What If?

Special Guest Blogger – Sonya Hayes

Not every unwanted gift of Christmas should be returned or rejected -- even when it makes you uncomfortable. Opening gifts in front of the giver is most likely one of the most uncomfortable things a person can do. So for me, I have opted for the easy way to shop for Christmas: if it is not on an Amazon wish list, odds are my children will not be getting it. It has occurred to me, though, that there is danger and disappointment in not receiving gifts with grace and anticipation even if they make me uncomfortable. In the first Christmas story, Mary could have rejected many aspects of her uncomfortable Christmas gifts.  She had more than enough reasons that would have made sense to turn them down, but she didn’t -- and she had to open them in front of God.

Look at the story. After 400 years of silence, Holy God sends His voice to the ear of human-kind once again. What if Mary had been too preoccupied to listen? What if she had ignored her Heavenly messenger outright? She would have missed out on God acknowledging the value and trust He placed in women. He could have started with Joseph, after all. What if Mary had rejected or ignored the angel? What if she had preferred the comfort of her mother-in-law’s home? What if she refused the supernatural and chose to remain "normal?" Mary would have missed the Glory of God like none other. Mary would have missed the joy of being a servant, and Mary would have missed her Song of worship.

Look at the other side of the family. What if Joseph had rejected Mary? What if He had opted not to handle the pressure of society? What if he said the path would be too difficult to travel and had stayed behind? Joseph would have missed a life filled with awe in raising God in the flesh; he would have missed being the first to kneel before his Savior.

What if the stable had not been good enough? Surely they were not the first to ask for lodging in an already crowded inn. What if Mary and Joseph had demanded more from God than the lowly, stinky stable? They would have closed the door to shepherds. They would have missed out on those divine provisions. They would have missed out on God making the mundane Holy.

What if the shepherds had enjoyed the song but refused to pursue the message? What if they had said we are too tired, we have worked all day, and it is not convenient? And besides, we have an important job. We are guarding the sheep used in the temple for the sacrifice. They would have missed out on seeing Glory in the flesh. They would have missed out on being the first New Testament missionaries, and they would have missed out on seeing God fulfill His promise.

What if later the Wise men had said the star fascinates me, but I will stay and observe from my vantage point?  They would have missed the divine moment of placing the first offering before the feet of their Savior.

What if you opt to ignore the voice of God this Christmas? What if you are saying, “No, the path is too complicated?” What if you say, “The people will talk?” What if you say, “I am tired, and I am comfortable?” Or maybe you have already done this. Have you told the Father that the gift He is offering does not fall within your expectations of a good gift?

Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men all had options -- like we have options. We can hold on to traditions, to what proper society dictates, to our comfort zone in life. We can find excuses not to be in God’s house, not to worship in the hard times, and so on. In doing these things, we are telling the giver of all good things that we deserve better -- that His idea of a good gift is flawed, and that we would like a gift card option to buy our own, thank you very much.

As you celebrate this season, open your heart to the idea that God has a plan for you in the coming days and in the year ahead -- plans to use you in a way that will change the course of our church, your home, our community. A “yes” by those in the Christmas Story altered all that they had known and the lives of millions that came after them.

a journey, not one I would have picked, but one that is having profound effects and impact on my heart. I pray I never see my God and King through my old eyes.Unwanted gifts and ugly sweaters were given long before the stable and after the cross. When God chose Gideon to lead his small band of men into battle, He was showing that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest army. When empowered and equipped by God, there was no need for weapons of traditional warfare. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons the world would consider ineffective, yet they triumphed.

Gideon was brave when he had an army of 30,000 but God gifted him with one of 300, and this meager gift God gave is much like what would happen on the night of Christ’s birth: heaven would burst forth with a loud song from the Glory which would forever proclaim victory over the enemy.

When Daniel was gifted with the Lion’s den, God was there. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the midst of the fiery furnace, God was there. Yes, God could have gifted them with a life far away from the lions and from the fire, but it was in these gifts that God was there. He chose to show Himself in the midst of their trials. He chose to reveal His power through the journey much like He did for Mary and Joseph in their journey to Bethlehem.

He could have delivered Paul and Silas from the prison, but it was there that he gave the song of worship, much like the song he gave Mary. He could have rescued John from the isle of Patmos, but instead He gave him a glimpse of Glory. The same glimpse He gave each one that was touched by the first Christmas story.

He wants to join you in the unwanted gifts that touch your life today, too. Allow Him to be the beauty in Psalms 30:11 - God turns our mourning into dancing. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God will rejoice over us with singing. This year, when an unwanted gift is given, listen to the song of Heaven God wants to sing over you. 

It is a journey, not one I would have picked, but one that is having profound effects and impact on my heart. I pray I never see my God and King through my old eyes.They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightnessThey fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness.

When Daniel was in the midst of the lion's den…God was with him. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the midst of the fiery furnace…God was with them. It would have been perfectly easy for God and would have immediately transported these men of His out of their difficulties, but no, He chose instead to be with them in the midst of their trials. God chose to reveal His power through the trials instead of exercising His power to remove them.

A favorite promises in the Bible — that God turns mourning into dancing! (Psalms 30:11) He takes away the anguish of being clothed in sadness and replaces it with gladness. However, notice what God doesn't do — He does not simply stop your mourning and make it disappear. No, He transforms it…into joy!

It is a journey, not one I would have picked, but one that is having profound effects and impact on my heart. I pray I never see my God and King through my old eyes.