He could have come with a full entourage. Proclaiming His power to the world. Demanding we submit to His mighty hand.
But no.
Poor lighting. No midwife.
Unsterilized.
Dirt floors with an aroma of animal excrement.
That’s how my Savior presented Himself.
He didn’t deserve it.
I do, but He didn’t.
If that doesn’t show how selfless His love is. If that doesn’t reveal the lengths He’d go to ensure not one soul’s left behind, I don’t know what would.
Jesus bent lower than God has asked of any of us.
No one has a worse birth story. And no one exemplifies the beauty of life greater than He and His inexperienced mother.
We look at that stable today and see beauty. Pure redemption.
We look at Jesus’ birth and receive
a glimpse of how God sees us all.
Oh how He loves us.
He doesn’t see our mess, our unsterilized hearts. He sees hope.
God sees a life worth saving.
With the power of a lion, He came in like a lamb. Desperate for a mother’s breast.
Just like any of us.
If that doesn’t explain how willing He is to walk in our shoes. See the world how we see it. Feel the pain we experience. Taste temptation we’re presented with every day, I don’t know what will.
I look at the wrapped baby in a feeding trough
and my heart implodes with love.
For life so small and yet so great.
For an unobtrusive King willing to take my place.
And I can’t help but say ‘yes’ to His open hand extending an invitation to give me what this world can’t offer.
Friends, I pray you take time this Christmas season to get to know that babe in a manger more. Look at Him. Discover His mannerisms. Recognize His capabilities. Realize the depths He’d go to redeem you.
He could have come with a full entourage. But He didn’t have to.
He’s more than enough.
If He didn’t prove how much He could handle. If Him becoming vulnerable, reliant, helpless doesn’t show you how powerful He truly is, I don’t know what will…
(Subscribers, click here to listen in on one of my favorite Christmas songs pictured below)
Winter Snow
Featuring Audrey Assad and Chris Tomlin
How about you, friend? What do you see when you contemplate our Savior’s birth? I’d love to hear.
Thanks for sharing your time with me.
Simply striving,
Nikki
NOTE: I shared some thoughts on this song last year as well. You may see that post HERE.
simplystriving 
Sweet Nikki
Oh, thank.. you.. I truly want to tread softly with my words for I don’t want to interrupt this song of praise to our King! What amazes me beyond what my finite mind can understand is the fact that not for one moment did our Lord used His divine power whilst walking the earth…He became human just like us, a slave to sin, the second Adam, and showed us how to live in complete dependance on our Pappa conquering sin and all its evil consequences. And He still does that as He lives in us moment by moment.Oh, Nikki, what a King! What a God! What a lover of our hearts!
Have a blessed week
Mia
You wrap that up so perfectly, Mia. Love “Showed us how to live in complete dependance.” yes…
What a King of all Kings…to bend low and show us how to become more than we ever fathomed through Him….
Love and hugs to you, Mia!
This is one of the most remarkable and beautiful truths of Christmas–that love came down. For us. I still can’t wrap my head around it because I won’t condescend or lower myself for anything. But He did for us. Love this post, Nikki!
I can’t wrap my head around it either, Christina. and I’m still striving to bend lower…just like He.
Thanks for reading my heart, friend! Love and hugs to you!
I’d never heard this song before and was blessed. Thanks Nikki!! I love this post…your line of thinking is doing a good job of making me stop and consider….which is what I’ve always loved about visiting with you here. And, am always blessed by the comments section also. All of you young ladies are doing a good job of leading me toward deeper thoughts.
So blessed by you, Donna! (trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving)
It’s worth sitting down and just thinking about, isn’t it. How low He bent down…for me. I pray I never get over that.
Love and hugs to you!
Oh’ so beautiful Nikki. Thank you for sharing about Him so vulnerably. What an amazing God we serve! I’m slowing down and thinking of Him as well. So thankful for who He is and who I get to be with Him. I’ve loved visiting with you today…thanks for visiting with me too! Blessings on the start of your week girl! ~ Love, Amy
“So thankful for who He is and who I get to be with Him.” YES and AMEN! I’m so thankful, too, friend. Love and hugs to you, Amy!
