For the past five months, I’ve been raising a puppy, sometimes wishing time would move faster so he could outgrow some puppy habits, and at the same time not wanting to rush this amazing puppy phase. It disappears so quickly.
In the background of this season, song lyrics have been going through my mind: “Welcome to Our World” by Chris Rice. The song is a reminder of all Jesus endured when He came to earth for us.
When we think about Jesus’ birth, we celebrate that God came to live among us, as one of us. We often remember His amazing ministry on earth and the difficult road He faced as an adult who was harassed, beaten, and died for us. But it’s easy to overlook the middle part.
None of that middle stuff is easy: babyhood, childhood, teen years, young adult. If we pause for a moment, we can remember some of the challenges we faced and watched our kids and grandkids face. Yes, there are joys and great moments, sweet memories. But let’s face it, there are a lot of daily challenges to growing up. Jesus went through all of that to be with us, to save us, to reconcile us to God forever.
We don’t hear much about His early years in scripture. But Jesus lived every one of those days and hours—baby, child, pre-teen, teen, young adult—leading up to the Bible stories we read. Yet another reason to be thankful for the depths of what God is willing to do to be in our world and to be with us forever.
Thank You, Jesus, for coming to live with us in our messed-up world—and continuing to live it daily through Your Spirit in us—so we can live forever with You. Happy birthday, and welcome to our world.
Adventures with God 