I see it now, can you? In the still of the night, in a shelter built for animals, there was a manger filled by the King of kings. It’s like at this moment I can see myself kneeling next to baby Jesus. Seeing Him in such a vulnerable state. It reminds me that I should never be afraid or ashamed to be vulnerable with others.
Honestly, in this day and age, genuine vulnerability seems to be some sort of superpower. Everyone seems to avoid it like the plague.
Vulnerability is not the same as being a victim.
It’s being open to sharing. It’s not having to lord over others. It’s allowing people to see you. Giving them an invitation to also be seen.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful Christmas gift to those around you, if you allow yourself to be more vulnerable?
Maybe with your spouse…maybe with your kids…maybe with your parents and siblings…or trusted friends.
The other thing I feel while imagining myself next to the tiny manger is…simplicity.
I just can’t seem to get away from that…the simplicity of how He came. The simplicity of the Gospel. His invitation to continue to press into the simple. I feel it every day.
Every time I turn toward my family and focusing on our smaller, yet more focused life, I can see how this invitation will grow over time. Now that I’ve been consistently focusing on us…I am seeing new vision for our future. Things that are so close to God’s heart that the only way to access them is from this place.
God has been spending years calling me closer and closer still. Every time I felt like I’d gotten closer…He’d whisper…come closer still.
He’s inviting you too. He longs to hold you closer to His heart. To share His secrets with you and whisper love into your ears. He longs to show you the deeper dreams that He has for you.
Can you hear it? The sound of His heart beating over you. Can you see it? The gleam of His eyes shining as He takes in the sight of you. Can you feel it? Heaven shining over you. He is nearer than near.
Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, My dear friends, as you have always obeyed- not only in My presence, but now much more in My absence- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Philippians 2:9-13
365 Days in the Presence 