesn't really matter in the end whether you are a failure or a king. All we need is grace." This is Good News. He loves us in spite of our own thinking and doing.

Good or bad, male or female, and despite our socioeconomic background, He has freed us from obligation and expectation and simply asks us to seek and be with Him. His request of us isn’t to fight His battle or prove ourselves, it is to live and breath in His love and grace. Lord, release us from the “should” entourage in our lives and the world's expectations, and surround us with your presence and grace.