Christmas Eve 2012

I think what I like best about the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus is that it reminds me that I am loved.

And this takes me a while to digest every time I think about it.

I am plain-looking at best.  I have overgrown front teeth.  A rapidly receding hairline.  My legs are short and stumpy.  So are my fingers.  I've wrestled with a weight problem virtually all my life.  Yet I am loved. 

I have few talents to speak of.  I forget things constantly.  My work desk is a mess.  My organizational skills are weak.  I get impatient when i should be calm.  I get frustrated with myself on a daily basis.  Yet I am loved.

I have disappointed people, some deeply.  I have said stupid, stupid things.  I have fallen short of goals many times in my life.  I deeply regret idiotic decisions I have made when people depended on me.  Yet I am loved.

I am a boring person.  I wear black every day to work.  My pants are almost always wrinkled and my shoes are falling apart.  I am anything but fashion-conscious.  Yet I am loved.

I grow old.  I have two teeth missing in my mouth, and my eyesight slips every year.  I battle depression due to a thyroid ailment.  My sinuses are a constant problem.  Insomnia hits me weekly.  I am not specimen of physical prowess.  Yet I am loved. 

God sees right through me, warts and all.  He knows my weaknesses and yet He not only accepts me, He cares for me.  He sent His Son to die for me and He wants me to join Him in a forever relationship.  This is something that constantly amazes me.  His ways astound me.I celebrate that.