Nikki, as I am preparing to pull out Christmas decorations this week, this post helped to remind me of why it is that we – years ago – gave up a Christmas tree in our living room as a focal point and instead put baby Jesus, in a feed trough… rough and raw and gently in your face… to remind us not just of ‘the reason for the season’ – but that in the midst of all the tradition and meaning – we would not lose sight of the sacrifice and vulnerability He offered us.
I loved: “With the power of a lion, He came in like a lamb. Desperate for a mother’s breast. Just like any of us.” Wow! I also loved the reminder that He could have come with an entourage… but in reality He is always more than enough!
For years we actually gave up having a tree at all… now we have one in our family room, but it is in our living room that we gather together, entertain friends and family, and remind everyone who enters in, that we have made room for Him and for them, and we are all invited to come and adore Him!
“Jesus, in a feed trough… rough and raw and gently in your face” I love that, Karrilee (and can’t get it out of my mind!)
He may have come to us hidden, but we have the power to change that now, don’t we.
(and I don’t have a tree in my living room, either. I have Jesus wrapped in swaddles, though. like you! we do have a tree in our family room — the tree that shares our family’s story…I’ll talk about that another day!)
Love and hugs to you, friend! Thanks for sharing with me!
This was a new song for me – thank you so much for sharing! The Nativity Story become new for me when I became a mom.
Makes my day when I can introduce you to a new song, Aurie! 🙂
Love and hugs to you! and I completely agree…the Nativity became new for me when I became a mom, too!
New song for me too, Nikki! Of course anything “Chris Tomlin” is a winner in my book 🙂
Love this post, especially that He looks past the mess and sees what CAN be. Praying we press on to lay hold to all He’s prepared for us.
Oh yay! Love introducing you to new songs, Susan 🙂 And this one is a huge winner. I can’t get enough of it.
Yes–I’ve been savoring that all week. He sees beyond my mess…what grace.
Love and hugs to you!
oh, His example of Humility and love…thank you, Nikki 🙂 So beautiful 🙂
Thank you, friend. So enjoyed chatting with you the other day!
Oh how beautiful to think about the wonder of His coming to earth. Quiet and calm and able to cover all the dirt and ugliness of our sin and make us beautiful and useful to Him. To God be all the glory!
Joy
To God be the glory indeed, Joy! You summarize my thoughts so well…wish we could sit down for a cup of tea some day : )
This story never gets old to me, never. Every time I hear it, it always leaves me a bit surprised.
I pray it always feels new to both of us, friend. Thank you for sharing with me.
Your love for Jesus is contagious! You convey it with such beauty and adoration. I love the calm an peace that this post gave me. So much goodness here!
You make me blush, friend! Thank you, sweet Mandy, for reading my heart so well. And for the record: your joy is contagious!! Love and hugs to you.
Thinking about the way he chose to announce His arrival… so insignificant in comparison to all that He would accomplish with His life and Death. I am not worthy – and yet,He still came for me. And continues to come. I loved these lines: “Discover His mannerisms. Recognize His capabilities. Realize the depths He’d go to redeem you.” This really struck a chord with me I inch closer toward the Holiday and farther away from The Very Reason for it. Thank you for the gentle conviction to look again.
Thank YOU for sharing with me, friend. Let’s you and me…shake this season up and savor the reason for it. Slow it down and truly soak Him in…
Nikki, you have centered my heart this night, and I am so grateful, friend. Amazing. Love to you this week, sweet friend.
Nikki, you have centered my heart this night, and I am so grateful. Amazing, amazing love. Love to you this week, sweet friend.
Thank you my dear friend. It’s all we really need to do, isn’t it. But to slow down and just look at Him…it brings us back to being centered…
Love and hugs to you!
What a beautiful post and so appropriate as we begin Advent and prepare to commemorate our Savior’s birth! Thank you for such a wonderful reflection. I am going to share this with my children 🙂
So blessed by you, friend! Thank you. Honored to share my heart with your beautiful children!
nikki . . . LOVE this: “He didn’t deserve it. // I do, but He didn’t.” That’s the Gospel, plain and clear. Praise God!
Thank you so much, Sarah, for stopping by, reading my heart! Love and hugs to you!!
I adore this song AND her voice! Thank you so much for sharing this and your heart with me today! I am RICHER…for sure!