The Nativity Story

I took some time out from Christmas preparations last night to sit down and watch The Nativity Story. (It's a beautiful film, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.)

The movie opens with Herod's soldiers storming into homes and taking baby boys from the arms of their mothers. It's not graphically violent, but you can easily tell that what's happening is not good. The film then backtracks to one year earlier and shows tax collectors coming to villages and removing people from their homes, and slaves working to build a wall for Herod.

Emily was watching the movie with me, and those first few scenes brought a few questions. We read the nativity story from the Bible together every year at Christmas, but I guess I've never talked to the kids about what the culture was like during those times. I tried to keep it simple, and explained that the kings who ruled over Jesus' people were not always good, and that lots of bad things happened.

I told her that the people were waiting for a powerful king to come and rescue them and save them from the bad rulers and the soldiers. But, they certainly weren't expecting this new king to be a little baby, who would grow up to be a man who taught them about peace, and told them to pay their taxes when they were supposed to, and who didn't want to fight the soldiers.

It made me think about what I expected Jesus to be for me.

Did I expect Him to step into my life and fight all of my battles? Make all of the bad things go away? Save me from everything that I saw as unfair and unjust?

Did I truly understand His message of peace, of patience, of forgiveness? Being content in all things and all situations?

Did I accept Him as my Savior on His terms?

There were some areas of my life that did change the moment I asked Jesus to be my King. Some very painful places in my heart were touched, healed - right away - and I found myself filled with hope and joy. The impact was immediate and powerful.

I admit I've wished from time to time that everything could have been different right away...that I would have been elevated above all of the problems and troubles in my life and in the world.

But I've learned that having Jesus as my Savior, as my King, means trusting that He's in charge.

It means beginning with a faith, a hope, that is as fragile as a newborn baby. It means letting that faith grow and be tested until it is strong enough to face anything that comes against it. It means letting my life and how I live it be an example to others.

It means accepting Him the way that He came to us. Humbly. Peacefully. Beautifully.