Volume 105: Rest in Being There

 

"You were there??????"

"You were at that game?????"

This week, any time some one found out I was at the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech 8 overtime victory last weekend, they immediately responded with excitement, "you were there?!?!?"

Yesterday, my brother last minute decided to go to the SEC Championship game. He texted us in the morning and the family group message quickly read, "You're going to the game?!?!?"

There is something special about being there. 

Experiencing something first hand. 

Being surrounded by people, having a shared experience. 

We love to be there. It changes everything. 

Sure, we can watch things on TV. Or hear about them from a friend. But it's completely different when you, yourself, experience it. 

In this advent season, I have been thinking about this concept a lot. 

What if I was there? At Jesus's birth? 

Hearing the sound of a crying baby. 

Seeing the joy on Mary and Joseph's face after he was born. 

Smelling the dirty diapers. 

Holding God in the flesh. 

We know the Christmas story like the back of our hands. But how often do we really take the time to consider the reality of what it must have been like? The pain and agony of childbirth. The joy and celebration of holding a newborn baby. 

What if I was there? It would have changed everything! 

Well, I may not have been there...

But I was there when God stirred in my heart in that random conference room in West Virginia on a ski trip! 

I was there when God comforted my classmates after the death of our dear friend! 

I was there when God filled the club room of middle schoolers each week! 

I was there when God provided for me in every new season of life!

I may not have been there for Jesus's birth...

But his birth has changed everything! And continues to every day. 

May we continue in this advent season with a posture of humility, just as our God entered this world. 

Because one day we WILL be there! In His presence, face to face with Jesus!