Christmas.

Love it or not, it will be here in a matter of days.

Normally, I’m all about the Christmas season.  I make my lists and check them twice.  I shop and wrap and bake.  I was geared up to jump in with both feet this year, too.  The magic of Christmas was mine for the making.

And then, on the 4^th of December, I zigged when I should have zagged while skiing with my kids.   A pop and then a zip from my calf up to the back of my knee.  I instantly knew what had happened.  And that I was in for a backwards and head first ride down the mountain via the ski patrol sled.

Muscle torn.  Pain.  Crutches.  Life slowed to a crawl.  And the Christmas I had envisioned was altered.

For two weeks I have pieced together what little Christmas magic I can muster.  I haven’t been able to go to the mall to participate in the crazy hustle that is Holiday Shopping.  The baking hasn’t materialized.  There has been no caroling.  The gifts ordered online aren’t wrapped.  And while my husband says, “Hey, at least I got the tree up,” all I can see is that it needs more lights.  About five thousand should do it.

I’ve viewed the Season these past two weeks through a different lens.  Keeping a slower pace has forced me to be introspective.  And in the quiet of my days, I heard something extraordinary.   Be Still.  Know.  I AM God.

I think sometimes God allows these little hiccups in life to bring us back to basics.  Christmas will happen whether I hobble through the mall or not.  The truth behind that old cliché “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” has been pushed to the back of our consciousness, even in the midst of the well-meaning religiosity of the holidays.

The lights, the fanfare, the pageantry, the gifts, even the music – it’s all fluff.   When that is all stripped away we are left with the realization that the baby’s birthday we celebrate each year is God incarnate.  And He wants us to know Him.  Without the fluff.

Let’s get back to basics:  the incredible act of God sending his Son to be born and live here on earth so that we ultimately can know what the words grace and peace truly mean.  That’s it.

You may not have an injury or illness that makes you slow your pace, but I’m challenging you to do it anyway.  Even for a few moments at a time.  Listen.  Can you hear Him?

Be Still. Know. I AM God.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

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