Immanuel

As Christmas approaches this year, we find ourselves exhausted, weary, and battered. Now for many people, that is just what the busy time of year does to them, but thankfully we have not been too busy with Christmas stuff this year. For us, the combination of moving, being sick, and having two kids that don't really like to sleep has caused our present condition. Shortly after we moved, I started to get better from my ear infection and sinus infection, Natalie also started to get better from her ear infection and then Jamie started having a ton of pain in her back (unrelated to the pain from our car accident a few weeks earlier).  Come to find out that it is a pretty bad kidney infection that so far the medicine has been unable to kill. Between several trips to the doctor, an IV in her arm, and many painful sleepless nights we started to get really tired. Then, a few days ago, Natalie again came down with a pretty high fever and she has not slept more than 20 to 25 minute chunks for the last few nights. Wow. 

If I am honest, I wonder how we will get through each day. Yet in the midst of this all, I am reminded of Christmas. Why does this remind me of Christmas? Let me try to explain.

We sing Christmas carols about a "silent night" and how "away in a manger...no crying he (Jesus) makes", but I just have a hard time thinking that is quite how it happened. Mary and Joseph had traveled on a long journey to a town that was not their own. Upon their arrival, they had to bed down in a barn (not known for their comfort) and give birth to a baby. Now I have no proof of this, but my guess is that Jesus did cry. My guess is that he woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to eat, and that he needed his diaper changed (ok I don't think he probably had diapers like ours, but still...). So for Mary and Joseph, that first Christmas was likely a stressful time. They were traveling slowly on foot and by donkey, they were sleeping in a barn, and after being wearied by their travels, they had to welcome a baby into the world. There is nothing more wonderful than welcoming your child into the world, but there is also nothing more challenging and at times frustrating than trying to care for a crying baby who can't communicate all that well and requires constant attention. That is stress that I can relate to right now. 

On top of all this, Mary and Joseph probably had a fair amount of stress from their social situation as well. Even today, in our more "tolerant" society, a young woman who becomes pregnant outside of marriage is often looked down upon. How much more then, in the jewish culture of their day. Imagine Joseph trying to explain to family, friends, or the teacher in his synagogue that he wanted to marry this pregnant woman who wasn't carrying his baby. I can imagine the disbelief as he tried to explain who the father was. My point is that not meeting the expectations of others socially can be quite stressful too. 

Now I know that it is a few years later in the story, but not long after Jesus' birth, his parents were forced to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus' life. So they loaded up the UHaul and drove down the highway to Cairo and moved into a nice condo downtown. Oh wait, I don't think that is quite how it worked back then. They had to start over - new friends, new home, new work. Again, stressful.

In the end, I am encouraged by the fact that Jesus came in the midst of a stressful situation, to people with some pretty big challenges. And the truth is that their circumstances did not immediately get easier. In fact, one could say that that got more challenging. I mean if it weren't for Jesus, they wouldn't have had to flee to Egypt right? Anyway, the point is that Jesus came and yet that did not mean that Mary and Joseph got a free ticket to an easy life. What they got, was Jesus' presence in their lives. But isn't that how Jesus was all throughout his life? His followers didn't exactly have it easy, but they had him. Jesus comes to us in our messy lives and he doesn't ever promise take away all the challenges we are facing, he simply offers himself and his presence, which changes us more often than it changes our circumstances. 

So in the midst of our current stress, frustration, exhaustion, and illnesses, I find myself clinging to the fact that Jesus was and is Immaneul - God with us. I will admit, I would love to have our circumstances change. In fact, I can't wait for them to change.  But I can find comfort in the fact that Jesus came in the midst of very challenging circumstances 2000 years ago because I trust that he still comes in the midst of challenging circumstances. While the circumstances themselves may not change any time soon, I know that God is with us, and I pray that even if he chooses not to make things easier for us that He will change us and that he will give us the strength we need to face each day.  Maybe someday, years from now, we will sing songs about our "silent night" because we remember the good that came from it and not only the challenges that made it so hard at the time.