This devotional series has 12 entries intended to carry through the Liturgical season of Christmas. I searched my memory and surveyed a bunch of parents to come up with twelve actual thoughts we had during our first days as parents. Perhaps these are also thoughts Mary or Joseph had during those first few days in Jesus’ infancy.

In my experience, it’s somewhere around day 5 when you start to get into a rhythm with a newborn. Yes, you’re tired, but you start to fill like you’ve figured out how this all is going to work. It’s a comforting feeling, to have a rhythm for handling the days and the nights and the tasks of getting meals on the table and keeping the house from becoming a total disaster. You know what needs to get done, you know how to manage the tasks, and you kind of know how the baby will respond.

When I think about the core message of Christmas, it seems to me that God knew exactly what we needed most. Christmas is all about God choosing to enter creation in order to be with us. God is not some distant figure that we can’t access or connect with; God is the one who becomes a tiny baby, vulnerable and fragile, in order to better connect with us. When we feel vulnerable or fragile or lonely, the story of Jesus’ birth reminds us that God chose to willingly embrace all of these realities. God intimately understands the emotions and struggles we face and God wants to be with us in that pain, to accompany us through it all.

INVITATION:  The feeling of competence, in any area of life, is powerful. Today, take some time to consider what practices and activities you need in order to feel grounded in your life of faith. What commitments do you need to keep in order to grow in your relationship with God? What practices help you feel connected to the God who longs to connect with you?