Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Christmas. I have a sort of tortured relationship with most holidays because I’m a child of divorce. For some, holidays mean spending slow, lovely times with family, but with mother and father and in-laws, I find myself harried. I find myself rushed, too rushed sometimes even to remember the purpose of the holiday.

Christmas this year, I have decided, will be different. I will be slow. I will be deliberate about savoring the time with my family and the glorious mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus Christ the Lord, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, was born into flesh in a barn and laid in a feed trough. He left the beauty and glory of Heaven and came to an Earth that did not recognize Him. He surrendered silver and gold for poverty and a stiff bed of straw. He left perfectly crafted robes for swaddling clothes. The Almighty made Himself low so that we might be lifted up.

The greatest strength of a man is humility. Jesus lived that sort of humility. He could have destroyed all those who came against Him, could have spoken them out of existence with just a word, could have brought Himself down from the Cross and avoided being sacrificed for our sins. After all, we deserve death for our sins; He did not. Death on the Cross was not inevitable. He chose it, with humility, with us in mind. Why? Because He loved us that much.

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” ~Matthew 23:12

Oh, humble, precious Lord Jesus, today in the hearts of men and in the heavenlies, be real, be exalted, be glorified, be lifted up! You are worthy of all the glory and honor and praise the world can hold, and then some.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” ~Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one!

Everything All at Once (Or, As the Eye Twitcheth)

Today has me smack-dab in the middle of everything.

First, I'm expecting my LSAT score at some undetermined time in the hopefully near future. I think my right index finger is about to stage a coup because it's tired of repeatedly clicking the refresh button. The official score report date is 1/5/09, but they usually do send out scores quite a bit sooner than they promise them. I'm anxious to get my score and know where I stand.

Second, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I have to work. This puts me in a unique situation because one side of my family has their Christmas gathering on Christmas Eve. Generally, the day before big holidays, we get off at 2:15, but sometimes we don't. My employer would not tell us whether or not we could expect to leave early tomorrow. Either way, I will be late to our 2pm gathering, but there is a distinct difference between showing up at 3 because I got off at 2:15 and showing up at 5 because I got off at 4:15. By 5, I don't imagine anyone will still be there!

Third, a lot of changes are happening at church and while change is good, it can be stressful.

Fourth, the previous three things I listed have made me sleep-deprived, which is not a desirable state for someone trying to navigate stressful situations. I need sleep, but when is that really going to happen, huh?

So yeah, that's where I am today, in the middle of everything, a ball of crazy.

My left eye is twitching, but I think the girl who sits behind me thinks I am flicking my eyelid with my finger for no reason at all. Lovely.