I pull her from her crib. Eyes fix on the sparkling lights that shine across a dark room. And who doesn’t like light when it pierces bright, fluid, right into our very own souls, in a room  black, void of seemingly any light at all?

I know her story.

And while spirits run restless, shift, dart, and stir strong with discontentment this seasons..I watch her face still.  Silent. Unshaken.  Staring at the lights.

And how many times have I said, these children are my teachers; the young, the teenager; a gift showing me what it means to slow down, stop striving, learn to appreciate, and find healing in my God….not man’s achievements.

And I wonder where we went wrong? Making life about running and spinning undone, until what we earn somehow gets lost in greedy hands always wanting more?

Thinking racing and competing, pressing on in our own strength, will somehow pacify us or give us…more of the God who lost all and died for us?  Do we forget He was born alone, quiet, in a manger, a place very few saw?

And I want the kind of faith that is quiet, the kind that is silent and listens, following only when calls.  I want the faith of our child, the one  staring at the light, not forgetting that life is dark, and without the light of Jesus, none of us have any hope at all.

But in a plastic world of too often, fake representations, trying-hard-to-impress, and man’s empty and unsatisfying traditions, we can forget about that baby in Bethlehen…the little one woken from her nap, seeing Jesus in the decorations, in the lights, in the angel high upon a tree staring down on us in grace.

And maybe you don’t struggle like I can?  Maybe you have caught the secret to being a turtle in a world full of hares?  Maybe you have found the magic of a Magi in the Silent Night, the Away in a Manger He calls us to fix our gaze upon?

But I personally learned, I must intentionally, must consciously stop my type “A’ perfectionist mentality…or I will miss the message all together.  I will only loose when I grip tight, holding this holiday tighter than ever…

So, I let go. Loosen my grip of having to do and be. Intentionally skip seeing Facebook with images that aren’t real, stop comparing and letting jealousies take over those “not good enough” voices that I once called my friend.

And I slow down. Stop in the midst of that little one.  Get low.  Look into those I love eyes; wait, watch, and listen for the Savior saying, “I am coming”.  Keeping the horizon my fixation, that Light of all Lights as my gaze through this season.

And isn’t it o.k. if Christmas cards aren’t sent out to people who many not even read them?  If packages aren’t hand-made, if cookies weren’t baked entirely by scratch?  Would our families, those we love, still appreciate us any less?

Another daughter, gone.  Overseas, a place empty at our table this season.  And while the joy of our foster toddler fills us to overflowing….

Once you have lost, once you miss, once people you value can’t be held tight this Christmas….You realize what’s important, the meaning of His entry in world full of pain.  You see the purpose for the season and why Jesus really came:  People. 

And when the tinsel subsides, the parties are over, the world stops spinning on those silent nights….you really do remember those close to your heart and dear to your life….and that redemption by His Love is the reason Jesus came and died.

So friends, I say we stop the rat-race.  Slow down, minimalize, cut a few things off our “To-Do-List” this Christmas. Write a note, text a message, stop by and surprise a shut-in or someone you haven’t seen in awhile.  Support a child,  drop a few coin in the March of Dimes bucket at the department store. Tell a story, pick a few days to just have fun, exploring this big, beautiful world God created for our…investing in people instead of “stuff”.

Because, what if the gift we give to those who don’t thank us were sent to the needy instead?  What if instead of a feast, we volunteered at the soup kitchen?  What if we cut ourselves some slack and put our priority on people instead of  empty purchases?  What if we loved others, being with the ones God has placed in front of us…instead of creating Pinterest perfect lives, lacking substance in the first place?

I watch her eyes. They don’t move from that Christmas tree.  She has tasted and seen the light, and even others in the room can’t shake her from her stare.  Does she get the meaning?  In her child eyes, is eternity in her heart awakened when bright lights glare in this dark room?

I don’t know, but I think broken children must know The Child, much more than we care to realize, sometimes.

So, I stop.  Take lessons from this little girl who was taken from her mom and dad.

And instead of going, doing, wanting, achieving…I stop and thank Him.  Thank Him for the family that is with us this Christmas.  Holding my husband close. Relishing in the fact that God is near to those who have lost, or those who are missing people ever dear to them, this season.

For, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be remembered for unsettled chaotic frenzies by my children…But by love. And peace.  And hope.  And for those moments I got low, seeing Jesus in their eyes. In a room where the quiet is enough…

To remind us of, the real meaning, of Christmas.

UNITE Link Up

In this crazy season, will you take a few minutes to link up a post below?  All family-friendly posts are welcome!  There is not one “right thing” that you need to write on or share about.

Here is how it works.  Add a post, post a link back here, then take a few moments to comment on the post before yours! 

ENJOY!