Wednesday, December 21, 2011

It's Christmas Again

Almost exactly a year ago, on Christmas Eve, I wrote these words in another blog post:

In the end, then, Christmas is about making much of small things. Christmas is about remembering that sometimes God's perspective is different than ours. Christmas is about commemorating the tiny, the tangible, and the real. And Christmas is about celebrating one lone event that, in the whole wide expanse of history, really did matter.

Now, twelve months later, these words seem more true than ever. Sometimes I plod along in the dark, only able to see the next task that lies directly in front of me. And even that next task is often too difficult and things don't turn out the way I plan or want or expect.

But sometimes, for a fleeting moment, I'm given a glimpse of the bigger picture, of the tapestry built from these fragmented pieces, those events that I didn't choose and the people that I couldn't control and the timing that I didn't like. Sometimes, and especially at this time of year, I'm reminded how very significant each of those shards really is.

And this season is perhaps the best time to stand back and admire, for just a moment, the bigger picture, as we celebrate the passing of this year and past years and look forward to the coming of the new. So, in the midst of the traveling and shopping and visiting and celebrating, as you sit among your family and friends, take a few minutes to savor the beauty that the last few months and years and decades have built.

Remember all of those pieces that seemed inconvenient or messy or troublesome. Acknowledge the pain and irritation and hurt and frustration. Then savor the abundance that emerged from the scraps. Because ultimately, Christmas is about celebrating the unexpected twist in the tale, about recognizing the beauty that comes from an overlooked corner, and about a miracle that happened in a manger.